Beyond Performance 2.0, 2nd Edition

Foreword

In my 35 years of observing top companies, CEOs, and boards, there's one challenge that I've seen consistently vex leaders: how to make large-scale change happen successfully and sustainably. In far too many cases, what started with bold aspirations ended up delivering little in terms of results. This mattered less in a time when industry structures, physical assets, and privileged relationships enabled leaders to win by being good at “running the company.” In today's volatile, fast-paced, and ever-increasingly competitive marketplace, however, few if any leaders will succeed unless they also know how to “change the company.”

In Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change, Scott Keller and Bill Schaninger tackle that critical challenge head-on—and do so with great energy and deep insight. I look for three things, in particular, in my reading and my own writing. First, I want to see something different than all the advice already out there, advice that too often hasn't helped leaders improve their odds of success. Second, I want to see ideas that leaders can put into practice on Monday morning. Finally, I look for concepts founded on a deep fact base.

Not surprisingly, given that the authors are senior partners and leading practitioners at McKinsey & Company, Beyond Performance 2.0 is packed with data and richly researched, and to that extent truly delivers on the word “proven” in its title. But as I read Scott and Bill's book, I was delighted ...