A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership

Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking. From the leading global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and the minds behind the New York Times bestseller CEO Excellence, comes A CEO for All Seasons — a compact, insight-packed guide to navigating the distinct phases of leadership that every CEO must pass through on their way to mastery. In the high-stakes world of corporate leadership, becoming a Fortune 500 CEO is an Everest-like ascent, with only the savviest managing to avoid falling off the mountain. This essential guide serves as a roadmap through every stage of that journey, featuring wisdom from some of the world’s most iconic leaders, including Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman, Chevron’s Mike Wirth, Merck’s Ken Frazier, Nasdaq’s Adena Friedman, ASML’s Peter Wennink, Morgan Stanley’s James Gorman, and Dell Technologies’ Michael Dell.

Unique in its approach, the McKinsey team applies sophisticated metrics to identify the world’s top 200 CEOs, distills them into a representative sample, and draws out their most valuable insights. A CEO for All Seasons highlights the stage-based hurdles CEOs face — from preparing for the role (stepping up), to leading with impact (starting strong), to sustaining momentum (staying ahead), and finally, to fortifying a lasting legacy (sending it forward). Along the way, it provides proven strategies for maintaining progress and reveals common blind spots through a detailed survey of thousands of executives. Whether you are an aspiring leader, a new CEO, or a board member seeking to better guide your organization’s success, this compact, hands-on book offers a compendium of pressure-tested strategies — a must-have game changer for leaders at all levels.