Hey there,

On a high level, both could work.

However, I would not select based on the person  - in this case - since they are almost equal in terms of the value they can bring to the story, but rather on the quality of the story that is associated with each.

If in doubt, choose the better story. To help you with that and the PEI in general, have a look at the article that I wrote for PrepLounge: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/mckinsey-pei

or reach out for a personal coaching session on it! :-)

Cheers,

Florian

Hey there,

I agree with Florian. Many candidates I have interviewed put too much emphasis on who they convinced vs. how they convinced. It doesn't really matter who the person is but rather what was at stake and how did you go about achieving the personal impact. Way back when I applied I used a story how I convinced my mother ;-)…

Happy to support you in identifying a suitable and powerful PEI story.

Best

Freddy 

(edited)

It's about HOW you influence people, so it doesn't really matter who you convinced. 

As an add on, beware of answers that rely too much on the power of the facts or evidence. It's not about whether you were right or wrong. Having the facts right is the base expectation from the technical point of view. This question is about what goes beyond the facts and evidence (that's where the PERSONAL impact makes a difference).

I would choose the story that better covers different aspects of influencing (e.g., logical, empathetic, etc.) in a more challenging situation (which also requires intimacy with the other person).  As much as talking about a more senior individual (e.g., CEO)  sound more impressive on the outset, interviewers will very quickly realise if your impact is limited.

Hi there,

It depends much more on how you influence than on who you influence and also how much listening there was on your part.  Use that as a guide more than the seniority of your counterpart.

Hope that helps.  Feel free to message me for more help.

Best,

Allen

Hi there, 

It really doesn't matter. 

It's more about how you convinced them, than who they were and what the situation was. 

Your job is basically to show in a methodical, structured way the steps you took to convince them. You should aim to be precise and ideally pick an example that shows you employing a creative solution, something that shows the best of you.

Hi there,

Couldn't agree more with the other answers!

Pick the story that is more powerful, took “more” from you, and had a bit impact. You need to make sure that you maintain structure throughout, can dive deep into the story, and took multiple + impressive actions to persuade the person.

By the way, it doesn't hurt to flesh out both stories!