OUR BEST IDEAS FOR THE C-SUITE

Welcome to the CEO Shortlist, a biweekly newsletter of our best ideas for the C-suite. This week, we’re sharing key findings from our latest book on gender inclusion in the workplace, as well as our work with Silicon Valley pioneer Reid Hoffman on what could go right with gen AI. You can reach us with thoughts, ideas, or suggestions at Alex_Panas@Mckinsey.com and Axel_Karlsson@Mckinsey.com. Thank you, as ever.

—Alex and Axel

First cut is the deepest. The problem of the glass ceiling is well documented. Less understood is how women experience the ground floor. For every 100 entry-level men who are promoted to manager, only 81 women advance. We call this failure the “broken rung.” In a new book, McKinsey Senior Partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez explore the consequences of gender inequality in the workplace on lifetime earnings for women. They also outline steps for leaders to address the problem. The book publishes next week; preorder your copy now.

AI in action. There’s been a lot of talk about gen AI. We’ve been privileged to work with companies that are going beyond talk to action, most recently through “superagents”—AI tools that can help individuals supercharge their creativity, productivity, and impact. We’ve teamed up with Reid Hoffman to write a report and an interactive learning journey to help leaders deliver returns on their AI investments.

We hope you find these ideas inspiring and helpful. See you in a couple of weeks with more McKinsey ideas for the CEO and others in the C-suite.

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