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The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out
When the pressure is on, many of the world’s top CEOs turn to McKinsey & Company to reinvent themselves and their organizations. The Journey of Leadership brings the experience of one of the world’s most influential consulting firms right to your fingertips.
This book is the first-ever explanation of McKinsey’s step-by-step approach to transforming leaders both professionally and personally, including revealing lessons from its legendary CEO leadership program, The Bower Forum, which has counseled more than five hundred global CEOs over the past decade. It is a journey that helps leaders hone the psychological, emotional, and, ultimately, human attributes that result in success in today’s most demanding top job.
Packed with insightful and never-before-heard reflections from leaders, including Ed Bastian (CEO of Delta Air Lines), Makoto Uchida (CEO of Nissan Motor Corporation), Mark Fields (former CEO of Ford Motor Company), Reeta Roy (CEO of Mastercard Foundation), and Stéphane Bancel (CEO of Moderna), you will learn how
Assess your personal leadership approach and style objectively. Discover your true mandate as a leader.Balance “right-brained” and “left-brained” leadership skills.Develop creative, actionable ways to reinvigorate both yourself and your organization.Create a personal commitment plan to inspire your team and cement your legacy.
The Journey of Leadership is an invaluable resource for anyone running or hoping to run an organization in today’s ever-more-complex world.
This book is the first-ever explanation of McKinsey’s step-by-step approach to transforming leaders both professionally and personally, including revealing lessons from its legendary CEO leadership program, The Bower Forum, which has counseled more than five hundred global CEOs over the past decade. It is a journey that helps leaders hone the psychological, emotional, and, ultimately, human attributes that result in success in today’s most demanding top job.
Packed with insightful and never-before-heard reflections from leaders, including Ed Bastian (CEO of Delta Air Lines), Makoto Uchida (CEO of Nissan Motor Corporation), Mark Fields (former CEO of Ford Motor Company), Reeta Roy (CEO of Mastercard Foundation), and Stéphane Bancel (CEO of Moderna), you will learn how
Assess your personal leadership approach and style objectively. Discover your true mandate as a leader.Balance “right-brained” and “left-brained” leadership skills.Develop creative, actionable ways to reinvigorate both yourself and your organization.Create a personal commitment plan to inspire your team and cement your legacy.
The Journey of Leadership is an invaluable resource for anyone running or hoping to run an organization in today’s ever-more-complex world.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 10, 2024
141 people are currently reading
618 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 1, 2025
It's actually pretty darn good and practical. Published in 2024 too so the case studies in there were quite relevant. Here are my takeaways.
Part 1: It starts with you
- humility
- confidence
- selflessness
- vulnerability
- resilience
- versatility
Part 2: Moving beyond yourself
- embed purpose
- inspire boldness
- empower people
- encourage truth telling
- adopt fearless learning
- instill empathy
//Part 1//
Great leaders balance
- Being certain with what thet know & discovering new ideas and unbiased approaches
- obsession with financial performance & everyones needs
- maintain BAU well & occasionally takes bold and well-calculated risks when opportunities arise
- being in control & empowering teams to take initiative
- being a serious professional & also humane.
Humble yet decisive
Vulnerable yet strong
Cautious yet bold
Forgiving yet demanding
Certain but willing to change
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald
Being a CEO is lonely. You go 'one up' over everyone else because your team expects you to make difficult decisions. You also go 'one up' to distance yourself from the team and hide your insecurities. There's an imbalance and unsustainability to it.
Your team also won't be honest with their Ceo's because they think by doing that sets them back in career progression. Good Ceos should react positively to honesty and feedback.
In the age of stakeholder capitalism, you have to establish mandate with your customers, employees, investors, society, and family. Reflect on it as an outsider coming in to understand your company's culture, context and legacy.
You have to be able to take risks without making it so personal and taking all the burden. It will have a negative impact on your negative state.
Being a ceo is 40% humility and 60% courage. After reconciliation of different arguments, they need to make bold decisions.
After listening to everyone, they have the confidence to drive the right decision, not the popular decision that is consensus driven, or tailored to please stakeholders.
The best leaders not only learn to be selfless and overcome their egos, but they also institutionalize a process to do so.
- does it create value?
- does it create opportunities?
- is it a force for good?
Being vulnerable is being honest about yourself to your team, but also acknowledging that you have the skills to manage your vulnerability. Your message is to not let it look like a weakness that can be used against you. That's what I gathered la from this Vulnerability chapter.
The people who succeed knows how not to get caught in a downward spiral but to focus their energies on moving forward and getting out of it.
Lifespans are in increasing, you may need to design for a 100 year old life.
We become uncompetitive by not being tolerant of mistakes. The moment you let avoiding failure become your motivator, you're the down the path of inactivity. You can only stumble when you're moving.
