You can do what no one has done before
I grew up in the United States and all my friends thought that going to Russia after having spent 16 years in the United States was totally insane. However, I wanted to test myself, to try a new field. I wanted to get field experience to back up the knowledge acquired in business school and I was looking for a firm in Russia that would be willing to hire a recent graduate. Moreover, I had long dreamed of returning to Russia and of seeing how the country had changed. McKinsey turned out to be the perfect option.
The most demanding and interesting project I had involved the transformation of the entire customer-service system of a large Russian bank. And it was a genuine discovery. It seemed to me that you could take the lean production principles used in the Toyota production system and adapt them to a completely different environment: To a bank, for instance. We were building the system almost from scratch and that became another important advantage of working in Russia for me. You do what no one has done before. Now when I visit the bank offices, I can see that our work is living on, which is very rewarding.
“Experts within teams as well as our principals are always ready to help. The very fact that I could directly discuss options with them is very important for me—I feel that my opinion is valued.”
I enjoy complex tasks
In Russia, where many middle and top managers have a Soviet background, women consultants are not always taken so seriously. I have experienced this attitude many times. However, I enjoy complex tasks. First, you shouldn't give up, and second, you have to be able to study the subject as deeply as possible and show people that you speak their language. The last project I handled dealt with logistics and I read a lot of specialized literature to prepare for it. It turned out that this approach works very well. The customers’ attitude changes and they listen to you. It's hard work, but as you do it you begin to realize your strengths and weaknesses, and become more confident as a result.
McKinsey values my opinion
Experts within our teams, as well as our principals, are always ready to help. No one thinks you are a failure if you admit that you can’t find the right solution. One time we were scheduling an important meeting with a client, a large transport company. We knew it would be a tough meeting and that we had to share some very unpleasant information with the client. Together with my colleagues, we thought about how to deliver our conclusions and maintain our beneficial working relationship with the client. I approached the McKinsey principal in charge of the project, who was much more experienced. The very fact that I could directly discuss options with him was very important for me; I felt that he valued my opinion. We went through all the various stages and presented our joint solution to the client, and the meeting turned out to be a success.