Harold | Careers | McKinsey & Company

Careers

I joined McKinsey out of college because I wanted a professional experience that would allow me to work with truly distinctive people and one that would drive my growth. But it also had to be sufficiently flexible, so that I could have a range of experiences. I wanted to work with private sector clients and businesses. I wanted to learn new industries. I wanted to employ what I was learning in the social and public sectors. McKinsey offered all of that, and more.

My Own McKinsey

I knew I had made the right decision to join McKinsey when I was a business analyst, working on a financial reorganization for a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) client. The client waned to merge three different businesses into one, and we came in and facilitated the transition. During the project, I developed a good working relationship with the client's CFO, and he asked me to stick around and continue working with his team to implement the changes. So I stayed on for about three months, working along side the client to solve the day-to-day challenges that they faced when implementing our solution. It was such a unique opportunity for me, and it gave me the chance to think more strategically about finance, which I had studied while in college.

Making an Impact

I returned to McKinsey after law school and business school, and immediately found myself at the heart of our social sector practice. I was working with an urban school district, helping them to develop a human capital pipeline, one of the most fundamental challenges facing public education, and specifically lower-achieving urban school districts. It was unbelievably exciting for me to work directly with the superintendent and his senior team, leveraging McKinsey’s expertise to develop specific tactics that they could use to turn around the school system.

Building a Network

The black consultant (BCSS) community has been core to my experience at McKinsey. Early on in my career, I felt that I hadn't found the mentorship I was looking for, and to be honest, I wasn't sure how to start looking for it. I attended a BCSS Conference that year, in Dallas, and I found myself interacting with Engagement Managers and Partners. It was a really open environment, and I was able to share with them that I hadn't quite figured out how to develop deep mentoring relationships. They sat down with me and helped me solve the problem, by talking over my goals and sharing their own personal experiences. It was a real inflection moment for me. I realized that what makes the BCSS so special is that it's such a committed community, and it expands well beyond your time at McKinsey. It's a community that is committed to helping you achieve success not only at McKinsey, but also in life.

What I do in my free time / my hobbies

I love reading. I really love reading; like "I'd stay at the bookstore for six hours on the weekend" kind of reading. I also love bowling and playing golf. I'm a big boxing fan, too, and enjoy watching fights, old or new.