Balance 'quit' and 'grit'. Knowing when to persevere in a bad situation and when to cut your losses. Are you thinking about sunk costs?
Emotional and intellectual Versatility. Be able to adapt swiftly in the face of uncertainty or constant crisis.
Encourage younger leaders to serve on a non-for-profit board and get involved because you have the opportunity to learn something new. You can start to hone your skills by understanding a non-profit's strategy versus competitors and how to engage stakeholders for advocacy, philanthropy, or volunteerism. You do not typically have any kind of positional power, so you get to develop your skills of leading through influence, strategic thinking, and relationships.
Pursue new positions with challenges that makes you uncomfortable so you will not find yourself as a "one note" manager.
It's more powerful to say you don't know than you do know. Using your vulnerability to pull people together adds to your authority as Ceo.
Expand your versatility with on-the-job learning and In-depth study.
A Ceo should only take a public stance on a topic if it is both relevant to the company and authentic.
It's important to have a supportive partner.
Spend the first 30 mins of the day meaningfully on things that allow you to be fully present.
See your family as your source of strength and use the love you have at home to power your work.
//Part 2//
People want to find meaning in their work. If you can't create a sense of purpose, even the best strategies will falter
Link that purpose to the strategy of the business.
You need to care for your people but also need to pressure them to perform.
You need to be at the forefront of tech but understand it's not going to pay off anytime soon.
There's also short term and long term performance considerations.
To convince them, you yourself must believe.
A leader has to be willing to trust people and let them fail, if necessary.
Employees won't remember what you said but they will remember how you made them feel.
Don't ask your employees if it's possible. Ask them what they need to make it possible.
It takes understanding what motivates every member and learning how to interact with them.
Be decisive, not impulsive.
Embrace individuality, but win together.
A safe environment can't come at the cost of accountability. It will lead to culture complacency where tough conversations are avoided and highly motivated people are demotivated. Vice versa will cultivate a fear-based culture.
Balance candor and caring.
Strive for a culture of high psychological safety.
Open-door concept is not enough. Encourage healthy dissent. If not nobody gonna tell you that there's a problem until it's too late.
"None of us knows the answer yet, but we will work it out together."
Try pre-mortems to widen debate and mitigate groupthink.
"We have to do this because that's what the CEO wants." "That's not a good enough reason for me to believe I should do it. Try again."
Culture eats strategy for breakfast, but every leader needs to develop a strategy to build and sustain the optimal culture.
Adopt fearless learning. Don't blame.
Adapt. Don't surrender to sunk cost fallacy or looking wrong.
Follow the terrain, not the map.
People give up because of feared failure and not because they have actually failed. If they quit early because of that, it's fine. Better to have them quit earlier and not during a real shit storm.
Look for problem solves who are also optimists. Filter out the negative and doubtful people.
Use the Big Four when you're in a shit storm:
- Accomplish one goal after another
- Rehearse your fear or challenge mentally
- self-talk positively
- stay calm and breathe
Try the MRI approach. Slice your problems into thin pieces and solve them that way.
No one is too junior to have the best idea, and no one is too senior to be wrong.
Everyone has a 'voice' on the project, but only those who will be held accountable for the outcome gets a 'vote'.
Once the decision have been made, those who can't work with it are removed from the project.
Don't just put your company values on the wall. Put them in your employees' hearts and minds.
Lead yourself, lead your executives and lead your organisation.
Deepen the awareness of your conditioning.
Part 1: It starts with you
- humility
- confidence
- selflessness
- vulnerability
- resilience
- versatility
Part 2: Moving beyond yourself
- embed purpose
- inspire boldness
- empower people
- encourage truth telling
- adopt fearless learning
- instill empathy
//Part 1//
Great leaders balance
- Being certain with what thet know & discovering new ideas and unbiased approaches
- obsession with financial performance & everyones needs
- maintain BAU well & occasionally takes bold and well-calculated risks when opportunities arise
- being in control & empowering teams to take initiative
- being a serious professional & also humane.
Humble yet decisive
Vulnerable yet strong
Cautious yet bold
Forgiving yet demanding
Certain but willing to change
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald
Being a CEO is lonely. You go 'one up' over everyone else because your team expects you to make difficult decisions. You also go 'one up' to distance yourself from the team and hide your insecurities. There's an imbalance and unsustainability to it.
Your team also won't be honest with their Ceo's because they think by doing that sets them back in career progression. Good Ceos should react positively to honesty and feedback.
In the age of stakeholder capitalism, you have to establish mandate with your customers, employees, investors, society, and family. Reflect on it as an outsider coming in to understand your company's culture, context and legacy.
You have to be able to take risks without making it so personal and taking all the burden. It will have a negative impact on your negative state.
Being a ceo is 40% humility and 60% courage. After reconciliation of different arguments, they need to make bold decisions.
