夯实开局：新任CEO利益相关者影响力构建指南+Nail+your+firsts：+A+new+CEO's+guide+to+newstakeholder+impact

Mcsey

&company

Strategy&CorporateFinancePractice

Nailyourfirsts:A

newCEO’sguideto

stakeholderimpact

NewandincomingCEOsareoftenunpreparedfortheintensityof

internalandexternalstakeholderengagement.Therightmindset,

communicationskills,andactionscanmakeallthedifference.

ThisarticleisacollaborativeeffortbyBlairEpstein,CarolynDewar,andRichardSteele,with

EricShermanandKateFreeland,representingviewsfromMcKinsey’sStrategy&Corporate

FinancePractice.

November2025

DearnewCEO,

First,congratulationsonyournewrole.Thisisatrueunfreezingmomentforyouandtheorganizationatlarge.It’sapersonalachievementand—whendonetherightway—apublicgood.Butthepathahead

isunlikewhatmanyCEOshavefacedbefore,anditwilldemandnewlevelsofadaptability,resilience,andcommunication.NewandincomingCEOs

likeyouarebeingaskedtotakeonthejobatan

increasinglyacceleratedpace,partlybecause

ofnewtimepressures:CEOtenureisnowatan

all-timelowof6.8years.1Andthere’srealvalue

atstake—researchshowsthatpoorlymanaged

C-suitetransitionsintheS&P1500wipeoutnearly$1trillioninmarketvalueannually.2

AsAllianzCEOOliverBätehassaid,“Nothing

preparesyouforbecomingthefaceofacompany.Nothing.”3NewandincomingCEOstellusthatoneoftheirmostcommonhurdlesisengagingawholenewrangeofstakeholders,includinginvestors,

regulators,media,employees,boardmembers,andbroadercommunities.You’llbeshifting(seeminglyovernight)fromaprivateleaderwithinthefour

wallsofacompanytoamuchmorepublicprofile.

Thisshift,compoundedbysocialmediaanda

proliferationofnewtechnologiesandchannels,

canmakeforasteeplearningcurve,particularly

giventhatonly1percentofFortune100CEOshaveaformalbackgroundincommunicationsorpublicaffairs,accordingtoMcKinseyanalysis.

That’swhywe’veputthisarticletogetherforyou.

Thinkofitasahandbooktohelpyouproactivelyandsustainablyengageyourstakeholders.Wedrew

onresearchfromournewlyreleasedbookACEO

forAllSeasons,4whichfeaturesinsightsfrommorethan80interviews,andfromourNewYorkTimes

best-sellingbookCEOExcellence.5Wealsoheld

targetedconversationswithmorethan20CEOs,

headsofmarketingandcommunications,leadersat

publicrelationsagencies,andCEOcounselors,andconductedproprietaryresearchonCEOreadinessacrossFortune100companies.

Here,we’llshareourEDGEapproachtostakeholdercommunications:anexpandedviewoftheCEOasabridgetotheexternalworld,adistinctivenarrative

thatseestheCEOasstorytellerinchief,agrowth-orientedmindsetthatempowersateamof

ambassadorstocascadethecompany’svision,andanengagedposturetostrengthenstakeholder

connections.6Andtohelpyou“nailyourfirsts,”wehaveincludedexamples,reflectionexercises,andachecklisttoputyourplansintomotion.

Expanded:Shiftfromprivate-topublic-facingplatforms

Developingstrongrelationshipswithstakeholderswillbecriticaltoyouragenda,andwehopeyou

areofftoarunningstart.OurresearchforA

CEOforAllSeasonsshowedthat30percent

ofCEOrespondentsfeltmoresuccessfulin

theroleiftheystrengthenedrelationshipswithexternalstakeholdersinthetwoyearsbeforebecomingCEO.7

Asyoustepintotherole,criticallyassesshowto

bestengagestakeholders.Useyourtransitionto

recalibrateexistingrelationshipsandforgenew

ones,creatingathroughlinefromstrategyto

engagementusingproactivecommunication.Thisisyourchancetodemonstrateyourpriorities.

