Maia’s story

Maia has been on various part-time programs for almost seven years, and has since been designated a partner.

I’ve taken advantage of flexibility at McKinsey in many different ways. After returning from my first maternity leave I “ramped on” with a short-term role in Professional Development and then worked 80 percent (4 days a week) as a generalist Engagement Manager. After nine months, I switched to a practice expert role with the Operations Practice, partly in an effort to reduce my travel and to allow me more time to spend with family. My formal McKinsey mentor (a support role that is assigned to every consultant) has always been very supportive, and his encouragement was one of the main reasons I made the switches I did. He helped me craft roles that worked for me.

I’ve continued working at 80 percent and, since then, I’ve been designated an associate principal and then elected principal. I’ve maintained my part-time program now for almost seven years.

I think the biggest challenge of being on a flexible program is learning when to say no and when to make exceptions. I find that I’m much more disciplined and don’t dwell on things as long as I may have in the past. I often reach out to mentors in the firm for advice on how to prioritize my time. I’ve found it extremely helpful to develop close friendships with professional women who are also mothers. Some work full-time and others part-time, but we share the common challenges of balancing work and family, sometimes with significant others who also have professional careers.

I believe it is absolutely possible to have a long-term career at McKinsey on a part-time program. It’s about making choices and at times phasing things, rather than doing them all at the same time.