The CEO Can Champion the Next Business. Can the Organization Build It?

A CEO can champion a promising new business, but sponsorship alone does not make venture building an organizational capability. McKinsey’s latest research identifies the leadership, capital, culture, and governance new ventures require. This article takes the question one step further: can those conditions survive competing priorities, financial pressure, or a change in leadership? For executives and CVC leaders, the answer may determine whether a venture scales or remains dependent on whoever is protecting it.

Beyond CEO Alpha When does Leadership Performance Become Organizational Capability?

McKinsey’s research makes a compelling case that CEO performance is a significant driver of private equity returns, a value it calls “CEO alpha.” But strong CEO performance raises a second question for PE partners and portfolio company leaders: is the CEO building capabilities the company itself owns, or do results still disproportionately depend on that leader’s judgment, attention, and intervention? Beyond CEO Alpha explores the difference between value created by an exceptional leader and organizational capability that can endure through accelerated growth, an add-on acquisition, a leadership transition, or exit.

The Execution Gap Isn’t Where Leaders Think It Is

Most CEOs are confident in their strategy—yet fewer than half believe their organizations can adapt and execute at the speed required. When targets slip, the problem may not be the strategy or the people. Critical decisions may still depend on the CEO, priorities may weaken as they move through the organization, and structures that once supported growth may now be slowing it. My latest article explores what the research confirms—and the organization-specific question CEOs and boards still need to answer: What is really getting in the way of execution?