Podcasts · Inside the Strategy Room
279. From the NFL to the C-Suite: Jason Wright on what it takes to transform organizations and build world-class teams
· 35 min
Episode 279. From the NFL to the C-Suite: Jason Wright on what it takes to transform organizations and build world-class teams
What do winning teams in elite sports teach us about driving transformation in business? This week, Kevin Carmody, a senior partner and global coleader of our CFO and finance excellence practice, speaks with former McKinsey partner Jason Wright, who helped lead a transformation as-president of the Washington Commanders (and is also a former NFL running back), and is now Managing Partner & Head of Investments at Ariel Project Level, a private equity fund focused on investing in women's sports.
Jason shares how clear, measurable goals and micro-markers can accelerate culture change; why some symbolic moves matter as much as big P&L levers; and how leaders can balance staying “on the wave tops” with timely “porpoise dives” into the details. He reflects on accountability, the balance between honesty and radical transparency, and what ultimately signaled that a troubled culture at the Washington Commanders was turning the corner. The conversation also explores Jason’s lessons from public crises, and his current role investing at scale in women’s sports.
We recorded Jason and Kevin’s conversation at a gathering of transformation leaders.
Related insights:
Worst to first: What it takes to build or remake a world-class team
McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn
McKinsey Transformation insights
Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/
See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information
Links in the notes 8
- https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/kevin-carmody
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasongwright
- https://www.arielinvestments.com/article/introducing-project-level/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights/worst-to-first-what-it-takes-to-build-or-remake-a-world-class-team
- https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-transformation/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights
- https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.