Beingpublicfacingalsomeansinvestingmoreheavilyinbuildingcoalitionaroundyourvisionandnewideas,takingthetimetoseewhere

yourstakeholdersarerelativetoyourstrategy.

Forexample,onenewCEObroughtrigortoher

engagementapproachbycategorizingstakeholdergroupsintoarchetypes—resisters,champions,

1“GlobalCEOappointmentshitahistoric8-yearH1lowin2025amidstslowleadershipturnover,”RussellReynoldsAssociates,July30,2025.

2ClaudioFernández-Aráoz,GregoryNagel,andCarrieGreen,“Thehighcostofpoorsuccessionplanning,”HarvardBusinessReview,May–June2021.

3RuthUmoh,“TheMcKinseyCEOpipeline:Howtheconsultinggiantbuiltanempireofinfluenceandfilledtheworld’scornerofficeswithitsalumni,”Fortune,September25,2025.

4CarolynDewar,ScottKeller,VikramMalhotra,andKurtStrovink,ACEOforAllSeasons:MasteringtheCyclesofLeadership,Scribner,2025.

5CarolynDewar,ScottKeller,andVikramMalhotra,CEOExcellence,Scribner,2022.

6BlairEpstein,JuliaMcClatchy,KurtStrovink,andEricSherman,“HowthebestCEOsbuildlastingstakeholderrelationships,”McKinsey,November26,2024.

7FormoreonCEOblindspots,seeScottKeller,“SeeingCEOblindspots,”McKinseyQuarterly,September3,2025.

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact2

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact3

allies,andmavericks—thatwereeachtreated

differentlyandreassessedregularly.Sheaskedtwoquestionsabouteachgroup:Howwouldagiven

decisionaffectthem,andhowcouldshebestworkwiththem?Resisterswereengagedearlytosurfaceconcerns,championstobuildmomentum,allies

toexpandinfluence,andmaverickstochallenge

assumptions.Thisexercise,originallyintendedtobeinternallyfocused,alsohelpedheridentifyexternalambassadors.Thisdisciplinedapproachbecameaplaybooktocoalesceandmobilizeteamsaroundacommonvision.

Asyoustepintotherole,thefollowingtechniques

canhelpyouidentifyyourprioritiesearlyon:Ensureasmoothtransition,takelisteningtours,conduct

“stakeholderteardowns,”andaccessandconvenenewlyavailablenetworks.

Ensureasmoothtransition,whether

youareaninsideroroutsiderCEO

Todeterminewheretostart,studyhowtheformerCEOapproachedstakeholderengagement.Thiscanbeasourceofinspiration—oralessoninwhatnottodo.Ifpossible,usethetransitionperiodtogainwarmintroductionsandjointlysurveythe

landscape.

It’simportanttorememberthattherearetwo

transitionshappeningconcurrently:Asyou’re

steppingintoyournewroleasCEO,your

predecessorissteppingout.Passthebaton

smoothly,movingtogetherwithgraceandhumilitytoprotectandpropeltheinstitutionforward.

Yourtransitionisalsoanopportunitytodisarm

criticsandpotentiallyresetrelationships.Meet

withstakeholderswhowouldn’texpecttobemetwith(suchascriticalinvestorsandjournalists)on

theirownterms,notnecessarilywiththeintentofwinningthemover.Instead,expressgenuineinterestintheirconcerns,collectfeedback,andbeginbuildingbridges.

ForinsiderCEOs,it’simportanttothinklike

anoutsider.Internalappointmentsbringdeep

knowledgeandcontinuity,buttheycanalsomakeithardertochallengethestatusquo.Thebest

internalappointeeshonorthepastwhilesignalingthat“whatgotusherewon’tgetusthere.”Some

incomingCEOshaveevenpartneredwiththeir

predecessorstoreinforcethispivot—forexample,runningjointsessionstofieldemployeequestionsandacknowledgewhatwillremain(suchascultureandtalent)andwherenewemphasisisneeded

(forexample,R&Dandtechnology).Adoptan

outsider’slensbylisteningtodissentingvoices,

studyingadmiredpeerstouncoverblindspots,

andminingexitinterviewsforinsightsthatrevealhowexperiencesandperceptionsdifferacrosstheorganization.

