麦肯锡-最孤独的工作？顶级CEO如何应对困境和脆弱性（英）-2024-WN8

Theloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerabilityThisarticleconsolidatesinsightsfromaround100seniorleadersonfivecommondilemmasthatcomplicatetheirabilitytoleadinthefaceofcompetingpriorities.ThisarticleisacollaborativeeffortbyGautamKumra,JoydeepSengupta,andMukundSridhar,withJaniceKohandJenniferChiang,representingviewsfromtheMcKinseyCenterforCEOExcellence.August2024Formanyleaders,assumingtheroleofCEOisakeycareergoalandtheculminationofdecadesofhardwork.TheCEOroleisalsoamongthemostchallenginganddemandingpositionsinanyorganization—particularlyduringtimesofuncertaintyandupheaval.linebetweenpreservingthecoreoftheirbusinessandinnovatingforthefuture?Howcantheydelivershort-termresultswhileinvestinginlong-termorganizationalhealth?Howdotheypreserveapersonalidentitywhilefullyimmersingthemselvesintheirrole?About100CEOshavepassedthroughtheMcKinseyByilluminatinglessonslearnedbyCEOsduringCenterforCEOExcellence(MCCE)leadershipprogramsinceitlaunchedinmid-2022(formoreinformationontheMCCE,seesidebar,“AbouttheMcKinseyCenterforCEOExcellence”).Theseseniorleaders—representingcompaniesfromAfrica,Asia,Europe,andtheMiddleEast—haveopenlysharedtheirtriumphsandstruggleswithus.Inapreviousarticle,wesharedprovisionalresultsfromourproprietaryCEOExcellenceAssessmentTool(CEAT),aself-assessmentsurveydesignedtocaptureCEOs’aspirationsandbehaviors.1thesedifficultmoments,wehopetoshedlightonaseldom-discussedsideoftheCEOexperience.TheCEOjourneycanbelonely,andeventhemostsuccessfulCEOsexperiencemomentsofdoubtandvulnerability.Wehopethisarticlesparksanopenconversationaboutthemanyoverlappingchallengesfacingtoday’sCEOsaswellasthetacticsandstructurestheycanusetobolstertheirperformanceatworkandmaintainasenseofpersonalwell-being.Thisarticlecomplementsthatquantitativedatawithrich,qualitativeinsightsgleanedfromourdiscussionswithMCCEparticipantsabouttheinevitablemomentsofuncertaintytheyfaceduringtheirtenures.2Often,theseuncertaintiesarerootedFivedilemmasfortoday’sCEOsCEOsmakemanydecisions—largeandsmall—everydayacrossabroadrangeofissues.Thisfrequentlyentailsoptimizingmultiplepossibleoutcomesandjugglingdifficulttrade-offs.ManagingthesedecisionsiscentraltotheCEOrole,which“sitsattheintersectionofallcontradictions.”3OurconversationswithCEOssuggestthatthesedecisionmomentsmostofteninvolveone(ormore)offivekeydilemmas(exhibit).inoneormoreoffivecommondilemmas.EachdilemmaconcernsatimewhenCEOsarerequiredtostrikeabalancebetweenmultipledesirableoutcomes,whichmaybe—orappeartobe—incompatible.How,forexample,doCEOswalktheTheCEOjourneycanbelonely,andeventhemostsuccessfulCEOsexperiencemomentsofdoubtandvulnerability.1GautamKumra,JoydeepSengupta,andMukundSridhar,“CEOexcellence:Howdoleadersassesstheirownperformance?,”McKinsey,February13,2024.2Alldirectquotesincludedinthisarticlearebasedonqualitativeinterviews.CarolynDewar,ScottKeller,andVikramMalhotra,CEOExcellence:TheSixMindsetsThatDistinguishtheBestLeadersfromtheRest,New3York,NY:Scribner,2022.Theloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerability2AbouttheMcKinseyCenterforCEOExcellenceTheMcKinseyCenterforCEOExcellence(MCCE)isMcKinsey’sdedicatedofferingforCEOdevelopment.TheMCCEisanchoredonthesixdimensionsdescribedinCEOExcellence(Scribner,March2022),writtenbyMcKinseyseniorpartnersCarolynDewar,ScottKeller,andVikramMalhotra.Thesesixdimensions—settingthedirection,engagingwiththeboard,aligningtheorganization,mobilizingthroughleaders,connectingwithstakeholders,andmanagingpersonaleffectiveness—arefurtherbrokendowninto18behaviors(exhibit).ExhibitTheroleofaCEOcanbedeꢀnedintermsof18behaviorsacrosssixdimensions.VisionBoardrelationshipsBoardcapabilitiesBoardmeetingsStrategySetthedirectionEngagetheboardResourceallocationManagepersonaleectivenessCultureOrganizationdesignTalentmanagementTimeandenergyLeadershipmodelPerspective¹CEOexcellenceAligntheorganizationMobilizethroughleadersConnectwithstakeholdersSocialpurposeStakeholderinteractionsMomentsoftruth²TeamcompositionTeamworkOperatingrhythm1Keepingyourselfinperspectivebystayinghumble.Bestbehaviorstopreventandmanagecrisis.2Source:CarolynDewar,ScottKeller,andVikramMalhotra,CEOExcellence:TheSixMindsetsThatDistinguishtheBestLeadersfromtheRest,NewYork,NY:Scribner,2022McKinsey&CompanyTheresearchunderpinningthebookisbasedonmorethan20years’worthofdataon7,800CEOsfrom3,500publiccompaniesacross70countriesand24industries.1fromexperiencedseniorCEOs,engagewithlike-mindedpeers,andobtainfeedbackontheirleadershipstyleandbehaviors.TheflagshipMCCEjourneyinvolvesanine-monthCEOExcellenceprogram,tailoredtohelpCEOselevatetheirperformanceandreachtheirfullpotential.EachMCCEcohortbringstogetheranexclusivegroupofCEOs,carefullycuratedfromdiverseindustriesandregions,andoffersanunparalleledopportunityforexecutivestolearn1“CEOExcellence,”McKinsey,accessedJuly8,2024.Theloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerability3ExhibitFivecommondilemmasraisechallengesforCEOsinbalancingcompetingpriorities.PreservingthecoreInnovatingforthefuturevsvsvsvsDeliveringshort-termresultsinthefaceofvolatilityInvestinginlong-termperformanceManagingateamofindividualstarsMaximizingastarteamEmpoweringtheteamtomakecriticaldecisionsMaintainingsolecontrolofoutcomesvsImmersingfullyintotheCEOroleRetainingpersonalidentityandsenseofpurposeMcKinsey&CompanyDilemma1:Preservingthecorewhileinnovatingforthefutureprofessionalhires—co-ownedthecompany’snewmissionstatement.Gainingalignmentrequiredmanyiterationsandnumeroustownhallstobroadlycommunicatetheupdatedvision.Theresult?Amorecustomer-centricanddata-drivenorganization,underpinnedbytraditionalfamilyvalues.PreservingthecoreofthebusinessisparamountformostCEOs,becauseofadesiretorespectthehistoryandbusinessvalueofestablishedbrands.KlausKleinfeld,formerchairandCEOofArconicandformerpresidentandCEOofSiemens,said,“Whenacompanyisoverahundredyearsold,alotofpeoplehavedonealotofthingsright.I’mstandingontheshouldersofgiants.Peoplewhohavebeentherebeforememadethedecisionsthatbenefitedme.”Atthesametime,theCEOswespoketoareawareofthefast-changingcontextinwhichtheyoperate—especiallyinAsia—andtheneedtocontinuallyinnovatetofuture-prooftheirorganizationsandmaintaintheirmarketpositions.Managingthisdilemmacanalsobechallengingforpubliclylistedcompanies.OnemanufacturingcompanyCEOhadtoallocateresourcesbetweentwobusinessesinhiscompany’sportfolio.Thefirstwasahugerevenuedriverbutwithshrinkingdemand.Thesecondbusinesswasinafast-growingsegmentbutrequiredmassiveinvestmentandwaslosingmoney;gainingafootholdinthemarketrequiredanaggressivepivot,includingretrainingorreplacingexistingtalent.Balancingthesetwoimportantaimscanbeparticularlychallengingforsecond-andthird-generationCEOsrunningfamilybusinesses,whowishtopreservethefamilylegacywhilenecessarilyinnovatingforthefuture.Forexample,whentheCEOofafamilybusinessinSoutheastAsiasoughttotransformthebusinesstoavoidlosingmarketshare,oneofhisbiggesthurdleswasgainingbuy-inwithinthefamily.Hewaseventuallyabletobringallstakeholdersalongbyensuringthathistopteam—acarefulbalancebetweenthe“oldguard”andnewGailKelly,formerCEOoftheWestpacGroup,stressedthatinnovatingandpreservingthecorearenotopposinggoals.“Thecoreistheheartofthebusiness,”shesaid,“andbusinessesshouldkeepinnovatinginthecoretodeliverandsustainperformance,whilesimultaneouslybuildingnewbusinesses.Preservingthecorerequirescontinuedinnovation.”ACEOcanpursuethoughtfulandstrategicinnovationtogrowthecompanywithoutTheloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerability4takingexcessiverisks,whilehonoringitshistoryandDilemma3:Managingateamofindividualstarspreservingassets,value,andalegacyofsuccess.versusmaximizingcollectiveperformanceTheCEOswespoketowantedtosupporteachindividualontheirseniorleadershipteaminperformingatthetopoftheirpotentialandgettingopportunitiestobuildandexhibittheirdistinctivestrengths.Atthesametime,CEOsneedtooptimizetheperformanceoftheteam,whichmayrequirethemtofocusonnotonlypeopleorrelationshipsbutalsoskillsets.Dilemma2:Deliveringshort-termresultswhileinvestinginlong-termperformanceCEOswanttoensuretheyare“doingrightbythecompany”inthelongtermandmakingthedifficultdecisionsthatwillcreatesustainablevalue.Atthesametime,however,theyareconstantlysubjecttocontradictingviewsfromtheboardandotherstakeholdersandarepressuredtoboostshort-termvalueinwaysthatmaynotpositionthebusinessforlong-termsuccess.AnumberofCEOssaidtheyhadfounditdifficulttomanageindividualisticstarperformerswhoconsistentlydeliveredgreatresultsbutdidnotworkwellwithothersonthetopteam.Inhindsight,severalCEOscitednotdealingwithatoxichighperformerfastenoughasoneoftheirtopregrets.Thefrictionandlossofcohesioninthetopteamoftenledtoseriouslong-termissues,includingthelossofvaluedteammembersfromthecompany.Afocusonshort-termsuccesscanbeparticularlyalluringduringchallengingtimes.OneCEOledhiscompanythroughafar-reachingcompanytransformation,resultinginarecord-breaking2022,butthenfacedabroadrangeofindustry-widedifficultiesin2023.Itwas“difficulttostayontrackwiththetransformation,”hetoldus.