McKinsey "Inclusive Leadership" --is there a minimum team size recommended?

Question

Hi everyone! I would appreciate some advice on selecting PEI stories for upcoming McKinsey interview --I'm wondering when choosing story for the “Inclusive Leadership” dimension, is it okay to talk about episode within a very small team?

I have an example in mind that involves a 3-person team, and I'm concerned whether there is not enough stake holder / diversity due to the small team size. Apart from this, the episode would be quite strong, which makes me hesitate about switching it out for other options involving larger teams (yet less strong actions). I would highly appreciate your opinion!

Also, as a minor additional question -- when presenting the episode, shall I use the actual name of the members involved ? or is it more appropriate to refer to them by role ? (for example, 'the programmer') or maybe an acronym of their name (for their privacy) ?

Thank you all!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Being asked for a leadership story you should focus on your best experience leading a team (of any size), either on a personal or professional situation. Keys here:

You leading style is and how you inspire the team to reach a challenging goal
Your teamwork skills to coordinate work and make everyone shine
Your ability to understand and act on team dynamics, even the personal ones (motivations, frustrations)

I hope this helps.

Alberto

—

Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Answer 2

A 3-people team is in most cases larger than a team led by an engagement manager, so it definitely is fine.

As I always remember, don't make things up, be honest, and transparent, and show that you've learned something that you can exploit in other cases.

Answer 3

Hi there,

1) Is it okay to talk about an episode within a very small team?

Yes, totally fine. The only thing you should avoid is to have a “team” with one person only. A 3-person team is ok.

2) When presenting the episode, shall I use the actual name of the members involved ? or is it more appropriate to refer to them by role?

I personally believe using names makes the story more memorable. If you are concerned about privacy, say you will call the person “Jack” (or whatever) for privacy reasons, then you will be fine.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi there,

3 is perfectly reasonable! As long as you can make sure to demonstrate that you truly led the team, this indeed works (especially if it's a strong story as you say).

I would “create” names. Say to the interviewer “we'll call him/her x”.

Answer 5

Hi there,

1. Minimum team size

A 3-person team is perfectly appropriate if you highlight the different interactions you had with the individual team members.

2. Names

You can use both names and their role IF there is no confidentiality issue. No interviewer will look them up and they probably have forgotten the name already as they walk out of the interview :-))

If you want some more guidance on your PEI, check out the following article I wrote: https://www.preplounge.com/mckinsey-pei

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 6

Many actual consulting projects consist of a manager and 2-3 consultants so that team size is pretty representative.

So pick your strongest story but try to not tell it like you rehearsed it. Be authentic and genuine and clearly highlight what you did in the specific scenario vs. what others did. I would initially describe the team setup with all the respective roles so you can reference them. Regarding code names, I don't think it matters if you keep it on a first name basis and sprinkle them into the narrative when applicable.

Answer 7

Hey there!

1- A 3 people team isn't small and it's completely fine to use your story. As most consulting projects typically involve teams of 2-4 people, you'll prove via your story that you are used to leading similar sized teams.

2- Regardless of the size of the team, what is important is your style of leadership, the impact you've had on the team and how you influenced the course of the project or event. Make sure you mention these, not just the “what you did” (but also the why and the so what).

3- Regarding the names and the roles, do mention the roles as it's important for the interviewer to understand the context fully. In addition, putting names is good to give the story a more authentic flavor and make the comms flow easier.

Best of luck!

Answer 8

Hello,

A 3-person team is totally fine! As long as you can provide good stories about your interactions with the team members, there is no issue.

Regarding names, I think you should be fine to go with the actual names of the people involved (saying “Jenny” seems easier and more memorable than saying “the programmer” every time, for instance). Interviewers are not really taking note of any other names you mentioned, and aren't going to look anyone up after the interview. However, if you are concerned, you could use fake names (e.g., “my colleague, let's call her Susan”).

Answer 9

This sort of context works.

The team being small is not an issue.

What you need to emphasize however are the ways in which the team was diverse and the challenges that this was creating.

Basically, the arc of the story needs to that diversity was in the beginning a liability and by working individually and collectively with these people you managed to turn it into an asset.

Best,
Cristian