A smart strategy is vital—but in today’s fast-changing world, it isn’t enough. Our research suggests that even high-performing companies fail to deliver on the potential of their strategy, to the tune of about 30 percent. But the right operating model can change all that. “The opportunity that comes from closing the 30 percent gap between strategy and performance is real,” according to McKinsey Partner Dickie Steele. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Dickie joins McKinsey Senior Partner Brooke Weddle, Partner Bryan Hancock, and Global Editorial Director and Deputy Publisher Lucia Rahilly to share a new system for reexamining your operating model to create unique competitive advantage.

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AI is fast transforming work as we’ve known it—and the latest data on jobs doesn’t always reflect the changes underway. “One word sums it up best: ‘uncertainty,’” says Svenja Gudell, chief economist of global employment platform Indeed. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Svenja joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to help leaders make sense of the current collision of labor market trends: generative AI, agentic AI, an aging workforce, shifting priorities, and more.

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Think about your org chart. Now imagine it features both your current colleagues—humans, if you’re like most of us—and AI agents. That’s not science fiction; it’s happening—and it’s happening relatively quickly, according to McKinsey Senior Partner Jorge Amar. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to talk about what these AI agents are, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future.

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Leaders have long recognized the importance of a healthy workforce to driving economic productivity. But they might be surprised at the value at stake—and at the size of the employee population in less-than-fine fettle. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, McKinsey talent leaders and Global Leader of the McKinsey Health Institute Lucy Pérez speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about new research on employee health: what it means, its vital link to value, and the steps leaders can take to create workplaces where employees thrive—and competitive advantage rises.

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Return to office (RTO) is on the rise. But in the words of McKinsey partner and talent expert Bryan Hancock, “It doesn’t matter where you ask someone to be. What matters is what you do with them once they’re there.” On this episode of , Hancock and McKinsey senior partner Brooke Weddle speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about surprising soon-to-be-published research on the opportunities and challenges of RTO—and about how leaders can make the most of this transition to drive productivity, collaboration, and innovation successfully.

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Time is finite and leadership pressures are legion, particularly in the throes of change. Nevertheless, the best leaders persist in cultivating generosity with their teams—and they see a range of advantages as a result. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle, Bryan Hancock, and Dana Maor  speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about why—and how—to invest in generosity at work, as well as about the overarching benefits of shifting to a mindset of abundance, versus one of scarcity, for aspiring leaders.

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New research reveals what employees find fair, what motivates them to perform, and where many organizations go wrong when it comes to feedback, compensation, and annual ratings and reviews. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, talent experts Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about new research on what drives performance: what motivates employees most, what matters less than you think, and the changes organizations need to make to ensure their feedback, ratings, and review processes are on track.

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Everybody hurts sometimes, R.E.M. once famously sang. And if you’re in human resources, your job is to help. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock join Wendy Miller, McKinsey’s chief people officer for North America, as well as global editorial director Lucia Rahilly, to discuss the dynamics that are making HR tougher than ever—as well as what leaders can do differently to begin turning morale around.

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Neurodivergent people make up a substantial percentage of the global population. How can companies best put their distinctive capabilities to work? On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, McKinsey senior partner Brooke Weddle, partner Bryan Hancock, and global editorial director Lucia Rahilly speak with Dr. Lawrence Fung, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, about the productivity and creativity that neurodivergent employees can bring to organizations—and how employers can support them.

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Middle management was already a tough gig. Then generative AI (gen AI) entered the fray. A year after the publication of their book Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023), McKinsey partners Bryan Hancock and Emily Field join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to revisit whether and why middle managers matter, what leaders could do differently to make more of the managers on their team, and how gen AI could change middle managers’ jobs—for the better. 

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