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DELIVERING ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS ON THE DAY’S NEWS Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Axel Karlsson, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms Welcome to the latest edition of Only McKinsey Perspectives. We hope you find our insights useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Axel_Karlsson@McKinsey.com. —Alex and Axel Elevating CEO communication In the news • Captivating consumers. Companies must understand and adapt to customers’ changing preferences to create lasting loyalty—and just to stay relevant, business leaders tell Fast Company. Positioning the CEO as the narrator of an organization’s journey and vision is an effective strategy, one communication expert says. Successful companies have leaders who emerge from behind the scenes, represent the organization’s values, and are compelling storytellers. When CEOs are authentic, brand loyalty can follow. [Fast Company] • Building connections. Storytelling offers leaders a versatile way to communicate across contexts, including financial discussions, coaching sessions, and organizational transformation. As Forbes highlights, executives can use it to foster deeper connections and develop skills and potential within their teams. One CFO employs storytelling to present complex financial data in a more relatable way, which enables her colleagues to grasp the human side of the numbers and resources that they represent. [Forbes] McKinsey research has shown that the world’s highest-performing CEOs spend, on average, 30% of their time with external stakeholders. On McKinsey.com • CEOs under heightened scrutiny. In today’s uncertain business landscape, CEOs are in the spotlight more than ever. Stakeholders, from employees and board members to customers and suppliers, are looking more and more to CEOs to make sense of the risks and opportunities that disruptive trends—including gen AI, geopolitics, and shifting workplace dynamics—present. As McKinsey Senior Partner Shelley Stewart and coauthors share, the pressure is on CEOs to remain transparent and provide a clear narrative on how their companies will adapt to change. • Storytellers in chief. Through ongoing research, work with leaders in global organizations, and hundreds of CEO interviews, the authors identify several ways that chief executives can improve their stakeholder communication. As storyteller in chief, a CEO must incorporate their communications strategy into their overall leadership model, since their engagement with stakeholders sets the tone for the rest of the organization. Explore three actions that CEOs can take to strengthen stakeholder relationships and enhance their companies’ image and reputation. Level up your leadership communication —Edited by Belinda Yu, editor, Atlanta Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here. Or send us feedback—we’d love to hear from you. Follow our thinking McKinsey Insights - Get our latest thinking on your iPhone, iPad, or Android. Copyright © 2025 | McKinsey & Company, 3 World Trade Center, 175 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007