Cristian
Engagement Manager
I studied and worked in Argentina and Brazil before moving to the United States for graduate work in business and international studies. I joined McKinsey partly because I wanted to work around the world. I live in Brussels, but last year I spent about 85 percent of my working days outside of Belgium.
"We are in a global economy, and understanding the different circumstances of our clients in different countries better prepares us to help them solve problems."
I’ve been able to do pursue my passion
Before joining McKinsey I was a generalist, consulting in a wide variety of industries. After getting my M.B.A. I wanted to focus on pharmaceuticals. I joined McKinsey because they offered me the opportunity to work on pharmaceutical studies, as well as the opportunity to work internationally.
Having the facts helps me talk to senior-level clients
I always try to ground my decisions in facts. When a conversation with a senior client is based purely on your opinions, it is hard to be influential, especially in light of their years of experience. But if you have facts to back you up, it’s very hard for someone to disagree with you. That automatically puts you at the same level of discussion.
It’s also important to establish credibility with the client. You do that partly by gaining an understanding of the client’s industry so you can discuss it knowledgeably.
In this role, it’s important to appreciate cultural differences
I think our business is about influencing, and at the end of the day, the way you achieve influence is dependent on the local culture and certainly dependent on individual style. So working around the world, I get to learn how to be effective anywhere, with anyone, across cultures. In one of my studies, everyone on my team, both from McKinsey and the client, was very extroverted, very friendly, and outgoing. Whenever I suggested that we go for dinner together, everyone would sign on. We would eat at different places and have a great time.
Immediately after that I had another client study in a different country. One of the first things I suggested to the client was, “Let’s have dinner as a team to get to know each other better.” This person looked at me, thought for a little bit and said, “Dinners are good when there’s a problem, but if there’s no problem, we shouldn’t have dinner.” This was a good learning experience for me about how people have very different ways of interacting with others. Some European working cultures make a very strong distinction between the professional and personal sides of life.