Work and fun in India

By Britta

Advises clients globally on indirect procurement issues, including procurement capability building, advanced sourcing methodologies, demand management, contracts, and procurement policy optimization

January 22, 2019Hi everyone –

Happy 2019! When I wrote my last blog update, I was headed to India for reviews, so I wanted to share some details and photos of that trip with you.

This trip had three parts to it. The first occurred on a Friday, when I participated as a review committee member and listened to the Development Group Leaders (“DGL’s”) present evaluations for their people. DGL’s at McKinsey are senior colleagues who are responsible for a more junior colleague’s professional development. The DGL gathers feedback on the DGLee (from many, many people!) and then creates a year-end review based on this feedback; the review is then presented before a review committee for discussion and agreement on next steps. Review meetings can be long and arduous, but they’re also energizing because we celebrate the growth and positive trajectory of our talented colleagues.

Sightseeing in Old Delhi with procurement knowledge colleagues

The second part of this trip was all fun: I stayed through the weekend, hung out with some colleagues from our Polish and Costa Rican Knowledge Centers who were in India for a global Operations training, and did some sightseeing. One of my local Indian colleagues and I went to the Taj Mahal on Saturday, and on Sunday I met up with a group of folks from all over the globe to visit various sights around Old Delhi. I don’t think I had met a single one of them in person before, so it was great to get to know one another and have some fun.

Finally, I presented my own DGLees’ cases on Monday morning. One of my DGLees was approved for a transfer from a Research Analyst role to a Knowledge Analyst role, which is the same path I’m on, so he was really excited to hear the news once all the reviews were concluded. Making calls like that is the best part of being a DGL. My other DGLee is also doing very well, so it was good news all around and far less stressful than it could have been.

It’s a lot of work to prepare reviews for your own people, attend review meetings as a committee member, and also manage your own regular workload—but it’s all worthwhile when you can look back and see all of the positive news.

At the Christmas Market in Osnabrück with my mom and sister

I went home to Germany for Christmas and spent time with my family, and then flew home for New Year’s with my husband and some friends (and a delicious fondue). I was back to work on January 2, so the holidays already seem like a distant memory!

In my next update I’ll share what’s been going on with client work, and some exciting personal news.

Britta