Videos
-
David Fubini | The Daily Challenges of Today’s CEO: What to Expect and How to Successfully Navigate
-
Virtual Books@Baker with Professor David Fubini
-
Advice from Isenberg Alumni: David Fubini '76
Learn More About David Fubini
If would-be CEO candidates knew what the role entails before accepting the job, would they be so quick to say yes? Today’s leaders must contend with weighty responsibilities like mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions, the increasing impacts of artificial intelligence and working harmoniously with their Board.
To prepare for top leadership roles, many successful CEOs have engaged with David Fubini, one of the most sought-after change management experts and CEO leadership advisors in the world. A 34-year veteran of McKinsey & Company, he is a Harvard Business School (HBS) senior lecturer of business administration and executive educator.
Having worked closely with CEOs from the world’s most successful companies on how to lead professional services firms, M&A and more, Fubini founded McKinsey’s Worldwide Merger Integration Practice. He serves as a uniquely qualified bridge between Boards and CEOs, ensuring they can build relationships that are productive and mutually beneficial.
“CEOs don’t always get the entire truth, and many feel constantly judged by their Boards,” explains Fubini, author of “Hidden Truths: What Leaders Need to Hear But Are Rarely Told” (2020). “On the other hand, Boards have an enormous ability to be helpful to their CEO. Both have a responsibility to build an effective, mutually beneficial partnership, and that starts with productive cooperation.”
Fubini’s practical tools help leaders build bridges of openness, honesty and effective communication that allow organizations to set goals, build strategy and compete effectively as an efficient, cohesive unit.
Understanding the Life of a CEO
In “Hidden Truths,” Fubini pulls back the curtain on the realities of a CEO’s daily life. Full of practical, actionable lessons for becoming a better leader, as well as guidance for boards on hiring and onboarding executives, the book is a must-read for new and aspiring CEOs who want to minimize pitfalls and maximize their impact.
“The job of a CEO is even more challenging today,” Fubini explains. “The leadership skills managers learn as they climb the ladder of success toward the C-suite are of no value to the role of CEO. You have to learn a whole new set of skills, yet many candidates are unaware of this. That’s why I wrote the book.”
Fubini expertly advises organizations by blending his extensive change management experience and role as a top leadership advisor to companies, including Merck, American Airlines, Raytheon, IBM, Rio Tinto, and Keurig Dr Pepper, with his own long-time Board of Directors’ experience. His deep insights have been lauded by leaders across industries: in the foreword to “Hidden Truths,” General Electric CEO Larry Culp describes the uncommon value Fubini brings:
“David has torn the veneer off the role of CEO to let others see the reality of the difficult trade-offs, the challenges of day-to-day management, and the highs and lows of a job in a manner that is illuminating and beneficial to other CEOs and leaders. In this way it is not a traditional management consultant’s perspective. This is a more personal counselor’s view of the challenges of being a CEO or leader.”
The Seismic Transformation AI Will Have on Consulting and Advisory Firms
As AI increasingly touches every aspect of our lives at home and at work, Fubini provides a lens to understand how the unprecedented speed and processing power of AI will – and already is – forever changing the future of consulting and private equity analysts, financial services lawyers, junior auditors and more.
“Artificial intelligence will level the playing field between analysts and the Partners and organizations that hire them,” he explains. “The expensive, lengthy analysis process will be a thing of the past and small firms will be empowered to be as competitive as large ones.”
To adapt quickly, Fubini provides leaders with new best practices for change management, talent acquisition and financial modeling in the new world of work that will enable their firms to compete in the AI powered future.
A pragmatic strategist and natural problem-solver with a dry wit, Fubini’s wide range of knowledge and experience distinctively positions him to help leaders in every sector navigate the fragile terrain that comes with overseeing organizations of any size. Having spent years successfully leading teams at a major professional services firm, his deep insights are of particular value to executives in similar positions.
# # #
David Fubini is a senior lecturer in the Organizational Behavior Unit and co-leader of the Leading Professional Services Firm and Mergers & Acquisitions Programs for Harvard Business School’s Executive Education. He is also a former Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company, where he spent nearly 35 years helping clients architect and execute major transformational programs, including large acquisitions and mergers.
He is the author of three books, including “Mergers: Leadership Performance & Corporate Health” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), “Let Me Explain” (Sunstone Press, 2009), a biography of his father Eugene Fubini and, most recently, “Hidden Truths: What Leaders Need to Hear But Are Rarely Told” (Wiley, December 2020).
