Reading Room

The McKinsey Quarterly articles appear here with permission from McKinsey & Company. For more McKinsey content on leadership, click here.

  • Change leader, change thyself

    April 2014 / Nate Boaz and Erica Ariel Fox

    Change leader, change thyself

    Anyone who pulls the organization in new directions must look inward as well as outward.

  • Lead at your best

    April 2014 / Joanna Barsh and Johanne Lavoie

    Lead at your best

    Five simple exercises can help you recognize, and start to shift, the mind-sets that limit your potential as a leader.

  • Why leadership-development programs fail

    April 2014 / Pierre Gurdjian, Thomas Halbeisen, and Kevin Lane

    Why leadership-development programs fail

    Sidestepping four common mistakes can help companies develop stronger and more capable leaders, save time and money, and boost morale.

  • Increasing the ‘meaning quotient’ of work

    January 2013 / Susie Cranston and Scott Keller

    Increasing the ‘meaning quotient’ of work

    Through a few simple techniques, executives can boost workplace “MQ” and inspire employees to perform at their peak.

  • Leadership and the art of plate spinning

    November 2012 / Colin Price

    Leadership and the art of plate spinning

    Senior executives will better balance people and priorities by embracing the paradoxes of organizational life.

  • Leading in the 21st century

    June 2012 / Dominic Barton, Andrew Grant, and Michelle Horn

    Leading in the 21st century

    Six global leaders confront the personal and professional challenges of a new era of uncertainty.

  • Developing global leaders

    June 2012 / Pankaj Ghemawat

    Developing global leaders

    Companies must cultivate leaders for global markets. Dispelling five common myths about globalization is a good place to start.

  • Developing better change leaders

    April 2012 / Aaron De Smet, Johanne Lavoie, and Elizabeth Schwartz Hioe

    Developing better change leaders

    Putting leadership development at the heart of a major operations-improvement effort paid big dividends for a global industrial company.

  • Organizational health: The ultimate competitive advantage

    June 2011 / Scott Keller and Colin Price

    Organizational health: The ultimate competitive advantage

    To sustain high performance, organizations must build the capacity to learn and keep changing over time.

  • Three steps to building a better top team

    February 2011 / Michiel Kruyt, Judy Malan, and Rachel Tuffield

    Three steps to building a better top team

    When a top team fails to function, it can paralyze a whole company. Here’s what CEOs need to watch out for.

  • How centered leaders achieve extraordinary results

    October 2010 / Joanna Barsh, Josephine Mogelof and Caroline Webb

    How centered leaders achieve extraordinary results

    Executives can thrive at work and in life by adopting a leadership model that revolves around finding their strengths and connecting with others.

  • The value of centered leadership: McKinsey Global Survey results

    October 2010 / Joanna Barsh, Josephine Mogelof, and Caroline Webb

    The value of centered leadership: McKinsey Global Survey results

    The five key capabilities that make up centered leadership—used together—are important predictors of executives’ satisfaction with their leadership performance and their life overall.

  • Centered leadership: How talented women thrive

    September 2008 / by Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston, and Rebecca A. Craske

    Centered leadership: How talented women thrive

    A new approach to leadership can help women become more self-confident and effective business leaders.