50 M C K I N S EY Q UA RT E R LY - real time, broaden their worldview to see “the whole chessboard,” and improve cross-team collaboration. Similarly, when Peter Orszag became CEO of Lazard, he launched a “salon” series, inviting criti cal stakeholders to the office or his home to discuss current events. He encouraged his leadership team to adopt this initiative, even converting a conference room into a fine-dining space for hosting leaders. - - - ENGAGED: ACTIVATE CAMPAIGNS WITH CONSISTENT, SUSTAINABLE RHYTHMS Being a modern leader is an endurance sport. Too many of the best managers set out with the best intentions but end up suffering from burnout—more than 50 percent, in fact. Don’t fall into this trap. Ruthlessly prioritize who you could—and should— spend time with. Think and perform like an elite athlete in your stakeholder engagements, maintaining a laser focus on how you manage your time and energy. The following practices can help you engage your stakeholders: Manage your energy, not your calendar; invest in crisis readiness and response; and embed stakeholder engagement into your daily operating model. Manage Your Energy, Not Your Calendar As CEO, you are the primary ambassador of the organization, so it’s essential to optimize your time— going beyond calendar maintenance and thinking more strategically about holistic energy expenditure. The key is to establish a proactive, not reactive, mindset to ruthlessly prioritize who you could—and should—spend time with. Constantly ask yourself, “Is this something I should lead myself, or would it be better to lead this through others?” In other words, are you better off as the protagonist or the architect of a particu lar engagement? This will help you delegate more effectively and triage incoming requests, while also sending the signal that you’re actively engaged. At the same time, don’t let the pendulum swing too far internally or externally. For exam ple, research shows that in the first three months of a CEO transition, internal emails and meetings drop by about 20 percent, leading to organiza tional confusion and communication slowdown. Such communication typically rebounds around the six-month mark, but you can avoid this pitfall altogether by thoughtfully balancing internal and external stakeholders with proactive planning and sustained connection points with you and your top team. Invest in Crisis Readiness and Response Crisis readiness is inextricably linked with credible stakeholder engagement. During crises, leaders need to speak with clarity and conviction. Use time early in your tenure to rewrite your organi zation’s crisis response playbook in partnership with your board, top team, communications team, and HR team, among others. Incorporate table top exercises into your leadership team’s agenda to ensure that when disruption strikes, you’re - -