TIMELESS INSIGHTS–AND WHY THEY’RE AS RELEVANT AS EVER

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March 2026

Change leader, change thyself

Hamlet, for all his introspection, would ultimately have been an ineffective change leader. Successful organizational transformations, the authors of this 2014 classic argue, require executives to change themselves, then translate that self-awareness into action. Hamlet gets the first part right; he looks inward, but he fails to convert this insight into action. Closing this performance gap—between intention and action—is critical to any successful change effort. That starts with two dimensions of introspection: profile awareness and state awareness.

Profile awareness is the recognition of the habits and behaviors that constitute a leader’s default setting—what a leader tends to be—and carries labels such as “overachiever,” “control freak,” or “one who doth protest too much.” State awareness is the recognition of what’s driving a leader in the moment, and this is harder to master. Executives may know they tend to act harshly under pressure but fail to recognize they’re exhibiting this behavior until it’s too late. Developing both profile and state awareness enables leaders to shift their inner state as events unfold in real time—and translate effective insights into meaningful impact. 

In today’s uncertain and volatile business environment, leaders must ask: Do I understand myself well enough to lead my company to greatness? That is the question. For more on how to reach the answer, read our 2014 McKinsey Quarterly classic “Change leader, change thyself.” 

Read our latest thinking on this classic topic

—Edited by Drew Holzfeind, senior editor, Chicago 

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