Being yourself at work has become a corporate mantra—and it certainly started in a well-meaning way. But it can also have significant downsides, according to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead). In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Chamorro-Premuzic joins McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, as well as Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to explore what authenticity really means in the workplace, when it helps and hurts, and what may matter more for employees looking to accelerate their leadership trajectory in the age of AI.

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Manufacturing is back at the center of the US economic agenda. Yet the sector faces a persistent talent shortage—and to bridge it, leaders will need to rethink how they attract, train, and retain a new generation of manufacturing employees. “Manufacturers need to be driving the conversation, not waiting for the workforce ecosystem to arrive at their door,” says Carolyn Lee, President and Executive Director of the Manufacturing Institute (MI). On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Lee joins McKinsey leaders Brooke Weddle, Bryan Hancock, and Tyler Freeman, along with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, to talk about what needs to change, as automation advances and employees’ expectations evolve, to enable US manufacturing to thrive in the age of AI.

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Many high performers think they’re doing everything right—yet still feel somehow wrong about their day-to-day. And the advent of AI means work-related decision-making is more complex than ever. As job uncertainty ups the ante, more employees might be tempted to settle for the “B+ life,” in the words of Suzy Welch, author of Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career (HarperCollins, May 2025). In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Welch talks to McKinsey leaders and talent experts Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock, as well as Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly, about where so many successful people go awry—and more important, about how to discover work that you value, that’s economically viable, and that you’re genuinely wired to do.

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