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Via Bob Pickard (‪@bobpickard.bsky.social) I came across this McKinsey article, penned by a quartet of its consultants (Blair Epstein, Julia McClatchy, and Kurt Strovink, with Eric Sherman) on “How the best CEOs build lasting stakeholder relationships.”

“CEOs’ paths to the top office rarely allow sufficient development of ability to engage groups with disparate and at times competing interests,” say the authors, quoting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who says that before he ascended to the role he  did not fully appreciate “how multi-constituent the world really is. It’s about shareholders. It’s about your team members and employees. It’s about customers and governments.”

The authors then cite McKinsey research, explaining that “58 percent of CEOs in one survey viewed external affairs as a top priority, only 12 percent of those same respondents described themselves as successful in dealing with government, regulators, and broader communities.”

They go on to describe a leadership approach they call EDGE: “An Expanded view of the CEO’s role as the company’s bridge to the external world, a Distinctive narrative with the CEO as storyteller in chief, a Growth-oriented mindset that empowers a team of internal and external ambassadors to articulate the company’s vision, and an Engaged posture that systematically strengthens stakeholder connections and prepares the organization to handle inevitable crises.”

All of this will likely resonate with senior communications professionals, and suggests a vital role for CCOs in particular to help their CEOs understand the ecosystem of stakeholder relationships; the expectations of those disparate groups; the messaging that will strengthen key relationships; and the channels those stakeholders use for trusted information.

But it also suggests an opportunity for veteran communications professionals. Someone should establish an academy for future CEOs and focus on preparing them for a key part of their role that, as Nadella explains, most of them are not nearly prepared for. CEOs don’t typically learn the fundamentals of stakeholder relationship building in school (since PR is still taught primarily in journalism or marketing courses) or in the financial and operational roles where they spend most of their time.

I don’t know how many would recognize the need for this kind of preparation—but I do think it would lead to a generation of better CEOs.