“IknowwhatI’mdoingisright,buttheresultsarenotcomingthrough.”GailKellynotedthatCEOssometimesretainanindividualfortoolonginsteadofadmittingthattheymadeapoorchoice;however,“ifthepersonisaOptimizingfortheshorttermcanbeariskystrategy,poorculturalfit,itisbetterforboththeindividualtoo.PeterOlson,formerCEOofRandomHouse,regrettednotthinkingmoreabouttheprocessofmergingtwopublishinghouses:“Ifocusedtoomuchonmakingshort-termtargetsandnotenoughoncultureandtalentdevelopment.”concernedandfortheorganizationthattheCEOmakesthecallearly.”AnumberofCEOs,particularlythosewhosecompaniesareundergoingtransformation,alsonotedarelateddilemma:gettingthebalancerightbetweenlong-tenured,loyalemployeesandnewemployeeswhohavetheskillsetsnecessarytotransformthecompanybutmaynotfullyembracethecompany’svalues.Whereshort-andlong-termgoalscompete,CEOsthatopttosteerasteadylong-termcoursemaybepositionedtowithstandotherpressures.Buildingandmaintainingwidersupportinthechosenlong-termstrategycanhelpCEOsnavigatepressure.NazirRazak,foundingpartnerofIkhlasCapitalandformerchairandCEOofCIMBGroup,stressedthatCEOsneedtoeffectivelymanagebothtypesofemployees:“Goodmanagementstartswithwhoisa‘missionary’andwhoisa‘mercenary,’andmanagementandcompensationstructureswilloftenneedtovary.Whenthebusinessisgoingwell,themercenarymaybetheeasiestpersontoputintherole,butyouneedtohaveaclearsuccessionplanasyouneverknowwhentheywillleave.”Inmanycases,however,short-andlong-termgoalscanbedistinctorevenself-reinforcing.AsGailKellyputit,CEOsneedbothashort-termandalong-termfocus:“CEOsneedtohaveaportfolioofprojects,someofwhichwilldeliverintheshortrun,andothersofwhichwilldeliveroverthelongerterm,”shesaid.Kellyarguedthatclearandtransparentcommunicationwithinvestorsandtheboardiscriticalthroughouttheprocess.CEOsneedtoavoidoverpromisingandunderdeliveringandbeup-frontifaprojectistakinglongerthanexpectedorneedsmoreinvestment.ForNazirRazak,themostdifficultchallengeismanagingtoxicsuperstarswhomayhavethefulltrustoftheCEO.HehasmanagedthischallengeTheloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerability5byworkingwiththeseindividualstoseeifchangewaspossibleand—ifnot—goingoutofhiswaytofindthedepartingemployeeanewroleoutsidethecompany.“Howyouletgooftheindividualisofutmostimportance,”hesaid.“EveryoneinthecompanyiswatchingyouractionsasaCEO.”KlausKleinfeldbelievesinastrongselectionprocess,inwhichperformanceandvaluesareevaluatedatthesametime.Onceapersonhasbeenchosen,hewelcomesthemwithtrust.Hestronglybelievesthatasustainablehigh-performanceculturethatthrivesonimprovementandinnovationgrowsbestinanenvironmentbasedontrustandvalues.However,anyonewhosignificantlycompromisestheorganization’svaluesmustbeletgoeveniftheyareastarperformer—and,ideally,inaveryvisiblewaysotherestoftheteamgetsthemessage.responsibilitiesanddecisions,freeingthemuptofocusonthebigpicture.Meanwhile,delegationoftenimprovescompanyperformance,asPeterOlsonmakesclear:“CEOsmaythinkthatonlytheycanmakethebestdecisionsaboutanythingandeverything,butinfact,ifyouhavetherightteam,eachofthemwillknowtheirarea—andmaketherightdecisions—farbetterthantheCEO.”Evenwithjudicioushiring,roleclarity,andappropriatesafeguards,organizationsmakemistakes—arealitythatCEOsneedtoaccept.PeterOlsonsaidoneofhismajorchallengesasaCEOwas“learningtodroptheperfectionismandfocusonthe95percentofworkthatisdonewell,andnotontheother5percent.”CEOscandecidewheretoretaincontrolandwheretodelegatebasedonthespecificcontext.NazirRazakstressedthatCEOswillneedtoevolvetheirmanagementstylebasedontheneedsofthecompany:“Aperiodoftransformationmaycallforamoreauthoritativeapproach,afterwhichtheCEOcouldrelinquishadegreeofcontrol,”hesaid.