As every new year begins, many leaders look for a career reboot. But a true reset requires moving beyond surface-level changes to a deeper shift in how leadership itself is exercised.
McKinsey’s research into the eighteen distinct responsibilities of excellent CEOs is a useful benchmark for that shift — a framework as relevant to a sitting executive as to an aspiring board member.
Three New Year Reset Takeaways:
- Move beyond engagement to health — excellent leaders don’t just check the pulse of their team; they rigorously manage the cultural elements that actually drive performance.
- The power of bold moves — making three or more bold strategic moves early in a tenure makes a rise to top-quintile performance six times more likely.
- Social purpose is strategy — in 2026, profit and purpose are no longer separable; fulfilling the “why” is now a direct driver of reputation and performance, not a side project.
The GloCal Reality Check:
Global leadership frameworks often arrive as generic checklists. Applied in ASEAN, the eighteen responsibilities are most useful as a personal audit tool — a way to identify transformational talent, and to distinguish leaders who are merely busy from leaders who are moving the organisation.
The Boardroom Takeaway:
The goal for 2026 is not to be a leader who is simply capable, but one who is genuinely peerless. That starts with auditing the eighteen responsibilities honestly, not with adding another initiative to an already full calendar.