Inside the Strategy Room

Few things a CEO can do are more powerful than leading strategy well. The success of a strategy ultimately depends on the CEO's close involvement—and on their ability to fulfill six roles they cannot delegate without risking the value a strategy can create. Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Andy West, and Whitney Zimmerman join us to discuss the six roles and how leading CEOs fulfill them effectively. Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance The six strategy roles a CEO must not delegate Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage The CEO’s singular impact on the success—or failure—of AI in organizations The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs learn to lead from the inside out CEO Excellence: The six mindsets that distinguish the beast leaders from the rest A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the cycles of leadership Ten Timeless Tests: Have you tested your strategy lately?Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Why do so many beloved companies lose their way after taking on outside capital or going public? Eric Ries, author of Incorruptible and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, joins senior partner Ryan Davies to discuss “financial gravity,” the force that pulls organizations toward mission drift. Drawing on stories such as Costco’s origins, they explore how governance built on purpose, coherence, and integrity can help companies earn trust and create long-term value. Related insights Learn more about Eric Reis Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long Term Performance How CEOs can play the long game in a shortsighted worldSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Agentic AI is fundamentally changing how a transformation office (TO) can operate, freeing up the team to be not just faster but better. Chase Covington and Tomer Slaney join us to discuss how deploying agentic tools can generate sharper performance insights, maintain a single source of truth, and drive the right conversations at the right cadence—while allowing a more dedicated focus on the human elements of the change effort. Related insights The agentic transformation office: Redefining the economics of change WAVE: By McKinsey Building the foundations for agentic AI at scale Escaping the pilot trap: Building HR for the agentic era From potential to performance: Using gen AI to conduct outside-in diligence Unlocking full potential: Five practices reshaping PE value creation McKinsey Transformation McKinsey Transformation on LinkedInSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Today’s disruption has created a critical ‘Strategy Moment’ for organizations navigating a fundamentally changing basis of competitive advantage. Carolyn Dewar, Marcus Jacob and Laura LaBerge join us to debunk four strategy myths and unpack how long-held assumptions are being rewritten to shape foundational strategic choices for a future-focused reality. They also discuss where AI amplifies the challenge—and creates opportunity—and how to determine if your AI investment is pointed in the right strategic direction.   Related insights Strategy and Value: The Four Foundations That Drive Long-Term Performance Strategy’s biggest blind spot: Erosion of competitive advantage Why accelerated resource allocation matters in the age of AI How to maximize competitive advantage How top economic performers lean into their competitive advantage to guide their strategy CEO Excellence A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of LeadershipSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

As we enter the fourth quarter, we look to where M&A stands and how dealmakers can finish strong. We also explore how AI is rewriting the traditional M&A playbook: success no longer comes from scale alone, but from building intelligent platforms and capabilities that compound over time to drive growth. Benjamin Houssard, Kameron Kordestani, Alex Liu, and Tobias Lundberg walk through how to leverage AI to turn a series of transactions into a self-reinforcing growth engine. Related insights 2026 M&A trends: Navigating a rapidly rebounding market Technology M&A: AI enters its industrial phase Five steps to strengthen M&A capabilities, no matter the starting point Gen AI in M&A: From theory to practice to high performance Advanced industries: Geopolitics, economics, and technology drive M&A Culture in M&A Using M&A to launch a transformationSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information