What sets the world’s best leaders apart

This episode of The McKinsey Podcast introduces a new book, "A CEO for All Seasons," which outlines four stages of a CEO's leadership journey: stepping up, starting strong, staying ahead, and handing over. The authors, McKinsey senior partners Scott Keller, Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, and Vik Malhotra, share unexpected insights from interviewing iconic business leaders like Michael Dell and Steven Schwarzman. Key takeaways include the leaders' learning mindset, curiosity, humility, understanding of human psychology, commitment to teamwork, and ability to maintain a long-term perspective. The authors also discuss how these insights have influenced their own professional practices, emphasizing the importance of soft leadership skills, the loneliness of the CEO role, and the significance of crafting compelling narratives.