Since joining McKinsey in 2000, Bill has focused his work on driving large-scale organizational and cultural change for diverse clients across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. An expert on the role of culture, values, and leadership in improving business outcomes, he helps top executives enhance organization-wide management effectiveness.
In his advisory work, Bill has helped CEOs, government ministers, and other top executives assess organizational health and lead initiatives to improve it. He also brings strong experience in strategic human resources, helping organizations understand how to create world-class talent systems and winning workforce dynamics.
Examples of his work include:
- leading a transformational change initiative for the CEO of a Gulf Coast chemical manufacturer, delivering more than $100 million in performance improvements in 18 months
- evaluating leadership culture and performance at a global refining company and designing and implementing a program to build leadership skills and mind-sets to ensure successful and sustainable behavior change
- developing an employee value proposition and communication initiatives to drive a major petroleum organization’s large-scale transformation
- helping develop a change-management strategy to support a healthcare system’s transition to a national electronic health record
- redesigning the human-resources functions of several international organizations
Published work
“The science behind transformations: Maximizing value during implementation,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2022
“Human capital at work: The value of experience,” McKinsey & Company, June 2022
“Stave off attrition with an internal talent marketplace,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022
“Gone for now, or gone for good? How to play the new talent game and win back,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2022
“The science behind transformations: Protecting value from day one,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“The brave new (business) world,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“Back and forth: COVID-19’s impact on business in 2021—and today,” McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“Work is changing—this will help you prepare,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2022
“How to lead during uncertain times,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2022
“The 10 must-read McKinsey Organization Blog posts of 2021,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2022
“Losing from day one: Why even successful transformations fall short,” McKinsey & Company, December 2021
“The Great Attrition: Same turnover, but the “why” differs by industry,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2021
“Your return-to-office announcements are missing the mark: Here’s how to get them right,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, October 2021
“Being a good boss isn’t easy—here’s how to get better,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, October 2021
“Getting skills transformations right: The nine-ingredient recipe for success,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, October 2021
“Four ways that organizations can help tomorrow’s leaders,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2021
“‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction’? The choice is yours,” McKinsey Quarterly, September 2021
“Running on all five sources: Actions leaders can take to create more meaningful work,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2021
“The future of work: Seizing the opportunities of the new normal,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2021
“The future of work: Managing three risks of the hybrid workplace,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2021
“Three keys to building a more skilled postpandemic workforce,” McKinsey Quarterly, July 2021
“The future of work: Three steps toward an inclusive workplace,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2021
“Making work meaningful from the C-suite to the frontline,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“The future of the workplace: Embracing change and fostering connectivity,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“The future of the workforce: Investing in talent to prepare for uncertainty,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“The future of work: Understanding what’s temporary and what’s transformative,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“The future of work: Balancing three symbiotic elements,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“Survey fatigue? Blame the leader, not the question,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“Building workforce skills at scale to thrive during—and after—the COVID-19 crisis,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021
“Grief, loss, burnout: Navigating a new emotional landscape at work,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2021
“Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021
"How people—not just policies—make or break inclusive workplaces," blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2021
“The new possible: How HR can help build the organization of the future,” McKinsey & Company, March 2021
“Three podcast episodes to tackle today’s talent challenges,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident: Measuring inclusion in a way that matters,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Build your organizational identity,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Are you building employee capabilities across these four critical areas?,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2021
“Is your organization prepared for the future?,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2021
“10 must-read posts from 2020,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2021
“Hire more for skills, less for industry experience,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2020
“Shifts leaders are making to build their organization’s identity from the bottom-up,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2020
“Strategic talent management for the post-pandemic world,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2020
“When one size doesn’t fit all: How to make change personal,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, October 2020
“Foster individual purpose within your organization,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, October 2020
“The boss factor: Making the world a better place through workplace relationships,” McKinsey Quarterly, September 2020
“Why healthy institutional investors outperform,” McKinsey & Company, September 2020
“Igniting individual purpose in times of crisis,” McKinsey Quarterly, August 2020
“Three steps to creating more value through talent,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2020
“Psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and leadership in a time of flux,” McKinsey Quarterly, July 2020
“HR says talent is crucial for performance—and the pandemic proves it,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“How organizations can build healthy employee habits,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“A data-backed approach to stakeholder engagement,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2020
“5 principles to shape corporate purpose during crisis,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2020
“How do we manage the change journey?,” McKinsey & Company, May 2020
“Purpose: Shifting from why to how,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2020
“The questions you ask drive the action you see,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2020
“Evolving the talent pool at the speed of emerging technology,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2020
“Demonstrating corporate purpose in the time of coronavirus,” McKinsey & Company, March 2020
“Inspiring individuals is the new competitive advantage,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2020
“Nudge, don’t nag,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2020
“McKinsey Organization Blog: 100 posts and counting,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2020
“The forgotten step in leading large-scale change,” McKinsey & Company, September 2019
“Getting personal about change,” McKinsey Quarterly, August 2019
“A better way to lead large-scale change,” McKinsey & Company, July 2019
Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change, John Wiley & Sons, July 2019
“Why rigor is the key ingredient to develop leaders,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2019
“Why we all need performance ratings on a regular basis,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2019
“Are we long—or short—on talent?,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2019
“Matching the right talent to the right roles,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2018
“Right-skilling for your future workforce,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2018
“How to advance your talent plan to stay relevant,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2018
“How to change mindset and behavior,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2018
“The fairness factor in performance management,” McKinsey & Company, April 2018
“Harnessing the power of performance management,” McKinsey & Company, April 2018
“TalentTech: enabling talent in the digital age,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2018
“Focus on the five percent,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2018
“4 strategies for linking talent to value,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2017
“People analytics reveals three things HR may be getting wrong,” McKinsey Quarterly, July 2016
“Winning hearts and minds in the 21st century,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2016
“The four building blocks of change,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2016
“Leadership in context,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2016
“Organizing for the future,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2016
Podcasts
“Is worker power on the rise?,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, April 2022
“Talent at a turning point: How people analytics can help,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“From the great attrition to the great adaptation,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, November 2021
“LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“Culture in the hybrid workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“Grabbing hold of the new future of work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“The elusive inclusive workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, March 2021
“The vanishing middle manager,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Grief, loss, burnout: Talking about complex feelings at work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, December 2020
“Today’s skills, tomorrow’s jobs: How will your team fare in the future of work?,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, October 2020
“The mass personalization of change: Large scale impact one individual at a time,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, June 2020
“Next-level sales talent: HR’s message to the CEO,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2020
“The new science of talent: From roles to returns,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, January 2020
“How to double the odds that your change program will succeed,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, August 2019
“Why you should apply analytics to your people strategy,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, April 2019
“Straight talk about employee evaluation and performance management,” podcast, McKinsey Quarterly, October 2018
Contributing Publications
“How healthy is your company?,” McKinsey & Company, May 2016
“Decoding leadership: What really matters,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2015
“Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change,” McKinsey & Company, 2011
Education
Auburn University
PhD, organizational analysis and change
Auburn University
MS, human-resources management
Moravian College
MBA
Moravian College
BA