752: How to Start the Top Job, with Scott Keller

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Oct 6, 2025

Scott Keller, a senior partner at McKinsey and bestselling author, shares insights on how new CEOs can thrive in their roles. He reveals that a staggering one-third to one-half fail within 18 months due to a mismanaged start. Scott emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the organization over personal goals, conducting broad listening tours, and communicating clearly. He discusses strategies like radical candor and intense preparation for key events, all aimed at fostering trust and effective leadership right from the beginning.

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INSIGHT

Dual Nature Of CEO Transitions

CEO transitions are both deep personal changes and institutional opportunities that must be managed together.
Treat the role as part of an ongoing institutional cycle across seasons, not just a personal upgrade.

ADVICE

Make It About The Organization

Guard against the reality-distorting spotlight by making your leadership about the organization, not you.
Ask how “we” will know we're winning rather than how “I” will be judged.

ANECDOTE

Office Change Sparked Sell Rumors

Josh at Etsy changed his office layout and staff immediately speculated the company was being sold.
The episode shows how every small action is scrutinized intensely for hidden meaning.

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Scott Keller: A CEO For All Seasons

Scott Keller is a senior partner at McKinsey, where he coleads the firm’s global CEO Excellence work within the Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice and serves as a global leader in the Organization Practice. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and trusted advisor to boards, CEOs, and senior leadership teams, with whom he guides multiyear, enterprise-wide transformations that shape the future of institutions. His colleagues and he are the authors of the new book, A CEO For All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

One of the most critical phases of taking on the top job is what you do at the start. Whether it’s stepping into the role as president, general manager, executive director, owner, or CEO, starting well can make all the difference. In this conversation, Scott and I explore how to begin in the best way possible.

Key Points

One-third to one-half of new CEOs are considered to be failing within eighteen months of taking the role. Many wish they’d handled the transition differently.
New CEOs enter a reality distortion field of many bosses (the board), no peers, and ultimate accountability for everything. The best CEOs guard against this by not making it about them.
Ask questions that aren’t about you, but the organization. Instead of, “How will I know if I’m successful?” ask, “How will we know if we’re winning?”
Beginning with a listening tour is essential. People will tell you things when you’re new that they’ll never say two or three years later.
Create a fact-based, one version of the truth. Once you know it, keep to a single narrative for everyone.
Err towards complete candor in the toughest realities. Prepare intensely for moments of truth, when they need to happen.
Set clear boundaries and stay extremely disciplined. Your narrative and first moves should guide how you frame these.

Resources Mentioned

A CEO For All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Amazon, Bookshop)* by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra, and Kurt Strovink

Interview Notes

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Related Episodes

How Top Leaders Influence Great Teamwork, with Scott Keller (episode 585)
How to Genuinely Show Up for Others, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 590)
How to Start a Big Leadership Role, with Carol Kauffman (episode 617)

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