752: How to Start the Top Job, with Scott Keller
Coaching for Leaders
Dave Stachowiak
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 6 October 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Scott Keller is a senior partner at McKinsey, where he coleads the firm’s global CEO Excellence work within the Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice and serves as a global leader in the Organization Practice. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and trusted advisor to boards, CEOs, and senior leadership teams, with whom he guides multiyear, enterprise-wide transformations that shape the future of institutions. His colleagues and him are the authors of the new book, A CEO For All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Amazon, Bookshop)*.
One of the most critical phases of taking on the top job is what you do at the start. Whether it’s stepping into the role as president, general manager, executive director, owner, or CEO, starting well can make all the difference. In this conversation, Scott and I explore how to begin in the best way possible.
Key Points
One-third to one-half of new CEOs are considered to be failing within eighteen months of taking the role. Many wish they’d handled the transition differently.
New CEOs enter a reality distortion field of many bosses (the board), no peers, and ultimate accountability for everything. The best CEOs guard against this by not making it about them.
Ask questions that aren’t about you, but the organization. Instead of, “How will I know if I’m successful?” ask, “How will we know if we’re winning?”
Beginning with a listening tour is essential. People will tell you things when you’re new that they’ll never say two or three years later.
Create a fact-based, one version of the truth. Once you know it, keep to a single narrative for everyone.
Err towards complete candor in the toughest realities. Prepare intensely for moments of truth, when they need to happen.
Set clear boundaries and stay extremely disciplined. Your narrative and first moves should guide how you frame these.
Resources Mentioned
A CEO For All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Amazon, Bookshop)* by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra, and Kurt Strovink
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How Top Leaders Influence Great Teamwork, with Scott Keller (episode 585)
How to Genuinely Show Up for Others, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 590)
How to Start a Big Leadership Role, with Carol Kauffman (episode 617)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | One of the most critical phases of taking on the top job is what you do at the start, |
| 0:06.3 | whether it's stepping into the role as president, general manager, executive director, owner, or CEO. |
| 0:14.9 | Starting Well can make all the difference. |
| 0:17.5 | In this episode, how to begin in the best way possible. This is Coaching for Leaders, |
| 0:23.1 | episode 752. Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential. |
| 0:34.9 | Greetings to you from Orange County, California. This is Coaching for Leaders, and I'm your host, |
| 0:40.8 | Dave Stahoviac. Leaders aren't born. They're made. And this weekly show helps you discover |
| 0:47.2 | leadership wisdom through insightful conversations. A huge transition for a leader is taking on the top job. Taking on any big job, |
| 0:58.1 | but especially the top job, it's a transition that is unique like none other. It's also a |
| 1:03.5 | transition that often comes with many headwinds, stumbling blocks, and of course, failures too. |
| 1:10.6 | Today, a conversation on how to do a better |
| 1:14.1 | job at making that transition into the top role. I'm so pleased to welcome back to the show, |
| 1:19.2 | Scott Keller, Scott is a senior partner at McKinsey, where he co-leads the firm's global |
| 1:24.3 | CEO excellence work within the strategy and corporate finance practice, |
| 1:28.3 | and serves as global leader in the organization practice. |
| 1:32.0 | He's a New York Times bestselling author and trusted advisor to boards, CEOs, and senior |
| 1:37.3 | leadership teams, with whom he guides multi-year enterprise-wide transformations that shape the |
| 1:42.2 | future of institutions. His colleagues in him are the |
| 1:45.5 | authors of the new book, a CEO for all seasons, mastering the cycles of leadership. Scott, a pleasure |
| 1:52.5 | to have you back. Welcome. Hey, great to be here, Dave. Thanks for having me. I mentioned in the |
| 1:58.6 | intro that this is a big transition going into the top job. And you write, |
| 2:03.9 | one third to one half of new CEOs are considered to be failing within 18 months of taking the |
... |
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