Fubini is the External U.S. Representative to DLA Piper’s Global Board and sits on the Board of Directors of Leidos (formerly SAIC), the J. M. Huber Company and the Bain Capital BDC board. He was formerly on the board of Compuware, MITRE, and a member of the Shareholder Committee of ZS Associates Consulting.
He was appointed as a Trustee of the University of Massachusetts and named by the Massachusetts State Legislature as a member of the Massachusetts Court Management Advisory Board. Fubini has been an Executive Committee member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Boston Municipal Research Board, and the Inner City Scholarship Fund.
He is a co-chair of the Board of Overseers of the Boston YMCA and was previously on the Board of Directors of WBUR (Boston’s local NPR station). In addition, he is a past member of Harvard Business School’s Dean’s Advisory Council, and remains a member of the UMass Amherst Foundation and the UMass Eisenberg School of Business Dean’s Committee. Fubini is the past Chair of the Board of the Park School and a former member of the Dana Hall School and Beaver Country Day School Boards.
He was a member of the Boston Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Sustainability and was an active contributor to the Catholic Schools “2010 School Reform” Committee. He is also a board member of the Weston Vermont Playhouse.
Fubini graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with high honors, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, with distinction.
David Fubini is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
Bridge the Divide Between the Board Room and the C-Suite
Considering the unique relationship between CEOs and Boards, how can organizations ensure an atmosphere of productive, open communication, particularly during times of uncertainty? According to senior Harvard Business School lecturer David Fubini, Boards have an enormous ability to be helpful to CEOs and both have a responsibility to build an effective, mutually beneficial partnership. In this enlightening presentation, Fubini shares lessons from his extensive change management experience and role as a top leadership advisor to companies like Merck, American Airlines, Raytheon, IBM, Rio Tinto, and Keurig Dr Pepper. Drawing on his own Board of Directors’ experience and his book “Hidden Truths: What Leaders Need to Hear but Are Rarely Told,” Fubini provides audiences with practical tools for building bridges of openness, honesty and effective communication between the board room and the C-suite.
The Seismic Transformation AI Will Have on Consulting and Advisory Firms
Artificial intelligence will touch every aspect of our lives at home and at work – in fact, it’s already starting to. What does the unprecedented speed and processing power of AI mean for the future of consulting and PE analysts, FY Lawyers, junior auditors, etc.? According to Harvard Business School senior lecturer and founder of McKinsey’s Worldwide Merger Integration Practice David Fubini, AI will forever change the relationship between analysts and the Partners and organizations that hire them. In this eye-opening presentation, he’ll explain why the expensive, lengthy analysis process will be a thing of the past with AI leveling the playing field between consulting firms and businesses. Audiences will also learn how the power of AI is reducing the importance of scale, empowering small firms to be as competitive as large ones. Fubini will provide attendees with new best practices for change management, talent acquisition and financial modeling in the new world of work that will enable their firms to prepare for the AI powered future.
What to Expect and How to Successfully Navigate The Daily Challenges of Today’s CEO
The job of a CEO has always been challenging, but it is even more challenging today, says Harvard Business School executive educator David Fubini. Drawing from his experience as a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he worked closely with CEOs from the world’s most successful companies for 34 years, as well as his acclaimed book, “Hidden Truths: What Leaders Need to Hear But Are Rarely Told” (2020), he pulls back the curtain on the little-known realities of a CEO’s day-to-day life and shares practical, actionable advice on how to successfully lead an organization. This talk is a must for new and aspiring CEOs who want to minimize pitfalls and maximize their impact.
M&A Strategy: What It Takes to Succeed and How to Avert Failure
Leading mergers and acquisitions transactions is a huge undertaking for any CEO. The risk of failure looms large as you try to satisfy all stakeholders. Having spent nearly 35 years helping leaders navigate such transactions, Harvard Business School executive educator and former McKinsey senior partner David Fubini – a global authority on leadership, organizational behavior and mergers and acquisitions – shares strategies for successfully executing transactions, from the most nuanced to the somewhat straightforward.
Successfully Leading a Professional Services Firm
The inherent challenges that come with managing teams in a professional services environment are not lost on those who are tasked with leading. Having spent years leading teams at McKinsey & Company, Harvard Business School executive educator David Fubini, a global authority on leadership, organizational behavior and mergers and acquisitions, shares deep insights with executives in similar positions. His framework for success includes strategies for incentivizing employees, coaching and mentoring, setting expectations, role modeling and managing work-life tradeoffs.
