When I was starting out, my father advised me to “be a person who would be needed by a company instead of relying on it.” After university, I didn’t have a clear view of what I wanted to do. I met McKinsey when I was looking for a place to grow quickly and become someone who would be needed by a company as soon as possible.
Surprising benefits of working at McKinsey
What surprised me most when I joined McKinsey were the rich learning opportunities provided and the strong commitment by the firm to individual growth. The work is challenging and exciting; I was asked during my first year “to create ideas to reduce costs by more than JPY 1 million” for a client. The experience of standing with my McKinsey team in front of the client and delivering ideas that would produce better-than-expected results was very satisfying. Working closely with client team members strengthened my confidence in my ability to solve problems and not be scared of challenges.
Now I have been at the firm for over five years and am leading project teams. My main focus is on creating impact by resolving multiple issues. As an engagement manager, I have to decide what knowledge and tools to leverage, who to talk to, and how to implement our recommendations. I think about how to design projects and implement improvements and how to get support from McKinsey team members, senior consultants, and clients.
Challenging and rewarding work
I also found that I enjoy tackling serious issues as a management consultant. We serve top management, and given their experience, I am constantly learning because of the culture of support, emphasis on client impact, and the feedback system that ensures individual growth. It’s great to be able to tap knowledge from experts all over the world and get insights on problem solving from experienced senior leaders.
McKinsey provides a foundation to allow you to grow much faster than most workplaces, and the expectation that you develop and pursue a personal growth strategy is rare. I jumped into McKinsey without really knowing what to expect after graduating from university and realize how much I have grown when clients ask my opinion more and more.
Education