Our year in review, top 100 interviews, and more

CURATED PICKS FOR YOUR DOWNTIME, FROM OUR EDITORS

Click to get this newsletter once a week

Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Becca Coggins, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms

Welcome to the latest edition of The Weekend Read. We hope you find our perspectives useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Becca_Coggins@McKinsey.com.

—Alex and Becca

As the year draws to a close, catch up on the week’s highlights—from McKinsey Global Publishing’s year in review to the 100 best interviews of 2025 to how boards can evolve in the age of AI, and more.

An image linking to the web page “The best of McKinsey Global Publishing”

From AI to transformation to geopolitics, McKinsey Global Publishing’s wrap-up of our best 2025 insights shows why people-powered growth matters more than ever in a world shaped by technological and geopolitical disruption.

Reflect on the year

An image linking to the web page “A year of brilliant conversations”

McKinsey’s 100 best interviews of 2025 capture powerful ideas from the world’s top founders, CEOs, leaders, teachers, and authors—offering inspiration and perspective as you look ahead to 2026.

Get inspired for 2026

An image linking to the web page “The AI reckoning”

AI is no longer a passing trend—it’s a board-level reckoning. Aamer Baig, Ashka Dave, Celia Huber, and Hrishika Vuppala explore how boards of directors can evolve to keep pace with the scale and speed of AI-driven change, while continuing to provide strategic direction, effective oversight, value creation, and risk mitigation.

How boards can evolve for AI

Abstract image of a ball held balanced between two pointed pyramidal objects.

Sustaining organizational health matters. But so do the behaviors that drive performance, accountability, and competitiveness. True transformation—not just a performance boost—requires leaders to transform the behavioral fabric of the company, write Aaron De Smet, Arne Gast, Rajesh Krishnan, and Giulio Carbone.

Unlock a lasting performance edge

Ready to unwind?

An image linking to the web page “Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal defenses”

[MGI webinar] Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal defenses

Join MGI on Tuesday, January 13, for a virtual event to explore the findings of our new report, Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal protection, featuring a presentation by the report authors and a panel discussion with leaders on this topic.

Register now

High five: Scrolling through 2025

From unleashing AI’s potential to addressing burnout in the workplace to leading in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, here are five themes that captured our readers’ attention this year.

Your five-minute briefing—or a deep dive in fifty

The McKinsey Crossword: Slip Cover | No. 263

65-Across: Avoid, as an issue ... and a word that follows the last words of 18-, 20-, 37-, and 50-Across, and both words of 56-Across

Know the answer? Test yourself with the latest McKinsey Crossword: Slip Cover | No. 263

Cover the bases

—Edited by Joyce Yoo, editor, New York

Follow our thinking

McKinsey Insights - Get our latest thinking on your iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Share these insights

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too. Was this issue forwarded to you? Sign up for it and sample our 40+ other free email subscriptions here.

﻿From AI to transformation to geopolitics, McKinsey Global Publishing’s wrap-up of our best 2025 insights shows why people-powered growth matters more than ever in a world shaped by technological and geopolitical disruption.﻿

McKinsey’s 100 best interviews of 2025 capture powerful ideas from the world’s top founders, CEOs, leaders, teachers, and authors—offering inspiration and perspective as you look ahead to 2026.﻿

﻿[MGI webinar] Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal defenses

﻿High five: Scrolling through 2025﻿

﻿65-Across: Avoid, as an issue ... and a word that follows the last words of 18-, 20-, 37-, and 50-Across, and both words of 56-Across

From AI to transformation to geopolitics, McKinsey Global Publishing’s wrap-up of our best 2025 insights shows why people-powered growth matters more than ever in a world shaped by technological and geopolitical disruption.

McKinsey’s 100 best interviews of 2025 capture powerful ideas from the world’s top founders, CEOs, leaders, teachers, and authors—offering inspiration and perspective as you look ahead to 2026.

[MGI webinar] Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal defenses

High five: Scrolling through 2025

65-Across: Avoid, as an issue ... and a word that follows the last words of 18-, 20-, 37-, and 50-Across, and both words of 56-Across