Mckinsey changed its "courageous change" prompt to "growth". The growth prompt asks you about a time when you had to rapidly learn something to tackle a challenge. I wanted to talk about a time when I changed my living situation and how I adapted to that, but would that story be appropriate? Or should I focus more on a time when I acquired a technical skill? My story for the latter is a little shaky, so I'd prefer the former.
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This is incredibly helpful. Thanks!
I wanted to talk about moving to a new area and having to live away from family for the first time.
So what made it particularly challenging? And how did you address it?
I can't reply to your second comment, so I'm replying here. I do have an idea of what I want to talk about for that. I just wanted to clear up if the answer had to be about a hard skill. Thank you for replying.
Sure. What is critical here is that it is a significant challenge at a personal level / is something of great significance (even if personal) and that you can have clear achievements and results at the end. One has to consider that the bar his high at MBB
Would a story about adapting to a new environment be appropriate for the Mckinsey Growth PEI
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Hi!
Short answer: Yes, your living situation story can work... If and only if it’s high-stakes, disruptive, and growth-enabling. But it’s not a guaranteed fit unless it hits specific criteria.
- McKinsey's new "Growth" dimension (formerly Courageous Change) is not just about generic “change.”
- It’s about: adaptability + self-directed learning + personal transformation under pressure or disruption.
- They want to see how you responded to a major shakeup and turned it into an opportunity to grow.
When a "changed living situation" story works:
It can be strong if you use it as a catalyst for intense personal development.
Ask yourself:
- Was it a real disruption? E.g., sudden move to a new country, loss of home, living alone for the first time under financial duress?
- Was there pressure? E.g., language barrier, isolation, cultural friction, no support system.
- Did you proactively learn and grow? Not just “I adapted”, but: What did I decide to learn? What skills or perspectives did I intentionally develop?
Examples that could work:
- Moving to a foreign country mid-pandemic and needing to learn the local language fast to secure a job and stabilize your life.
- Getting kicked out of student housing and having to rebuild your routine, mental health, and academic performance on your own.
- Changing countries and developing your own productivity systems, network, and professional footing from scratch.
If your story is more like “I moved cities and eventually settled in,” then no, that’s not McKinsey-level material.
Technical skill acquisition stories
They can work well, if they are:
- Under time pressure
- High-stakes (failure has serious consequences)
- Stretching you beyond your comfort zone (e.g. learning Python from scratch to automate a business process under a hard deadline)
If your tech story feels shaky, don’t force it. But don’t default to a safe, vague “I adapted” story either.
Actionable Advice:
If you want to go with the living situation story:
- Crystallize the external disruption: what exactly happened, and why was it hard?
- Highlight the pressure and stakes: what would’ve happened if you didn’t adapt?
- Emphasize self-directed growth: what did you choose to learn? What routines, perspectives, or coping strategies did you build?
- Anchor the story in concrete behaviors: show how this changed your ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity.
- Land with a deep personal learning: something replicable and useful for consulting.
Hope this helps!
Sidi
___________________
Dr. Sidi S. Koné
Former Senior Engagement Manager & Interviewer at McKinsey | Former Senior Consultant at BCG | Co-Founder of The MBB Offer Machine™
1 comment
Hi Sel,
Hi there,
For McKinsey’s “growth” dimension, the key is not the topic itself but how clearly you show rapid learning, personal development, and impact. It doesn’t need to be a technical skill. What matters is:
- You faced a real challenge in an unfamiliar situation
- You had to pick up new knowledge, behaviors, or approaches quickly
- You can demonstrate concrete actions you took to adapt
- There was a visible outcome or growth in your capability
A story about adapting to a new living environment can definitely work if you frame it around what you learned and how it helped you overcome the challenge. For instance, highlight how you developed resilience, built new relationships fast, or adjusted to cultural/professional norms. If you make the learning curve clear and connect it to a strong result, it can be just as compelling as a technical skill story.
Between a shaky technical example and a strong adaptation story, go with the latter. Just make sure to emphasize the learning and growth aspect, not just the fact of relocation.
Happy to help you prep and refine your answers – feel free to reach out
Best,
Evelina
It can work, but it has to be a significant challenge, which isn't clear from your description. Can you provide more details?
I would need to know the stories in more detail to be able to tell.
But, what I would prefer to choose is a story that is based on a professional situation. For instance, you joining an internship in an industry that you didn't know, in a technical role, and having to ramp up quickly to make sense of what was happening around you. That would be a good example.
If you want extra help on the PEI, I've developed a detailed guide on this with audio and video materials walking you through story examples:
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
You can definitely provide a personal story to demonstrate growth (i.e. resilience, adaptability). You can tell the interviewer that you have a personal story where you had to adopt to a new environment and see whether they're OK with that, or would they prefer a professional one. Then I suggest to also prepare a professional one in case they prefer that. Most likely they would accept the personal one though.
Hey Sel :)
Adapting to a new environment could work IF you frame it around what you learned quickly and how it helped you overcome a concrete challenge. The key is to show steep learning and measurable growth, so if your story brings that out clearly, it’s totally fine.
best, Alessa :)
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