David

Associate Principal

What prompted you to investigate a career in consulting?

I only really decided on consulting toward the end of my time at business school. I knew what I wanted out of a job but not which career would deliver it. I wanted a challenging job with lots of variety. I wanted colleagues with whom I enjoyed working, and I wanted to feel as though I was making a difference. Many of my friends at school were consultants, and after talking to them I applied to a range of consultancies. What made McKinsey stand out in that process was the people I met. I found them all interesting, passionate about their jobs, and fun to spend time with. Still do, I'm glad to say.

What has been your biggest challenge while at McKinsey?

Each of my McKinsey studies has been in a different industry and function—I've worked in sports, telecoms, oil and gas, defence, retail, and private equity. Mostly this is because I've consciously chosen not to specialise, though as you spend more time with the firm, you naturally do begin to narrow your focus a bit. In each case, the problem we've been working on has been quite different, and to have impact I've had to get up to speed on complex issues quickly. While that's challenging, it's also what makes working here enjoyable for me.

What training and support have you received since starting?

The training and support, both formal and informal, at McKinsey have been tremendous. Coaching, feedback, and development are viewed as a right here and are very much a part of the culture. Despite the enormous demands on the calendars of my colleagues, I've never once had a request for any sort of feedback turned down. More important, I've rarely had to ask. Since joining, I feel much more confident in my ability to solve problems rigourously and to communicate those solutions in a persuasive and compelling way. I've also learned an enormous amount about a whole range of industries.

What has been your greatest moment of satisfaction while at McKinsey?

Funnily enough, my most satisfying moment hasn't been one of those instances of clarity when you crack a really tough problem, though I've had a couple of those. It was actually coaching one of the business analysts I've been working with. As with all projects at McKinsey, we started with a discussion of where he'd like to build his skills. One area of focus was communication. Throughout the project, I spent a lot of time helping him think deeply about how we took a complex analysis and a set of unpalatable conclusions to the client in a way that would allow the chief executive to accept and act on our work. Helping this BA develop and seeing his growth in confidence and capability has been enormously rewarding.

How did you manage the transition from your previous career to McKinsey?

Before I joined the firm, I was working on the U.S. presidential campaign. The hours were brutal and the pressure intense. My lifestyle improved dramatically when I came to McKinsey—I sleep, I eat, I recognise close friends and family members!—so the transition was actually pretty easy.