After listening to everyone, they have the confidence to drive the right decision, not the popular decision that is consensus driven, or tailored to please stakeholders.
The best leaders not only learn to be selfless and overcome their egos, but they also institutionalize a process to do so.
- does it create value?
- does it create opportunities?
- is it a force for good?
Being vulnerable is being honest about yourself to your team, but also acknowledging that you have the skills to manage your vulnerability. Your message is to not let it look like a weakness that can be used against you. That's what I gathered la from this Vulnerability chapter.
The people who succeed knows how not to get caught in a downward spiral but to focus their energies on moving forward and getting out of it.
Lifespans are in increasing, you may need to design for a 100 year old life.
We become uncompetitive by not being tolerant of mistakes. The moment you let avoiding failure become your motivator, you're the down the path of inactivity. You can only stumble when you're moving.
Balance 'quit' and 'grit'. Knowing when to persevere in a bad situation and when to cut your losses. Are you thinking about sunk costs?
Emotional and intellectual Versatility. Be able to adapt swiftly in the face of uncertainty or constant crisis.
Encourage younger leaders to serve on a non-for-profit board and get involved because you have the opportunity to learn something new. You can start to hone your skills by understanding a non-profit's strategy versus competitors and how to engage stakeholders for advocacy, philanthropy, or volunteerism. You do not typically have any kind of positional power, so you get to develop your skills of leading through influence, strategic thinking, and relationships.
Pursue new positions with challenges that makes you uncomfortable so you will not find yourself as a "one note" manager.
It's more powerful to say you don't know than you do know. Using your vulnerability to pull people together adds to your authority as Ceo.
Expand your versatility with on-the-job learning and In-depth study.
A Ceo should only take a public stance on a topic if it is both relevant to the company and authentic.
It's important to have a supportive partner.
Spend the first 30 mins of the day meaningfully on things that allow you to be fully present.
See your family as your source of strength and use the love you have at home to power your work.
//Part 2//
People want to find meaning in their work. If you can't create a sense of purpose, even the best strategies will falter
Link that purpose to the strategy of the business.
You need to care for your people but also need to pressure them to perform.
You need to be at the forefront of tech but understand it's not going to pay off anytime soon.
There's also short term and long term performance considerations.
To convince them, you yourself must believe.
A leader has to be willing to trust people and let them fail, if necessary.
Employees won't remember what you said but they will remember how you made them feel.
Don't ask your employees if it's possible. Ask them what they need to make it possible.
It takes understanding what motivates every member and learning how to interact with them.
Be decisive, not impulsive.
Embrace individuality, but win together.
A safe environment can't come at the cost of accountability. It will lead to culture complacency where tough conversations are avoided and highly motivated people are demotivated. Vice versa will cultivate a fear-based culture.
Balance candor and caring.
Strive for a culture of high psychological safety.
Open-door concept is not enough. Encourage healthy dissent. If not nobody gonna tell you that there's a problem until it's too late.
"None of us knows the answer yet, but we will work it out together."
Try pre-mortems to widen debate and mitigate groupthink.
"We have to do this because that's what the CEO wants." "That's not a good enough reason for me to believe I should do it. Try again."
Culture eats strategy for breakfast, but every leader needs to develop a strategy to build and sustain the optimal culture.
Adopt fearless learning. Don't blame.
Adapt. Don't surrender to sunk cost fallacy or looking wrong.
Follow the terrain, not the map.
People give up because of feared failure and not because they have actually failed. If they quit early because of that, it's fine. Better to have them quit earlier and not during a real shit storm.
Look for problem solves who are also optimists. Filter out the negative and doubtful people.
Use the Big Four when you're in a shit storm:
- Accomplish one goal after another
- Rehearse your fear or challenge mentally
- self-talk positively
- stay calm and breathe
Try the MRI approach. Slice your problems into thin pieces and solve them that way.
No one is too junior to have the best idea, and no one is too senior to be wrong.
Everyone has a 'voice' on the project, but only those who will be held accountable for the outcome gets a 'vote'.
Once the decision have been made, those who can't work with it are removed from the project.
Don't just put your company values on the wall. Put them in your employees' hearts and minds.
Lead yourself, lead your executives and lead your organisation.
Deepen the awareness of your conditioning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2025
Full of grade school chestnuts like:
“It’s hard to dislike or not trust someone when you know them, right? And it’s easy to dislike them when you don’t know them.”
Lol
“It’s hard to dislike or not trust someone when you know them, right? And it’s easy to dislike them when you don’t know them.”
Lol
November 15, 2024
The Journey of Leadership is a valuable resource for anyone in a leadership role, not just CEOs. The authors skillfully break down the concept of human-centric leadership, emphasizing the importance of personal growth before leading others and organizations effectively.
