Michael
Associate
As a photojournalist for the Washington Post who covered conflicts in the Middle East and the Balkans, I knew that presidents, congressmen, and ambassadors saw my work. I’d had great success and I was part of important events. But I became interested in making a jump from being the observer to having an impact on some of the issues that I spent my career documenting. After business school I really wanted the opportunity to innovate, build, grow, and improve something. McKinsey certainly wasn’t a shoe-in for me, but I had an unusual set of skills the firm found valuable. There’s no prototypical consultant here—there’s no checklist of things a candidate has to have to be hired.
“My work was seen by some of the most influential people in the world. But I wanted to jump from being an observer and documenter to being an important participant.”
Helping people innovate
On my very first study, I realized that I don’t always have to have the answers. There are times when I just have to be able to create an environment that will get other people to innovate. I was on a team facilitating a workshop for people who were in a department where the work-flow was very inefficient, and they came up with an idea that reduced ten steps to three! The team was very excited—they were sure this was going to get them home in time for dinner more often. This idea was a real highlight for me—to help have such a dramatic impact on their company’s costs, quality, and personal lives. The idea came from the team, but I helped them identify it.
My big three: Impact, opportunities, network
There is no trivial work here, so the impact of what I do is extraordinary. Another thing I love is that I can, to some degree, pick and choose my experiences. I can request to do certain studies, work in a particular geography, or work within a specific industry or function, and that request will be honored if it’s possible and if it makes sense for my development. The third thing that I love is really the opportunities that I’ll have whether I stay at the firm or leave. People who move on from McKinsey move into great positions and there is an extensive network of people out there that can help facilitate the transition.
Investment in my growth
The investment in my growth here is remarkable. The feedback is frequent and insightful. If you care about your development, there is really very little that you can’t take advantage of. There is on-line training and there’s hands on training. I’ve had four different training sessions since I’ve been here on topics such as presentation skills, problem solving, and synthesis. I’ve even had personality test training, which was followed by sessions on how to improve working as part of a team. There are also many training sessions that take place overseas with colleagues from around the world, including office retreats where we can bring our families. It’s a very holistic experience.