Michael
Business Analyst
As a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, I’m a rabid Texas football fan. I joined McKinsey in Dallas right out of college, but I still make it to every home game.
"You grow so much faster here than at a lot of places because you are always performing near your limits. I never imagined how quickly my role would evolve."
McKinsey creates leaders
When McKinsey people talk about values, they mean it. A key part is the firm’s commitment to developing exceptional people. This objective is not achieved simply with training sessions and seminars. McKinsey creates leaders at every level who coach, mentor, and push you toward personal development. The leaders invest in the firm not because they get a bonus for doing so but because they care about creating an environment that helps you develop.
I’ve had opportunities to stretch
I was given the task of explaining our proposed strategy to the president of a Fortune 300 company. Millions of dollars were at stake for this company. Our team worked extremely hard at putting the strategy together, and when we’d finished, the associate principal on my study told me that I should be the one to present it. To me, this exemplifies the nature of the firm. The associate principal wanted to give me a chance to stretch my skills and present to senior clients.
We work hard and play hard
We’ve had a lot of fun events. We’ve gone to a gun range and basketball games, visited the demilitarized zone in Korea, attended baseball games, and had some great dinners getting to know each other. I’ve also attended office retreats in Colorado, Cancun, and Florida, which are a way to interact with the office in a non-work setting, catch some sun, and enjoy ourselves. It’s great to sit around and catch up with everyone in your office.
I’ve learned about business from every angle
As a business analyst, I’ve gotten to work on operations improvement, labor relations strategy, global sourcing strategy, go-to-market strategy, growth strategy, private equity due diligence, and regulatory strategy. My roles have varied just as much. I’ve modeled sourcing impacts, designed marketing programs, and constructed national energy usage models. I might “own” a business unit during due diligence aimed at verifying management’s plan, or I might design for the basics of a growth platform for a cash-rich company looking to expand.
To me, the source of client impact is twofold: building capabilities and delivering insights. By sharing compelling facts and ideas with clients, I have been able to shape the way they think about problems.
McKinsey gives my career a jump-start
In the long term, I hope to run my own company. McKinsey is a fantastic place to start a career because it teaches you about industry and business, and forces you to examine key business issues. McKinsey sets you up to be able to do whatever you want afterward. You hear people talk about having “grown up” at McKinsey. I know I still have growing up to do, and I know McKinsey is the best place for me to learn what I need to know.