ForoutsiderCEOs,beastudentoftheorganization.Visittheorganization’sarchivesearly,andhonortheorganizationbydrawingoutthemesfromitspast

andusingtheinsightsyou’vegleanedtohelpdrivetowardanevenbrighterfuture.Further,maintainobjectivity.Thisisoneofyourgreatestgiftsas

anoutsiderandwillenableyoutosetthepaceearly,makeboldmoves,andcreateasustainedperformanceedge.

Finally,transitionperiodshaveaneedforspeed.

Giventhepaceofbusinesstoday,newCEOsdo

nothavea“honeymoonperiod.”Peopleinother

rolesmayhavesixmonthsorevenayeartofind

theirfooting,butasCEO,youwillbeexpectedtobereadyfromdayone.

It’simportanttorememberthattherearetwotransitionshappeningconcurrently:Asyou’resteppingintoyour

newroleasCEO,yourpredecessorissteppingout.Passthebatonsmoothly,movingtogetherwithgraceand

humilitytoprotectandpropeltheinstitutionforward.

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact4

Takealisteningtourwiththe

stakeholderswhomattermost

Alisteningtourisyourchancetodeeplyunderstandwhat’sonthemindsofyourmostimportant

stakeholders.Takethetimetoengagethemone-

on-onetoheartheirperspectivesandfindout

wheretheyenvisionthecompanygoing.These

conversationscanhelpyouidentifystrengthsandrisksinyourvision,understandwhat’sworking

andwhatneedstobefixed,andbecomeopenandadaptive.Duringtheseforums,it’sOKtosay,“I

don’tknow.”8Thisdoesn’ttakeawayfromyourcoreobjective;itultimatelyenhancesyourapproachbydemonstratingyourhonestyandopenness.

Conductingalisteningtourearlyisimportant,

becausepeoplearemorewillingtosharethingsatthestartofyourtenurethanafteryou’vebecomeestablishedinyourrole.Craftyourquestions

thoughtfullyandinvitestakeholderstoshare

constructive,collaborativefeedback(seesidebar,“Guidingquestionsforlisteningtours”).Listening toursalsoprovideopportunitiestotestandrefineyourpersonalnarrative(whichcanbesimilarto

a“stumpspeech”inpolitics),9whichweexploreinmoredetailbelow.

Guidingquestionsforlisteningtours

•Whathaveyouappreciatedaboutleadersbeforeme?Whatdoyouwanttoseemedodifferently?

•WhatarepeoplenottellingmethatIneedtoknow?

•Whataretheuntappedopportunitiesforourorganization?Whatisholdingusback?

•Whatistheonethingwecoulddo,orfailtodo,thatwoulddamageourprogress?

•Whatshouldchangeaboutourcompanyculture,andwhatshouldnot?

A“listeningtour”involvesmorethanjustlistening—it’saboutlearningand,perhapsmostimportant,

signalingintent.EveryquestionaCEOasks(orchoosesnottoask)communicatespriorities.

OneCEOwhowasdeterminedtosparkacultureofinnovationandrenewalopenedeverymeetingwiththeprompt:“Tellmeonethingyou’reexperimentingwith.”Overtime,employeesbeganshiftingtheir

behaviortoensuretheyhadbetteranswers,

creatingmomentumforexperimentationacrosstheorganization.AnotherCEO,intentonstrengtheningcustomercentricity,routinelyasked,“What’sthe

lastthingyouheardfromacustomerthatchangedhowyou’redoingsomething?”Inbothcases,the

questionsthemselvesbecamepowerfulcatalystsforchange.

Conducta‘stakeholderteardown,

Astakeholderteardownisastructuredassessmentdesignedtoprovideanoutsider’sperspectiveon

acompany’sstrategyandperformance.Theseteardownsareacriticalexercise,especiallyifyouaresteppingintotherolefromadifferentorganization.

