Josh
Associate Principal
My background is in chemical engineering, but as I advanced in that career I found I stopped problem-solving. I became a project manager—applying the same solutions again and again. When I looked around for other opportunities to do the hard-core problem-solving that I loved, McKinsey came to the top of the list. I'm currently an engagement manager, and although the title implies doing more management than anything else, I still spend 75-80 percent of my time working on solving problems.
“When I was a young associate, my engagement managers really took me under their wing. After a study they’d say, ‘Hey, here's what you’re doing well and here’s some tactical things to work on.’”
The art of conversation
We spend quite a bit of time preparing presentations in order to build the fact base required for a solid recommendation. But when key decisions are being made, people are not looking at Powerpoint slides—it's more about the conversation and your ability to influence the people in the room. At McKinsey, your ability to present, to quickly synthesize facts, and understand the implications of those facts, is all guided by the work you do with your team.
My colleagues helped me grow
When I was a young associate, my engagement managers really took me under their wing. After a study they’d take the time to not only praise the work that I did, but also give me guidance on how to improve. Even the partner on my very first study gave me constructive criticism on how to better connect with the client. That type of real-time feedback really helped me develop into an engagement manager.
The work load is better than I thought
In my three years here, I've probably been in the office on one weekend. During the week, there's a tremendous amount of flexibility for someone to say, "Hey, at 5:00, I need to get out of here.” I usually go to the gym at 7:00 every night. I'll run and work out for an hour and a half, and typically I don't have to go back to the team room.
Hitting the gamut of opportunities
I've worked across six different industries while at McKinsey. One of the things that has really benefited my development is the tremendous variety of engagements—from both an industry and a functional standpoint. So if I'd worked on a high-tech study before, my criteria for the next study was “anything but high tech.” I wanted to make sure I hit high tech, media, industrial, chemicals—the whole gamut of industries. And I have.