We recently sat down with Cecilia, a senior implementation coach in our Gothenburg office, to learn more about her journey to and through McKinsey. She spent 10 years in industry practicing Kaizen and Lean Six Sigma before joining McKinsey Implementation (MI). Here she shares her typical day.
8:00 am: Check in with my team. One of our team members tells us about the constructive meeting he had with three operators yesterday, all seem supportive of the transformational program we’re rolling out. It’s a great start to our day and leaves us all feeling motivated.
10:00 am: Weekly progress review meeting with the full McKinsey and client team and site management. We use this time to discuss our progress, air and address any challenges, and estimate the savings we’ve achieved so far.
11:00 am: Problem solving with my McKinsey colleagues and leadership. We have a few weeks left to the engagement, so today we discuss how to ensure the changes we’ve made are sustained after we go.
12:00 pm: Lunch with my team in the canteen. We’re working in the Netherlands so croquets are a must. Yum.
2:00 pm: Walk through the plant with the manager and one of the leaders of our project. We look for areas that are not running as smoothly or efficiently as possible. We speak to operators and find out they are struggling to fill out the newly installed boards that track their success on the manufacturing line. We discuss how to simplify them to make more pragmatic.
5:00 pm: Coaching session with one of the client leaders. She wants to develop her problem solving and facilitation skills. I share my observations of her strengths with her and together we brainstorm ways for her to create more opportunities to practice her public speaking and influencing skills.
6:30 pm: Dinner with my colleagues, followed by a brisk walk back to the hotel. Check emails and create a plan for tomorrow. I typically go for a quick work out in the gym or read a book and then call my boyfriend to say goodnight.