I thought at McKinsey great work would speak for itself
Many consultants think great work will speak for itself. But that’s not how promotions work. This post is for consultants heading into review season. You’ll learn how to prepare well for that.
I thought at McKinsey, great work would speak for itself.
But I was completely wrong.
As a consultant, I felt awkward advocating for myself. In my first reviews, I barely prepared. I let partners figure out my reviews on their own.
As a result, I always received average ratings and generic feedback.
Then one partner helped me to reframe it and gave great advice:
“Rustem, treat it like a political campaign. Partners are too busy or they don’t know you well. But you need their support. So, it’s your job to help them help you.”
That reframing hit me hard. I was so naive.
How did I expect partners to care for me if I didn’t care enough to put in the effort?
They are extremely busy. They have hundreds of their own problems. And dozens of other consultants to review.
Clearly, I was not standing out.
So, I completely changed my approach.
I started preparing for each review:
➤ Worked to impress, not just to satisfy
➤ Made my contributions visible
➤ Built stronger relationships
➤ Mobilized my support group
➤ Informed my evaluator
➤ Created a clear story
And here’s the main principle I lived by:
Don’t ask for what you don’t deserve.
But make it easy to give you what you do deserve.
Once I started doing that, the difference was night and day.
I went from average to consistently higher ratings. Partners started actively sponsoring me. I could choose the projects I wanted.
But most importantly, I became more confident and started enjoying working at McKinsey.
If you want to learn how to prepare well for your next performance review, watch my video breaking it down for you:
If you’re an MBB consultant and want to improve your performance and become a confident consultant:
We will discuss your pain points, challenges, and aspirations. No strings attached, just straight answers to your biggest questions.