Toconductateardown,workwithyourcomm-

unications,investorrelations,andmarketingteamstocollectandanalyzerelevantdatathatcanhelp

youunderstandwheretheorganizationstands

regardingstakeholderinterests,influence,and

expectations.YoucanusegenerativeAItoenableandacceleratethisprocess.Usebothinternal

andexternallensestoholisticallydiagnoseandsolveissuesandbenchmarkyourperformanceagainstpeers.

Ultimately,thegoalistounderstandyour

stakeholdersandtheirmotivationsandreasoning(Reflectionexercise1),ensuringthatyourvision

resonateswiththeirshort-andlong-term

expectations.Oncetheteardowniscomplete,youandyourleadershipteamswillclearlyunderstandwhatwinninglookslike.

8“‘Saying“Idon’tknow”isoneofthehardestthingsaleadercando’:AconversationwithDeltaCEOEdBastian,”McKinseyQuarterly,October29,2025.

9KurtStrovink,“CEOInsights:HowCEOsdevelopacommunicationsstrategyandnarrative,”McKinsey,June25,2024.

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact5

Accessandconvenenewnetworks

thatarenowavailabletoyou

TheCEOrolecanbelonely.Timeandagainin

ourconversationswithCEOs,wehearaboutthe

importanceofestablishingstrongpeernetworks.AsanewCEO,consideractivelyengagingwithyour

peerCEOs.Peerswhoaregrapplingwithsimilar

issues—orformerCEOswhonavigatedparallel

journeys—canbeavaluablesourceofguidance.Infact,somenewCEOseventhinkofthisgroupas

partoftheir“personalboard.”

Exhibit1

EDGE

Relectionexercise1:Refineyour(andyourorganization’s)approachtostakeholderengagementtostrengthenrelationships.

Sampleoutput

A.Prioritization

Whoarethemostimportantstakeholderswhoimpactyourbusiness?

Stakeholdername

Majorcustomer1

Majorcustomer2

Mediaoutlet1

USattorneygeneralforantitrust

EUcompetitioncommissiondirector

Mergertarget

Jointventurepartner

AnalystatBankA(opinionmaker)

Keyinvestor1

Keyinvestor2

Relationshipstrength

●VerystrongStrong

AmicableWeak

Norelationshiporcombative

B.Actionplan

Usethefollowingasatemplatetoevaluateonestakeholderfromyourlist,thenrepeatwithothers.

Majorcustomer1—CFO(TinaJ,newinrole)

Stakeholdername

Theirneeds(their“why”)

Deliversustainablegrowth,avoid“surprises”inresults,establishcredibilityasnewCFO

Howdoour“whys”intersect?(commoninterests)

ProductX’sAI/analyticscanpredictrisksrelevanttoclient(financial,ops)—cantailortotheirsubsector

Ourneeds(our“why”)

High-potentialaccount—Fortune500company,weonlyservewithoneproduct,target20%YoY

Knowingthis,howcanyouinteractdiferently?

BringourCFOtonextmeetingtoexplainvaluepropinapeer-to-peercounselingconversation(vs“salesy”)

Note:RelectionexerciseadaptedfromACEOforAllSeasons(Scribner,2025).

Source:CarolynDewar,ScottKeller,VikramMalhotra,andKurtStrovink,ACEOforAllSeasons:MasteringtheCyclesofLeadership,Scribner,2025

McKinsey&Company

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact6

Distinctive:Developyour

personalnarrativeandmeetstakeholderswheretheyare

Withmanynewdemandscompetingforyour

attention,focusonwhatonlyyoucando.Startbuildinga“trustbank”andconnectingwith

stakeholderswithanauthentic,personalized

narrative.Thinkofitasapoliticalcandidate’s

“stumpspeech”thatengagesstakeholdersandralliesthemaroundyourvisionandstrategy.