“SmartCEOsfrequentlylookatthemselvesinthemirrortoseeiftheyarestilltherightpersontomanagethatbusiness.”Dilemma4:EmpoweringotherswhilemaintainingcontrolofoutcomesDelegationisavitalskillforCEOs;empoweringothersisimportantforoverallcompanyperformanceandforbuildinganddevelopingleaders.Atthesametime,CEOsareultimatelyaccountableforcompanyresultsandmay,therefore,bereluctanttosurrendercontrol.ThisbalancingactcanbeparticularlychallengingfornewCEOs,whomayneedtotransitionfromanoperatormindset,whichwaslikelyrequiredintheirpreviousrole,toanorchestratorapproach.Evenforlonger-tenuredCEOs,decidinghowandwheretocedecontrolcanbeanongoingchallenge.OneexperiencedbankingCEOinSoutheastAsiaadmittedhestillhastroublesteppingawaybecauseofconcernsthathisteammightmakeamistake.Asaresult,heregularlystayslateintheofficetocheckdetailedreportsforpossibleerrors.Dilemma5:BecomingfullyimmersedintheCEOrolewhileretainingpersonalidentityandsenseofpurposeMostleaderswanttoperformatthehighestpossiblelevel,whichrequiresanintensedegreeoffocus,commitment,andresilience.ThiswasPeterOlson’sexperience:“WhenItookoverthejob,thejobtookovermylife,”hesaid.Atthesametime,CEOswanttohavesomesortofapersonallife,includingmaintainingandbuildingpersonalrelationshipsandpursuingotherinterests.CEOswespoketofoundthatstrikingthisbalancewasachronicchallenge.ThismaybeespeciallytrueinAsia,whereratesofemployeeburnoutaresignificantlyhigherthanglobalaverages.4BalancingdelegationwithaccountabilityisanongoingchallengeforCEOs.Theycanhelpimprovethecompanybycreatingastructurethatallowstheirteamstofailandlearninarelativelylow-riskenvironmentwhileensuringappropriatedegreesofsupervisionandoversight.ButmanyexperiencedCEOssaidthatatsomepoint,theyhadrealizedtheyneededtofindasustainablebalancetoexcelintheirrole.AsGailKellysaid,“It’sOKtohaveabusyorchallengingInaddition,assemblingagroupoftrusteddirectreportscanhelpCEOstodelegateday-to-day4“EmployeementalhealthandburnoutinAsia:Atimetoact,”McKinsey,August18,2022.Theloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerability6period,butthatcan’tbeyourentireCEOcareer.Youneedtoliveyourwholelife,notjustthebusinesspartofyourlife.”CEOsuseddifferentstrategiestoattainthisbalance.Onesaidhecarvesoutwindowsoftimewhenhecanbefullypresentathome,ratherOnceCEOsareclearontheirmission,theyoftenfindtheyhaveconsiderablecapacitytoset,orreframe,targetsandKPIs.OneCEOspentninemonthsbroadeninghercompany’sinitiativesandtargetstoensurealignmentbetweenhermissionthanhavingtimeathomewithconstantdistractions.andthatofthecompany.SheemergedfromthatManyotherCEOsexpressedtheimportanceofstaying“inthemoment,”engaging100percentinwhatevertheyaredoing.journeyconfidentthatthenewsetofKPIsmadesensenotonlyforthecompanybutalsoforsociety,theenvironment,andheremployees.Tipsandtricksaside,theCEOswhosaidtheyhadachievedabalancesharedacommonattribute:theyhadfoundtheirNorthStar.Havingasenseofmissionenabledthemtomaintainbalance,clarity,andpurpose.ACEOofaconstructioncompanysharedhisdesiretobuildinfrastructurethatcouldsupporthiscountry’sprogress,botheconomicallyandsocially.Similarly,aretailCEOspokepassionatelyaboutwantingtodevelopthenextgenerationoftalentinhercountry.Finally,itcanbehardforCEOstobringtheirfullpersonalidentity,values,andpurposetotheofficeratherthanconformtothestereotypicalnotionofaCEO,butfullimmersionintherolecallsfordoingexactlythat.AsFabriceDesmarescauxsaid,“Theveryworstwaytoloseyourselfistolosesightofyourvalues.Underseriouspressuretoperform,CEOscanbetemptedtocutcornersortoadoptlegalbutunethicalpractices.Thisisaslipperyslope.”GailKellyarguedthatbringingyourcompleteselftowork—andbeingopenaboutdoingso—canbebeneficial:“Sharingaspectsofyourlifebroadlycreatesdeeperrelationshipswithyourstakeholdersbecausetheyseeyouassomeonetheycanrelateto.”HavinganoverarchingmissionhelpsfreeCEOsfromthesensethattheirjobissimplytodeliveragainstaconstantstreamofKPIs.“CEOswhohavefoundgreaterbalancearethosewhovaluethejourneymorethanthedestination,”saidFabriceDesmarescaux,leaderofAberkynAsiaandaCEOleadershipcoachatMcKinsey.5“Chasingtargets,whetherit’sasharepriceoramarketshare,createsasenseofpermanentdissatisfactionandtheillusionthatwe’llbehappywhenwereachourgoal.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.”HavinganoverarchingmissionhelpsfreeCEOsfromthesensethattheirjobissimplytodeliveragainstaconstantstreamofKPIs.5Aberkyncounselors,whoarepartofMcKinsey’sPeople&OrganizationalPractice,areexpertsinleadershipdevelopmentandtransformations,includingculturechangeandM&A.Theloneliestjob?HowtopCEOsmanagedilemmasandvulnerability7Importanttakeawaysfrominterviewedleadersasweakness,butIthinkitisastrengthbecauseitgivesyouawarenessand,whendonewithsensitivity,canbringpeopletogetherinaverypositiveway.”CEOsaregenerallydealingwithsomeoralloftheabovedilemmassimultaneously.ACEOmay,forexample,betryingtomodernizeabusinesswhilealsoseekingtoempoweramicromanagedteamorrefocusdifficultpersonalities—allwhilestrivingtomaintainabalanced,purpose-drivenlife.3.Continuallyreassessyourprioritiesandkeepanopenmind.ForKlausKleinfeld,aNorthStarcanshiftsubstantiallyoverthecourseofalifetimebut“isareflectionofwhoyouwanttobeattheendofyourlife.Havingthisclarityenablesyoutoshapeyourowndestiny,whichisonlypartiallydefinedbyyourcareer.”PeterOlsonsaidthatCEOsshouldbehonestwiththemselvesaboutwhattheyfindfulfillingandwhattasksandactivitiestheydoanddonotlike,andtheyshouldregularlyreassesswhethertheirjobmeetsthosecriteria.Heargued,“Ifitdoesnot,theyshouldspendmoretimedoingthethingsthatbringthemthemostjoyandexcitement—theirincreasedenthusiasmwillalsoinspiretheentireteam.”ThefollowingtakeawaysmayhelpCEOsandaspiringleadersnavigatetheinherentchallengesoftheirroles.1.Embracea‘both/and’ratherthanan‘either/or’mindset.Althoughmakingtrade-offsisfundamentaltotheCEOrole,two(ormore)competingoutcomesorqualitiescanactuallybecompatible—orevencomplementary.Whenfacedwithadifficulttrade-off,CEOsshouldresistthetemptationtochooseonesideovertheother.Instead,theyshouldstrivetotranscendpolaritiesandfindanewsolutionspacethatsatisfiesbothsidesofthetrade-off.Inthisway,polaritiescanbecomeopportunities.Thisrequiresawillingnesstobeflexible,creative,andtransparentincommunication,aswellasacommitmenttoco