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Bryan Hancock

Supports private, public, and social sector clients through expertise in talent management, organizational design, and workforce development

Bryan is the global leader of McKinsey’s talent work. He has served a wide range of talent-intensive businesses, leading employers in sectors such as retail, transportation, logistics, healthcare, banking, asset management, and oil and gas.

Throughout his career, Bryan has served a wide range of private, public, and social sector clients—including those focused on education and workforce development—and has served multiple higher-education institutions on their organization and strategy. In addition, he has codeveloped workforce-development programs that link educational programs to employer needs. Bryan has also served multiple foundations on their education and economic-development initiatives. He represents McKinsey on the Rework America Business Network.

In addition to his client service, Bryan holds several people leadership roles within McKinsey. He works closely with the firm’s people analytics function, and he sits on the board of McKinsey’s People Insights solution.

Published work

The human side of generative AI: Creating a path to productivity,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2024

Looking back, looking forward,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2024

The shape of talent in 2023 and 2024,” McKinsey & Company, January 2024

Going for goal—a dependable approach to setting 2024 objectives,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2024

Human-centered AI: The power of putting people first,” McKinsey & Company, December 2023

Right skills, right person, right role,” McKinsey & Company, October 2023

Activating middle managers through capability building” McKinsey & Company, September 2023

The organization of the future: Enabled by gen AI, driven by people,” McKinsey & Company, September 2023

The future of middle management” McKinsey & Company, August 2023

Are middle managers your next ace in the hole?” McKinsey & Company, August 2023

Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work,” Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023

Don’t Eliminate Your Middle Managers,” Harvard Business Review, July 2023

Middle managers hold the key to unlock generative AI,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2023

Middle managers are the heart of your company,” McKinsey Quarterly, July 2023

Making sense of generational stereotypes at work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, July 2023

How generative AI could support—not replace—human resources,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2023

Investing in middle managers pays off—literally,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

Talent tightrope: Tailor employee experience to support two key groups,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2023

Stop wasting your most precious resource: Middle managers,” McKinsey & Company, March 2023

Workplace rituals: Recapturing the power of what we’ve lost,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

Shorter for longer: Navigating the taut talent tightrope amid economic uncertainty,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2023

Transforming HR to better support higher education institutions,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

Investing in Georgia today for the economy of tomorrow,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

Talent in a changing market: What now?,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

Taking a skills-based approach to building the future workforce,” McKinsey & Company, November 2022

Quiet quitting and performance management,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

Freelance, side hustles, and gigs: Many more Americans have become independent workers,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

Race in the workplace: The frontline experience,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

The office of the future: A whole new (floor) plan,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

The Great Attrition is making hiring harder. Are you searching the right talent pools?,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

Stave off attrition with an internal talent marketplace,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022

Is worker power on the rise?,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022

Talent at a turning point: How people analytics can help,” McKinsey & Company, February 2022

A call to action: Provide employees with room to grow,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2022

Back and forth: COVID-19’s impact on business in 2021—and today,” McKinsey & Company, February 2022

The Great Attrition: What to do about the labor shortage,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2021

COVID-19 and education: An emerging K-shaped recovery,” McKinsey & Company, December 2021

The key role of dynamic talent allocation in shaping the future of work,” McKinsey & Company, September 2021

COVID-19 and education: The lingering effects of unfinished learning,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021

Shaping the workforce of the future in retail and consumer goods,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021

LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace,” McKinsey & Company, June 2021

Culture in the hybrid workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, June 2021

Grabbing hold of the new future of work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, May 2021

Grief, loss, burnout: Navigating a new emotional landscape at work,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2021

One move companies can take to improve diversity,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021

The elusive inclusive workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, March 2021

Craftsmanship: The key to developing talent in an agile organization,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2021

The vanishing middle manager,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2021

Three podcast episodes to tackle today’s talent challenges,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021

Race in the workplace: The Black experience in the US private sector,” McKinsey & Company, February 2021

Unlocking the true value of effective feedback conversations,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021

Grief, loss, burnout: Talking about complex feelings at work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, December 2020

COVID-19 and learning loss—disparities grow and students need help,” McKinsey & Company, December 2020

Strategic talent management for the post-pandemic world,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2020

Today’s skills, tomorrow’s jobs: How will your team fare in the future of work?,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, October 2020

Three steps to creating more value through talent,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2020

HR says talent is crucial for performance—and the pandemic proves it,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

Rebooting retail: How technology will shape the future of retail,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020

COVID-19 and jobs: Monitoring the US impact on people and places,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2020

Lives and livelihoods: Assessing the near-term impact of COVID-19 on US workers,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020

Next-level sales talent: HR’s message to the CEO,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2020

The new science of talent: From roles to returns,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, January 2020

Getting practical about the future of work,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2020

Employee motivation in the age of automation and agility,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2019

Building the tech talent pipeline,” McKinsey & Company, December 2019

The future of work in America: People and places, today and tomorrow,” McKinsey & Company, July 2019

Automation in retail: An executive overview for getting ready,” McKinsey & Company, May 2019

Why we all need performance ratings on a regular basis,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2019

Straight talk about employee evaluation and performance management,” McKinsey Quarterly, October 2018

Boosting the skills of incumbent workers: An interview with Walmart’s Kathleen McLaughlin,” McKinsey & Company, September 2018

The fairness factor in performance management,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2018

Adapting education to the demands of a rapidly changing economy: An interview with Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley,” McKinsey & Company, August 2018

Ahead of the curve: The future of performance management,” McKinsey Quarterly, May 2016

Getting beyond bureaucracy in human resources,”McKinsey Quarterly, April 2015

Redesigning Knowledge Work,” Harvard Business Review, January-February 2013

The State of Human Capital 2012—Why the human capital function still has far to go,” People & Strategy Journal, 2012

The economic cost of the US education gap,” Teachers College Record, June 2009

Past experience

Delta Air Lines
Business development

Education

Harvard Law School
JD

University of Virginia
BA, international relations, government