How busy are McKinsey partners really?

Hello!

To be honest, all consultants are very busy, and I don´t think partner is the worst tenure. 

This said, partners are really busy people who devote many many time to the company. Furthremore, since they have several engagements at the same time in different parts of the globe, they travel a lot, which makes it heavier. 

However, i believe that Engagement Managers or Junior partners even have a harder time and worse work-life balance, since htey have the carrot hanging just in front of their faces. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Extremely busy.

Shortest answer I've ever given in this forum :P

Hey there,

Yes, partners are shareholders of the firm. The role of a consultant changes significantly when you make a partner since you

• are responsible for many projects at the same time
• provide input on working documents for existing engagements
• hold meetings with senior client executives on existing engagements
• manage existing client relationships
• build new client relationships
• provide input on knowledge development efforts
• work on proposals for new engagements
• travel to some industry conferences
• sometimes even do recruiting (event or interviewing)

Most partners I worked with were constantly on Monday to Friday with relatively little sleep and loads of travel (often 3 different client locations within a week, sometimes on different continents) + devoted one day of the weekend for admin things / less time-critical work.

However, the big upside is that you are very flexible with your time and have a lot of leeway on what you want to do and who you want to work with. You are basically shaping your own working world.

Cheers,

Florian

Very busy!

But if you are doing something that you truly enjoy & create something that you truly care for, then question of balance doesnt arise. Work becomes life and life becomes work.

Work life balance is something you have to take control of. Dont leave it to the company. Have a look these threads for plenty of discussions on this subject.

• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/sustainability-of-working-at-mbb-for-someone-who-appreciates-wlb-9480
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/easing-into-management-consulting-as-a-mom-9549
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/does-work-life-balance-improve-with-time-8445

Same as all consultants, they are very busy - what's different from people at more junior tenures is that those typically have to accomodate to Partner's schedules. Meaning they have a bit more flexibility and control over when they will be busy.

If you still have any questions, feel free to reach out.