In a thought-provoking conversation, Scott Keller, a senior partner at McKinsey and co-author of CEO Excellence, shares insights on effective leadership and teamwork. He highlights how top leaders focus more on team dynamics than mechanics, using stories like the 1992 Dream Team to emphasize accountability. Scott stresses the importance of hiring for both aptitude and attitude, fostering a 'first team' mindset, and making tough team exit decisions with grace. His practical strategies for behavioral change can transform organizational culture.
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insights INSIGHT
Focus On Hidden Team Dynamics
The visible mechanics of a team matter less than the hidden dynamics that shape behavior and performance.
Top leaders focus on interrelationships, reinforcements, and psychology beneath the surface.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Coach Threw A Game To Spark Hunger
Chuck Daly intentionally let the 1992 Dream Team lose a scrimmage to spark hunger and prevent complacency.
The coach sacrificed a short-term win to create long-term determination across superstar players.
insights INSIGHT
Hire For Aptitude And Attitude
Top CEOs staff for a balance of aptitude and attitude, not just skill sets.
They prize leaders who can balance short-term delivery with long-term vision and who put the enterprise ahead of their function.
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Scott is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Southern California office. He co-leads the firm’s global CEO Excellence service line and is the author of six books, including the bestseller Beyond Performance. Scott spent his early consulting years working on business strategy and operational topics until his life was turned upside down when his second child was born with profound special needs.
After taking time off to attend to his family, Scott returned to McKinsey with the desire to bring the best of psychology, social science, and the study of human potential into the workplace. He is a cofounder of Digital Divide Data and one of a few hundred people in history known to have traveled to every country in the world. His most recent book written with Carolyn Dewar and Vikram Malhotra is titled CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.
In this conversation, Scott and I examine McKinsey’s research on what the top CEOs do (and avoid) when building great teams. We look at a few of the key mindsets that the best CEOs bring to their organizations — and how teamwork plays into this. Plus, we explore some of the key questions top leaders should ask when determining if it’s time to exit someone from the team.
Key Points
Top leaders staff for both aptitude and attitude. The have an eye to both the short and long term.
The most successful CEOs have a mindset of “first team” and expect leaders in the organization to prioritize serving the whole team/organization over any functional area.
New CEOs are often known for acting quickly on staffing, but the most successful leaders also temper this with fairness. They use the four questions below to act with both fairness and speed.
Top leaders stay connected with people throughout the organization, but also keep some distance. There’s a key distinction between being friendly and making friends.
The best CEO’s ensure that have positively addressed all four questions below before removing somebody:
Does the team member know exactly what’s expected of them: i.e., what the agenda is and what jobs need to be done to drive that agenda?
Have they been given the needed tools and resources, and a chance to build the necessary skills and confidence to use them effectively?
Are they surrounded by others (including the CEO) who are aligned on a common direction and who display the desired mindsets and behaviors?
Is it clear what the consequences are if they don’t get on board and deliver?
Coaching for Leaders