A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership

by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra

From leading global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the minds behind the New York Times bestseller CEO Excellence comes 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. In A CEO for All Seasons you’ll find an essential climbing route that will take you through every stage. Featured in this tip-dense guide is 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, and Morgan Stanley’s James Gorman.

Unique in applying a number of sophisticated metrics to isolate the world’s top 200 CEOs, reduce them to a representative sample, and then reap their wisdom, the McKinsey team, in A CEO for All Seasons, spotlights the specific stage-based hurdles that CEOs face. From preparing for the role (stepping up) to leading with impact (starting strong) to sustaining momentum (staying ahead) to fortifying a lasting legacy (sending it forward), the book leaves no segment of the journey unmapped. Along the way, it offers proven strategies for maintaining forward progress and, crucially, alerts readers to common blind spots, as revealed by a detailed survey of thousands of executives.

Whether you’re an aspiring leader or a new-to-the-job CEO—or even a board member wanting to better steward your company’s performance—this is the compact, hands-on guide you’ve needed. Its compendium of pressure-tested tips is a must-have game changer for leaders at all levels.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Buisness, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Evan Piekara · Rating 1 out of 5]

All style and no substance.

I was really excited for this book’s release and even pre-ordered it. It seemed to have it all - esteemed writers, a catchy title, interesting subject matter. I expected so much from this book and it sorely missed expectations.

First, the “insights” were extremely generic and nothing groundbreaking. These were insights like dress appropriately for the role, build relationships, and standout. A third of the book were one pager bios of the CEOs who were supposedly interviewed for this book.

This easily could have been a quick article and even then, there would not have been much to takeaway. Save your time and money and read something else.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have selected this book as Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 10/5, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic.

[Goatllama · Rating 1 out of 5]

We are rich! But we are not rich enough! What do??

OH

I KNOW

We fart out garbage book waste of paper!

YAY

[Peter Sandwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

weak. sold on the McKinsey reputation, unfortunately on brand.

[Tommy Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a well researched and cited guide to the different stages of being a CEO. It helps understand the role of a leader at the level of personality and goals. It is only about 100 pages and has some very interesting quotes from CEOs such as Jamie Dimon, Satya Nadella, and others.

This book, however, feels most practical for senior executives at companies who are already candidates for being a CEO. For others, it is an interesting but not actionable perspective.

The book has reflection exercises as well as executive biographies which are interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who is expecting or in a leadership role at a business to help reflect on themselves. For all others, I would bookmark it and read it when you find yourself in that position.

[Ligia Bonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book’s core insight is that great CEOs are made through range, resilience, and adaptability(not a single perfect profile). The authors show that aspiring CEOs succeed by learning to lead across different contexts, building judgment through experience, and staying grounded in purpose while navigating constant change. It’s a practical and honest guide for leaders preparing for the CEO role, reinforcing that readiness comes from growth over time, not arrival at a fixed formula. Wished I had read it before becoming the CEO.

[Kelly Teen Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Libro.fm ALC program, I was able to listen to this audiobook in the morning on my way to work. A critical reminder that being a leader isn't about being hired, but having aspirations , dreams, grace, and grit. It's about being honest with oneself and everyone around you: at home and in office. it's about growth, not just gains.

[Andrew Beurschgens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Structured and not embellished so much as to forget or bury the key points. As Stephen Bartlett would say it was written without the extra padding to reach a certain length, so efficient from that perspective…..and good analogy of CEOs across the seasons to remember the changing seasons and how priorities change! Thank you

[Blair Epstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read (which i think is a good thing) - insights from interviews with out-performing CEOs, translated into practical tips that apply to any leader. Really like how pragmatic it is, including reflection exercises you can do to make it real vs a long-winded business book. Worth picking up

[Charles Barthold · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is deceptive. This book applies to anyone who wants to be a better leader. Great anecdotes and examples from some of the top CEOs in the world. If you don't have time to read, worth skimming.

[Terry Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight but most of it seemed pretty basic leadership ideas.
The 4 cycle idea was interesting and helpful.
I’d recommend it to up start CEOs to give a well rounded insight into the responsibilities and difficulties of being a CEO

[Alex Wang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very generic advice, despite the flashy brand name. As other reviewers noted, the advice is actionable for people who are in senior roles and perhaps CEO candidates, but less so for early-career people.

[PottWab Regional Library]

E

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

indont want to ever be a ceo but I can tell that some of the advice can apply to other areas of life