How to improve your performance as an EM
This post is for EMs or senior consultants who plan to become EMs. The EM role can be the most rewarding or challenging in MBB consulting. In this post, I discuss how you can improve your performance.
You know, Engagement Manager was my favourite role.
The quality of my experience at McKinsey peaked when I was a second-year EM. I worked on ambitious projects, solved challenging problems, and truly enjoyed working in consulting.
I know it sounds counterintuitive because for many consultants, the EM role seems scary and dangerous. They think it’s full of risks and problems with little reward and appreciation. I know many EMs who feel miserable in this role.
But in reality, it can be the best role in firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. The main factor of success here is the level of your performance. If you can work well, you will truly enjoy this role. If you struggle, then brace for difficult times ahead.
But how can you improve your performance as an EM?
It’s not as simple as improving performance as a consultant. There are multiple things you must optimize for. As an EM, you need to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, integrate them into coherent logic, manage your partners, and navigate complex client relationships. And don’t forget about your team, who want to feel appreciated, motivated, and apprenticed.
It will feel as if you are juggling too many balls in the air. Be ready! You will drop some balls. It’s inevitable. It’s impossible to do everything perfectly, having so many things to handle.
But here is some good news for you. Achieving high performance is not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about winning at things that truly matter by performing them with an exceptional level of insight and impact.
I like the phrase “Winners won’t be judged,” meaning that if you win at important things, people will give you leeway if you don’t do some unimportant stuff no one cares about.
“But how to do it?” I hear you asking me anxiously.
Hear me out. I have an approach, I promise.
You know, there are around 10 managers in my coaching program, the Hero’s Journey.
Initially, I designed my coaching program for second-year consultants, not managers. But at some point, one EM asked me to accept him into the program as an exception.
I explained to him that my focus is specifically on senior consultants. And I didn’t plan to create a separate journey for EMs. But he was adamant.
We started working together, and I discovered an unexpected benefit for EMs from the program. Actually, EMs get double the benefits from the program.
First, EMs go through the consulting journey and fix gaps in their consulting toolkit. Everyone has accumulated some gaps during their consulting years, and fixing these gaps improves performance significantly.
But that’s not the biggest benefit.
Second, EMs learn to coach their consultants well.
Let me explain.
Most EMs struggle with coaching consultants. They genuinely want to help, but don’t know how. As a result, they provide generic feedback like:
↳ Improve problem-solving
↳ Be more top-down
↳ Generate insights
↳ Own your work
↳ Be standalone
That’s the only coaching method they have experienced from their partners and managers. But this feedback is not actionable enough, and consultants get confused and demotivated.
Then, under pressure, EMs often resort to redoing the work themselves. As a result, they burn out, and consultants don’t develop.
Everyone is frustrated. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Can we turn this into a win-win situation?
In my coaching program, EMs experience firsthand how structured coaching should work. They understand how consultants learn and grow. They understand the anatomy of their challenges and can pinpoint specific things that don’t work in their toolkits.
As a result, they learn how to provide precise and actionable feedback to consultants, which quickly boosts their productivity without any toxicity and negativity.
After that, everything clicks.
EMs improve the productivity of their teams. Partners and clients are happy with the outputs. Consultants are happy with development and growth.
That’s how EMs get higher performance and recognition for outstanding work.
As one EM wrote to me after finishing the program:
The coaching program changed how I manage my teams. I used to fix their work. Now, I help them grow.
If you're an MBB EM who feels stuck, overworked, or ineffective, I want to speak with you.
Book a Free 1-1 Consultation to discuss whether I can help you through my coaching program. There is no commitment, and you can ask any burning questions in a risk-free environment.
Read this post to learn more about the Hero’s Journey coaching program.