51 Q UA RT E R _ 0 2 _ 2 0 2 6 - - - - - - - - - prepared to mobilize and act with speed. The real ity is that not all crises are created equal. Discern which issues are truly important to act on, and stay focused on the issues that are embedded in the organization’s DNA. Let your performance do the talking as you stay focused on playing “big ball” (spending your time on the large issues that require your attention) with a dedicated team on the ground to manage issues smoothly and effi ciently. Taken together, these approaches will ensure that today’s small hiccup doesn’t turn into tomorrow’s front-page headline. Embed Stakeholder Engagement into Your Daily Operating Model On average, CEOs spend 30 percent of their time with external stakeholders, but every leader is different. For example, Gail Kelly of Australian bank Westpac was “rigorous and relentless” about fitting as many stakeholders as possi ble into her quarterly visits to different regions. By contrast, Richard Davis of American finan cial-services firm US Bancorp waited until he had the “right team in place” to increase the time spent with external stakeholders. Any stakeholder rhythm you establish at the beginning of your tenure can evolve to best meet the changing landscape. If you can deliver on your promises early, you’ll also be able to build trust and optimize your time as your tenure progresses. As former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly explains, “If you do what you say you’ll do, [stakeholders will] want to see less of you. They’ll want you to spend time working on the business and delivering on your commitments.” The best CEOs keep a “tight but loose” sched ule, leaving room for flexibility. As Marillyn Hewson of Lockheed Martin tells us, “Every September we look a year ahead and lay out what we’ll do and when: investor calls, customer visits, air shows, confer ences. If something new arises, I either can’t do it, or something else has to come off my plate. It’s not so strict that things can’t be adjusted, but you know where your priorities are for the year.” Flexibility—or, as one leader puts it, “structured serendipity”—is critical to provide you with the space to spotlight and celebrate the good news happening across the organization and amplify those messages. Stakeholder engagement goes beyond day-to-day interactions—it’s about cultivating trust-based, intentional relationships and leading yourself and through others. As CEO, you are the organization’s ultimate integrator, uniquely positioned to step onto the balcony, see the full landscape, and unite dispa rate—and often competing—perspectives. Taking a systematic approach now can help you galvanize stakeholders around a common vision to acceler ate the company’s trajectory. We’re excited as you embark on this next chap ter of leadership. Best, Your friends at McKinsey Blair Epstein is a partner in McKinsey’s Bay Area office, where Carolyn Dewar is a senior partner; Richard Steele is a partner in the New York office, where Eric Sherman is a senior knowledge expert and of which Kate Freeland is an alumna. The authors wish to thank Andi Almond, Ankita Varma, Dana Maor, David Honigmann, Julia McClatchy, Kurt Strovink, Max Gleischman, Michael Birshan, Ramiro Prudencio, Scott Keller, and Shelley Stewart III for their contributions to this article. » »