MasterthefourW’s

Aneffectivenarrativehelpsyouarticulateyour

keymessageswithconvictionandelegance,anditcanbeadaptedandenrichedovertime.Craft

yournarrativeusingthe“fourW’s”(who,why,what,andwhen)tocaptureandholdtheimaginationof

stakeholders(Reflectionexercise2):

—Whoyouare.Provideinsightintoyouridentity,personality,andvalues.AsDougParker,formerCEOandchairofAmericanAirlines,sharedwithus,“Youneedtofigureoutwhatyoubelievearetherightthingstodoandshowpeoplethatyouareincharge.Theywantsomeonetofollow,andtheywanttoknowwhoyouare.”10

—Whyyouarehere.Reflectonyourpurpose,

coremission,andbeliefs.Thisisan

opportunitytoconnectyourpersonalmissiontotheorganization,creatingaclearlinkfor

stakeholders.

—Whatyouwillachieve.Layoutyouragendato

conveyasenseofownershipandaccountability.Youcandothisbybothshowingandtelling

yourplans.Forexample,DavidEllisonof

Paramountwroteinhis2025CEOletterthat

“sportsserveasapowerfulenginefordeep

audienceengagement.”11Lessthanaweekaftertakingover,hesecuredaseven-yearmedia

rightsagreementwiththeUFCforarecord$7.7billion.12

—Whenyouwillexecuteplans.Sharewhatyou

plantodorightnowforstakeholdersandplanttheseedsforfutureactions.Forexample,one

financial-servicesCEOunveiledanewemployeeexperienceprogrambyillustratinghowitfitin

withabroaderredesignoftheentireemployeejourney.

Aneffectivenarrativehelpsyouarticulateyourkeymessageswithconvictionandelegance,anditcanbeadaptedandenrichedovertime.

10“DougParker,formerchairmanandCEOofAmericanAirlines,sharesleadershiplessons,”McKinsey,August15,2025.

11DavidEllison,“AmessagefromourchairmanandCEO,”Paramount,August7,2025.

12JohnKoblin,“Paramountstrikesseven-yeardealtostreamU.F.C.fights,”NewYorkTimes,August11,2025.

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact7

Exhibit2

Relectionexercise2:ByansweringthefourW’s—who,why,what,andwhen—newCEOscanbeginbuildingtheirpersonalnarratives.

EDGE

Sampleoutput

Who

I’mapurpose-drivenandauthenticleader,deeplycommittedtocontinuouslearningandgrowth.

Myexpertiseliesinstrategy,butthisroleissomuchbiggerthanthat—Iwillbringinrelevantinsights

andseektolearnfromeachofyouinordertobestserveourcustomers,employees,andshareholders.Ifirmlybelieveinthepowerof“we”—ourpeople,ourvalues,ourproducts,andourservices.Together,

wehavealltheingredientstowritethenextgreatchapterofgrowthforourcompany.

Why

There’sneverbeenamoreexcitingtimetoworkinthisspaceandreimaginewhat’spossible.

Wehaveauniqueopportunitytogrowourbusinessandexpandourreach,whichinspiresmeeverydaytocomeintoworkandleadourteams.

Tostayontop,wehavetobeallinongrowth.

What

Aswetransformforthefuture,let’sstayanchoredinourpurposeandlong-termvision.

Wewillcontinuetoinvestinourmostimportantasset—ourtalent—withopportunitiestolearn,grow,andcreateadiverse,equitable,andinclusiveenvironment.

Wewillexecutewithexcellencetopropelourcompanyforwardthroughclearandstrategicplanning,combinedwithanownershipmindset.

When

Wearegoingtotakeameasuredanddeliberateapproachtotransformoverthelongterm.

BeginninginJanuary,wewillrolloutournewgo-to-marketstrategy,withtrainingprogramsandresourcestosupporttheseeforts.

Wewillthenlaunchanewservicetobuildonourcustomer-centricapproach.

