McKinsey - Tips of the month
McKinsey & Company
Company Introduction
McKinsey is a global management consulting firm committed to helping organizations accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. We work with clients across the private, public, and social sectors to solve complex problems and create positive change for all their stakeholders.
We combine bold strategies and transformative technologies to help organizations innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next.
Sofia von Schantz, Engagement Manager
Tell us about your time at McKinsey?
When I first joined McKinsey in 2018, I had little clue of what I was getting myself into. I thought I was going to do this for a year, learn a lot, and then move out to do something else. Almost four years later, I’m still here and still enjoying the ride.
I think the main reason I am still enjoying the ride; is because of the incredible learning curve and the exceptional guidance and support I have always gotten from the people around me. Sometimes this job can be a wild ride, but the nature of the job is that you never have to do it alone: my team, peers, mentors, and supporters have always been there to help me develop the skills, and leadership capabilities I need to be successful and let me tap into their wells of wisdom to help me accelerate my learning.
Tell us something that you enjoy at McKinsey?
If we fast forward to 2020, I had gotten promoted to associate (and had nuggets of wisdom of my own to share). I wanted to make sure I also contribute to this day-to-day apprenticeship and support that makes the firm such a special place. Back then, we weren’t that many female consultants and associates at the Helsinki office, but we set up a “McK girls” slack channel with 4 members with the intention of helping younger female consultants with peer support, informal mentoring, and providing a forum for posing all the questions and thoughts that may arise, especially during the early tenure.
Today, we are 20-30 amazing women in the group ranging from interns to project managers, and we regularly get together for breakfasts, dinners, and after work. Having these types of little mini-communities to just reflect and ask for advice and see how we can best help each other out has been so important throughout my time at McKinsey. I feel so lucky to have a bunch of brilliant, fun and caring colleagues that are so committed to helping and supporting one another.
Susanna Tulokas, Engagement Manager
Tell us about yourself?
I have a background in industrial engineering, and ended up in McKinsey through an internship. I heard many people talk about what consulting was about, some liking it and some not. I wanted to try it out for myself and figured I’d stay until the work wasn’t fun anymore. Now, after almost 7 years, I still find myself here, enjoying my days.
When I started at McKinsey, I didn’t really know what types of projects I want to do. Thus I tried out multiple different industries and functions, and slowly found my way. Lately I have mainly focused on transformative work in the heavy industry. Be it agile ways of working, analytics driven work or traditional lean, I love seeing the impact I can have when I help my clients solve the challenging problems they have.
What kind of advice would you give to a university student who is trying to find their own thing?
Try out things that are a bit scary, and don’t be afraid to fail. It sounds like a cliché, but at least for me, the slightly scary things are the ones that typically push me to learn even more. I have failed multiple times, and thus I’ve learned that the world doesn’t end even then. Failures make for fun stories later on!
Take advantages of all the opportunities there are! Take your time, and don’t rush through your university years. Use all the opportunities there are to try new things. Don’t worry if you do not have a plan to follow – doing exciting things will give you plenty enough learnings! Your route might not be the straightest and fastest, but for sure it is more interesting and fun.
Last, but not least McKinsey wanted to give all the amazing ladies reading our blog some practical tips on how to have a successful presentation which will hopefully help you in your future challenges!
Practical tips for female students: What do you think are the three main ingredients to a successful presentation?
1. Tell a story: Ensure that you are clearly telling the story of your findings. Back up your insights with key supporting data points, but don’t get drowned into the data. Always remember the context, and the key messages that make up for the insights you are sharing
2. Remember your audience: Tell your audience the information and insights that are relevant and exciting to them. Remember to always identify the right messages for the specific audience you are speaking to
3. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Don’t be afraid to first tell your audience what you are going to tell them, then tell them the details, and then recap by telling your audience what you just told them.