Perfect the Art of Change Management in a Time of AI
Considering the unpredictable times in which we are living, leaders charting new territory in the midst of disruption can greatly benefit from adopting the leadership principles taught by former McKinsey & Company senior executive and current Harvard Business School professor David Fubini. His work focuses on helping leaders successfully manage large organizations, including architecting and executing major transformational programs, like large mergers and acquisitions; creating productive relationships between CEOs and Boards; and adjusting to the AI powered future. Fubini’s virtual and in-person advisory meetings can be customized to meet the needs of your organization. Below is a sampling of areas he can help your organization address.
- Bridge the Divide Between the Board Room and the C-Suite
- The Seismic Transformation AI Will Have on Consulting and Advisory Firms
- Understanding Organizational Behavior: How to Incentivize, Mentor and Achieve Collective Success
- Leading From the Top of an Organization: What CEOs Need to Know Before Taking on the Role
- Hidden Truths: Uncovering and Responding to What Your Employees Really Think
- A Framework for Identifying, Acquiring and Successfully Integrating Companies
- Optimizing Organizational Performance and Health
- How to Successfully Execute Organizational Turnarounds
- The Real Deal: What It Takes to Lead a Professional Services Firm
Praise for "Hidden Truths"
“A must-read for new and aspiring CEOs who want to minimize pitfalls and maximize their impact. David Fubini leverages his 35+ years of experience working with CEOs to bring us concrete, real life, very practical, and insightful advice.”
“David has written an essential guide for the new CEO. Whether you are leading a public corporation or a major arts organization, ‘Hidden Truths’ takes a productive approach to some of the most fundamental challenges of the role. David’s counsel is practical, positive, and deeply relevant for all new leaders.”
“A McKinsey veteran writes yet another high-minded leadership book – pass the espresso with a 5-hour ENERGY chaser, right? Wrong. David Fubini takes readers behind the C-suite scenes at some of the best-known institutions in America, revealing the vulnerabilities of their leaders and their pragmatic, deeply human insights about how to drive change and achieve success. This isn’t a book about theory. It’s a book about reality, one in which striking access combines with hard-earned wisdom.”
“‘Hidden Truths’ gives a unique, behind-the-scenes look at what the reality of leadership feels and looks like. Having experienced the challenge of leadership in military, academic, and business contexts I can readily say there are many important lessons learned for leaders of all types in this book.”
“David Fubini has produced a practical, insightful, and engaging book. He has used his years of consulting access to see ‘behind the curtain’ and showcase the very real, day-to-day complexities and challenges of being a CEO. He offers powerful and timely suggestions for leaders of all types of organizations.”
“Many arrive in the C-suite with hard-earned knowledge, but this is far from sufficient. Successful CEOs, whether in the corporate, educational, or not-for-profit sector, must be able to demonstrate a wisdom borne of knowing what to do, why to do it, and how and when to galvanize others to get the critical work of the organization done on a continuous basis. In his book, David Fubini brilliantly, simply, and compellingly bridges the gap between knowledge gleaned from research and lectures and the wisdom CEOs usually achieve painfully through the trial and error of practice. This well-documented compilation based on his varied experiences at the pinnacle of corporate and academic leadership will flatten the learning curve and enhance the day-to-day efforts of both aspiring and well-experienced CEOs. Truly a must-read!”
Praise for “Mergers: Leadership, Performance and Corporate Health”
“‘Mergers’ is a refreshing glimpse into the classic dilemma of making acquisitions that actually work. By shifting the spotlight from integration teams to executive leadership, the authors sketch a smart and yet unexpected playbook of the 5 essential actions that only senior executives can take. A must-read for executives at both buyers and sellers.”
“‘Mergers: Leadership, Performance and Corporate Health’ is not just for those who are contemplating mergers and acquisitions. There is much in the book that is of value to any business leader looking to improve corporate health. It contains simple but powerful truths about communications, management structure and customer care that we all need to apply.’
“‘The authors have combined their professional experience, advising leading CEOs, with a detailed academic understanding of the issues surrounding mergers to produce a provocative guide on how CEOs can move their companies to a higher level of performance through an expansive view of merger integration. It is an approach CEOs will have to emulate as the merger game gets tougher and more expensive and the payback ever more elusive.’
