THIS MONTH'S PAGE-TURNERS ON BUSINESS AND BEYOND

In conversations with corporate executives, Fortune Media CEO Alan Murray has noticed a common theme: business leaders feel that companies could be doing more to positively impact society. In this edition of Readers & Leaders, catch a discussion with Murray about stakeholder capitalism and why companies can’t afford to misalign with consumer values. Don’t miss highlights from interviews on reframing your anxiety, saying “no” to nonpromotable work, and more, plus this month’s bestselling business books, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD BookScan. Itching for more good reads? Check out McKinsey on Books for the latest.

AUTHOR TALKS

Once a choice, soon a necessity, social consciousness in business is here to stay, says Alan Murray. Companies are increasingly taking a side, be it climate justice, transgender rights, or other divisive matters. In a recent edition of Author Talks, the Fortune Media CEO and lifelong journalist shares how business leaders are pairing profits and social purpose, plus more from his new book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business.

“What’s happened over the course of the last decade, in part because of the failure of governments, is that companies have said, ‘We’ve got to pay attention to these long-term effects if we want to be around.’ They’ve also been pushed to do that by their employees. That’s probably something we should talk more about—it’s a big part of the dynamic—but a number of things have come together to force companies to say, ‘We need to pay more attention to the positive impact on society because if we don’t, we may have an existential problem down the road.’” Watch the full interview.

IT BEARS REPEATING

“What I have found in the younger generations is a grit and an idealism that I think is rare. I associate them a lot with the World War II generation, which was the most effective we’ve had in recent times. There are a lot of people who are young now who remind me of World War II veterans, especially those people coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq, in the US military. They learned hard discipline.”

–David Gergen, former editor of US News & World Report, four-time White House adviser, and author of Hearts Touched With Fire: How Great Leaders are Made, in a recent edition of Author Talks.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz warns us against trusting our gut: “There’s more data out there than has ever existed, and sometimes the data really does go against what you think. This approach of winging it in life isn’t the best one.” Watch the full interview.

Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary shares how to turn anxiety from an adversary into an ally: “We mental health professionals have unintentionally given people damaging information about anxiety. We’ve essentially spread two fallacies about anxiety. First, that it’s always a debilitating experience.” Watch the full interview.

Lise Vesterlund says no to preparing someone else’s deck and other nonpromotable work: “Managers are 50 percent more likely to ask women to do nonpromotable work, and when women are asked, they are 50 percent more likely to say yes to these requests to do nonpromotable work.” Watch the full interview.

BUSINESS BESTSELLERS TOP

Whether you’re going away for the weekend or enjoying a late-spring staycation, take advantage of extra downtime with the top business bestsellers in eight categories, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD BookScan. Explore the full lists on McKinsey on Books.

BUSINESS OVERALL

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

BUSINESS HARDCOVER

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

DECISION MAKING

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (Hachette Book Group)

ECONOMICS

Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell (Hachette Book Group)

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson (Penguin Group USA)

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Caste (Oprah’s Book Club): The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House)

SUSTAINABILITY

Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take by Paul Polman and Andrew Winston (Harvard Business Review Press)

BOOKMARK THIS

If you’d like to propose a book or author for #McKAuthorTalks, please email us at Author_Talks@Mckinsey.com. Due to the high volume of requests, we will respond only to those being considered.

—Edited by Molly Liebergall, a digital editor in McKinsey’s New York office

Share these insights

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too.

Was this issue forwarded to you? Sign up for it and sample our 40+ other free email subscriptions here.