McKinsey&Company

Buildstorytellingmuscle

Storytellingmaycomemorenaturallytosome

thantoothers,butitisalsoamusclethatcanbe

strengthenedovertimethroughrepetitionand

refinement.13JudyMarks,CEOofelevatorand

escalatormanufacturerOtis,saidshewasneithercomfortableinthepublicspotlightnortrainedfor

it,butsheactivelycultivatedthisskillovertimeto

becomethecompany’s“chiefstoryteller.”Now,shesaysit’sacentralpartofherjob:“Ican’ttellthe

storyenough.”14

Afewbestpracticescanfortifyyourstorytellingabilities.Wefindthatthebestleadersdothe

following:

—Balancetheparadoxesoftherole.AsCEO,youmustconstantlybalanceparadoxessuchas

deliveringshort-termresultswhileinvesting

forthelongterm,respectingthepastwhile

disruptingthefuture,andmore.Recognizeandembracethisdynamic,andunderstandthat

yournarrativeshouldn’tbeafixedscript.Itmustevolvecontinuously,shapedbystakeholder

interactions,strategicpriorities,andlearnings.

—Makethemessagestickwithproprietary

languageandthemes.Figurativelanguagecanbringunlikelyimagestogetherandunfreeze

themindtothinkaboutnewpossibilities.To

thatend,someCEOsembracethepowerof

analogiesandmetaphors.Staycuriousandlookforpatternsusingyouruniqueperspective.Forexample,MicrosoftCEOSatyaNadellacreatedtheconceptofa“learnitall,”ratherthana“know

13“TheCEO’sroleaschiefstoryteller,”McKinsey,June30,2025.

14“HowJudyMarksleadsOtisWorldwideCorporationthroughuncertaintyandtechnologicalevolution,”McKinsey,March11,2025.

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact8

itall,”toinspireagrowthmindsetandhelpmakethemessagestick.15

—Focusonprofoundsimplicity.Lessismorewhenitcomestopowerfulmessages.Strivetomakeyourstatementinsixwordsorfewer.Seeminglysimplemessagescanprovideclearpurposeandstrategicdirection,affectingeverythingfrom

R&Dtomarketingcampaigns—butremember

thatittakesworktoachievethislevelof

profoundsimplicity.TakeinspirationfromNike’smissionto“bringinspirationandinnovation

toeveryathlete”orDBSBank’sgoalto“makebankingjoyful.”

—Repeatandreinforcethemessage.InthewordsofProcter&Gamble’sformerCEOA.G.Lafley,you’llneedtoendure“excruciatingrepetition”

tospreadyourmessage.16Ourresearchshowsgrowthleadersare80percentmorelikelyto

repeattheirstoryinternallyandexternallythantheirpeers.17

—Putthestorytothetest.Proactivelybringinobjectiveexternalvoicestoplay“challenger”

roles.OneCEObringsininvestigativejournalistsandreporterstocriticallydissect,breakdown,

andultimatelyrebuildhernarrativeaheadof

criticalengagementswithmedia,analysts,andcustomers.

—Makeyourplatformproprietaryandfitfor

purpose.Youareleadingamultigenerational

workforce.18Themessageandthemethod

ofdistributiongohandinhand.Wefindthat

CEOsareincreasinglyinvestinginandbuildingcampaignsaroundtheirnarratives,weaving

togethersocialmedia,publicspeaking,and

mediaengagementsprogrammaticallytobestservetheorganizationanditsstakeholders.

Whendonesuccessfully,thisorchestrationis

bothCEO-ledandstakeholder-backed,creatingpointsofintersectiontomeetaudienceson

theirtermsandinwaysthatfacilitatetwo-waydialogue.

Growth-oriented:Empowermultiplevoicestocarryandcascademessaging

Intheprevioussection,welookedatwhatonlyyoucandointhecontextofstakeholdercommunicationandengagement,butyoushouldn’tactalone.Set

thetoneearlywithyourteamregardinghowyouwantthemtoengagestakeholders.

Takeabalconyviewtoconnectthedotsbetweenyourleadershipbenchandthefullspectrumof

internalandexternalstakeholdersyouwantto

engage.WefindthebestCEOstakeasystematicapproach,enrolling(andreenrolling)thetop

team,scalingthereachoftheirmessagethroughambassadors,andservingasbothteachersandstudentsofthecraftofstorytelling.