What sets this book apart is its inclusion of real-life examples from renowned leaders such as Fortune 500 CEOs, former Admirals and Generals, and non-profit CEOs. By showcasing their challenges and experiences, the book humanizes these leaders and demonstrates that they face similar obstacles to any other leader. This makes the book relevant for many different roles and levels within an organization.
One aspect I particularly appreciated about this book is its actionable nature. Each chapter focuses on one of the 12 essential leadership traits (six internal and six external), providing concrete examples and thought-provoking questions at the end. I found myself underlining sections to revisit later, as I see this book becoming a go-to reference guide throughout my career journey.
Overall, The Journey of Leadership offers practical insights that can be immediately applied to enhance one's leadership skills. It serves as an invaluable tool for personal development and professional growth.
What sets this book apart is its inclusion of real-life examples from renowned leaders such as Fortune 500 CEOs, former Admirals and Generals, and non-profit CEOs. By showcasing their challenges and experiences, the book humanizes these leaders and demonstrates that they face similar obstacles to any other leader. This makes the book relevant for many different roles and levels within an organization.
One aspect I particularly appreciated about this book is its actionable nature. Each chapter focuses on one of the 12 essential leadership traits (six internal and six external), providing concrete examples and thought-provoking questions at the end. I found myself underlining sections to revisit later, as I see this book becoming a go-to reference guide throughout my career journey.
Overall, The Journey of Leadership offers practical insights that can be immediately applied to enhance one's leadership skills. It serves as an invaluable tool for personal development and professional growth.
December 28, 2024
Valuable reading for every executive
I opened this book and could not stop reading until finished (well, I took some pauses to reflect and absorbe the ideas), it gives many valuable ideas, energy and calls to action.
In the hard and complex work of managers (relentless striving for perfection, cost cuttings etc) the book is a perfect moment to step back from business routines, take time for reflection and, what really fascinates - it calls for action! To be a better human, better leader, better myself.
A strong emotional power bust for every striving person!
I opened this book and could not stop reading until finished (well, I took some pauses to reflect and absorbe the ideas), it gives many valuable ideas, energy and calls to action.
In the hard and complex work of managers (relentless striving for perfection, cost cuttings etc) the book is a perfect moment to step back from business routines, take time for reflection and, what really fascinates - it calls for action! To be a better human, better leader, better myself.
A strong emotional power bust for every striving person!
October 21, 2025
Nice book on leadership with practical questions, self-evaluating behaviors and checklist.
Similar ideas can be found in other books on management or leadership, but the main goal is to recognise where in your life you can apply it.
I’m sure it can help you become better leader if you actually put it into practice. I find them useful when you face certain challenges. But if you just skim through or read for “knowledge” it will certainly be soon forgotten.
Similar ideas can be found in other books on management or leadership, but the main goal is to recognise where in your life you can apply it.
I’m sure it can help you become better leader if you actually put it into practice. I find them useful when you face certain challenges. But if you just skim through or read for “knowledge” it will certainly be soon forgotten.
November 2, 2024
Este es un libro que se caracteriza por un enfoque holístico del liderazgo. Aunque muchos de los principios pueden parecer familiares, el libro ofrece ejemplos actuales y casos prácticos que lo hacen relevante.
Es una lectura ideal para personas en posiciones de liderazgo, pero también para cualquier profesional que busque desarrollar sus habilidades interpersonales y de gestión.
Es una lectura ideal para personas en posiciones de liderazgo, pero también para cualquier profesional que busque desarrollar sus habilidades interpersonales y de gestión.
December 5, 2024
Pretty Basic
Bower Forum, anyone?
This was a disappointing book that touts McKinsey partners as authors. Generic, no-name CEOs experiencing a meh crisis solved by another no-name CEO, and it all happened at the Bower Forum.
Did I forget to mention the Bower Forum, because this book sure didn’t forget.
Bower Forum, anyone?
This was a disappointing book that touts McKinsey partners as authors. Generic, no-name CEOs experiencing a meh crisis solved by another no-name CEO, and it all happened at the Bower Forum.
Did I forget to mention the Bower Forum, because this book sure didn’t forget.
May 4, 2025
Overall good ideas and strategies. The book tries to include a lot of items, most of it felt like suggestions of the end goal with not as many actionable items—it varied based on the chapter. I think I may have been expecting more though. It did get somewhat repetitive; however, I recognize that helps with retention of information.
January 21, 2025
Written with honesty and an informality that makes it an easy read. Don't let that fool you into thinking it is a light read though. There's much to learn and digest. Very practical with lots of real life examples and many exercises to help reflect on.
March 26, 2025
very aligned with the challenges of todays leadership.
I enjoyed reading the book. Although I am in a different sector I can see how I can connect concepts to my sector.
I enjoyed reading the book. Although I am in a different sector I can see how I can connect concepts to my sector.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews