"McKinsey is best known as a consulting powerhouse, but its quieter distinction is as a leadership factory- a point I explore in my latest piece for Fortune. No other organization has minted more sitting Fortune 500 chiefs, with a global roster that includes Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, Citigroup's Jane Fraser, and Allianz's Oliver Bäte. The tally stands at 18 current Fortune 500 CEOs and 28 worldwide."
"The firm's method is as rigorous as it is intentional, more than a dozen former and current McKinsey alumni told me. From day one, new consultants rotate across industries, geographies, and functions, adapting on the fly and mastering unfamiliar businesses. They are expected to deconstruct sprawling problems, craft solutions, and win over skeptical executives-often while still in their 20s. That early exposure to high-stakes decision-making accelerates judgment and builds the confidence boards later crave in C-suite leaders, according to consultants-turned-CEOs."
McKinsey has produced more current Fortune 500 CEOs than any other organization, including Sundar Pichai, Jane Fraser, and Oliver Bäte, totaling 18 in the U.S. and 28 worldwide. The firm instills leadership through rigorous, intentional methods: consultants rotate across industries, geographies, and functions from day one, learning to deconstruct complex problems, craft solutions, and persuade skeptical executives early in their careers. A culture of constructive dissent privileges ideas over hierarchy and trains people to challenge assumptions and pressure-test reasoning. Alumni influence and public scrutiny have held the firm accountable during controversies. Companies seeking stronger succession should replicate these practices.
Read at Fortune
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