Takeabalconyviewtoconnectthedotsbetweenyourleadershipbenchandthefullspectrumofinternalandexternalstakeholdersyouwanttoengage.WefindthebestCEOstakeasystematicapproach,enrolling(andreenrolling)thetopteam,scalingthereachoftheir

messagethroughambassadors,andservingasbothteachersandstudentsofthecraftofstorytelling.

15BradMendelson,HaraldFanderl,HomayounHatami,andLizHiltonSegel,“Buildingasuperpower:WhatcanwelearnfromtheMagnificentSeven?,”McKinsey,June25,2024.

16CarolynDewar,ScottKeller,VikramMalhotra,andKurtStrovink,“Startingstrong:MakingyourCEOtransitionacatalystforrenewal,”McKinseyQuarterly,November17,2022.

17“Achievinggrowth:Puttingleadershipmindsetsandbehaviorsintoaction,”McKinseyQuarterly,January13,2025.

18BryanHancock,“Makingsenseofgenerationalstereotypesatwork,”McKinsey,July6,2023.

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact9

Enroll(andreenroll)yourtopteam

ThebestCEOscangainleveragethroughtheirtopteamstoactivatestakeholdercommunications

withgreaterspeed,reach,andpotentialimpact(Reflectionexercise3).19

Proactivelycreatespacetobringcommunicationandengagementtotheforefrontofyourtop

team’smind.Forexample,atatwo-daystrategy

off-site,anewCEOhostedasessionentirely

dedicatedtonarrativedevelopment.Asagroup,

thetopteamrefinedtheircollectiveorganizationalnarrative,resettingtheirvisionandstrategyfor

thefuture.Eachteammemberthendeveloped

apersonalnarrative.Theypresentedthese

narrativestooneanother,providedfeedback,and

19JoydeepSengupta,“CEOInsights:Engagingemployeesandbuildinganorganizationofstorytellers,”McKinsey,August20,2024.

Exhibit3

Relectionexercise3:Enrollyourtopteamandambassadorstoengagecriticalstakeholders.

SampleoutputEDGE

Readinesslevel

●Fullyready

Nearlyready

BaselinereadinessSomewhatreadyNotready

Priorities

Ambassadors

(risingornext-genleaders)

Executiveleadershipteam

(representativelist)

JaneDoe,

CEO,BU

AlexSmith,CFO

MayaLopez,

EVP,CHRO

NancyJones,CEO,BU

DanielKim,SVP,BU

KaylaBrown,

President,BU

JamesWilson,CFO,BU

Customers

andmedia

Strategic

partnersandmajor

customers

Investor

community

Employees

Key

customers

andindustrypeers

Investors

andfinancialpartners

Customers,boardsof

directors,

media,and

employees

Uniqueand

proprietarythemes

Investment

management,strategy

Financial

performance,strategy,

corporate

development

Culture,talent,

capabilitybuilding

Workplace

strategy;

productsandsolutions

Business

visionandgrowth

strategy

Execution

strategyandproduct

direction

Financial

performanceandrisk

management

Readinesslevelto

speakonbehalfofthe

organization

Customer-

Investorcalls,

Townhalls

Customer-

Conferences,

Technology

Finance

Format(eg,conferences,

facingevents,

board

and

facingevents

townhalls,

forumsand

summits

townhalls,board

boardinter-

interactions,

employee

andtier-one

investor

customer-

andindustry

interactions,media,

actions,tier-

nondealroad

panels

media

briefings,

facingevents

events

customersessions)

onemedia

opportunities

shows

opportunities

trademedia

opportunities

Targettimeinvestedinstakeholderengagement

40%

30%

10%

25%

20%

10%

15%

McKinsey&Company

Nailyourfirsts:AnewCEO’sguidetostakeholderimpact10

ultimatelybuiltsharedunderstandingandteamwideunity.Followingthesession,thetopteamkept

communicationsandstakeholderengagementontherecurringagenda.

AnotherCEOaddedrigortotheirapproachby

developinganexecutivedashboardthattracks

bothquantitativeandqualitativeKPIstomeasureeachleader’sinternalandexternalstakeholder

engagement,suchasshareofvoice,customeroremployeefee