Taking a Step Forward: Takeaways from McKinsey Forward Program

Professional development is a cornerstone of our culture at Greenough Communications – from bringing in guest lectures to attending industry events and supporting our own self-development. For young professionals looking to take the next step in their career, the McKinsey Forward Program is a great resource to learn practical skills and tools to help you take the next step in your career. I was fortunate to go through the program and wanted to offer three main takeaways that I think would help other young professionals level up in their careers. These are also valuable lessons to impart upon young colleagues at your organizations, especially those involved in communications.  

Synthesize, don’t summarize

When a manager, teammate, or client asks how a meeting went or about the status of a project, they often don’t need the play-by-play. They want to know the high-level information that is needed to move the team forward. Starting with a simple and straightforward response to the question, followed by high level details to give context can be a much more efficient use of time and help you better communicate the information a teammate needs.  

By synthesizing your responses, you can bring together the necessary details without going through each one – think of this as providing the “so what” before you dive into “how” and the “why.” For the most effective response, make sure to also share the next steps to the project at hand.  

For example, looking at the world of PR, we often provide recaps of how media outreach is going on a certain project or campaign. They don’t (usually) want to know each and every reporter we pitched, the specific points in the pitch itself, or every out of office message we receive from a reporter.  

Giving a topline answer and leaving room for follow up questions is the best way to approach this – such as: “We received interest from X publication/Y reporter,” followed by next steps on the media opportunity or a discussion on if the team wants to pursue it.  

Dismantle a problem to reach a solution

There is not usually a one-size-fits-all solution to any given problem – but there are definitely tools that more efficiently solve the problem at hand. In order to best address any problem, you have to look at all of the components. By breaking down a problem into its core parts, you can gain an aerial view of the questions that need to be answered in order to move your team forward, essentially breaking the big problem into little baby steps. With each question answered, another piece of the puzzle fills in. This can help make a problem that seems huge feel much more manageable, and can give you guidance on what steps to take and when.  

For example, when a team is working through a product launch, you need numerous details in order to move forward with a successful launch. These items could include what the product is, how it differs from current products on the market, applications of the product, launch timeline, supporting materials, media outreach strategy, and – if applicable – information on paid campaigns.  

Rather than looking at the big project in front of you – take a moment to think about what is needed, and what you can do with what you have. If you need to get background information on the product itself, start there and then move your way through the other steps in the process. This way, you are able to have a successful launch, meet deadlines, collaborate effectively, and streamline the work that needs to be done.

Empathy is key

This has been a guiding principle for me as I continue my career in public relations – but beyond that, it is a core value in how I approach my relationships with colleagues, friends and family. You never know what is going on in someone else’s life – whether that is a co-worker, a client, or a journalist you are working with on a story – so granting some grace in professional settings is always appreciated. PR is all about relationships, so approaching these relationships with empathy can be a make-or-break point.  

It’s hard to know what colleagues are working on every day, both personally and professionally, so ensuring that you are asking the right questions and setting your team up for success will not only help colleagues better complete assignments, but it will help your team as a whole perform at a higher level.  

Beyond working with co-workers, consider what this could look like when collaborating with a reporter or a client.  

Since we don’t know what is going on in their personal life or the deadlines they are working toward, empathizing with a reporter or a client by showing patience and sincerity could make or break the relationship you have with them.

Moving Forward with McKinsey’s Top Tips

As I work to implement these and the other learnings I took from the program, I can see the impact on the work that I am doing and the relationships that I am building with my teams – from colleagues to clients and journalists.  

I’d highly recommend going through the program for any young professional looking to take the next step in their careers – and if you don’t believe me, take it from a colleague who recently went through the program: “The program offers some great new perspectives and actionable insights that I've been able to work into my own day-to-day. For example, one of my favorite takeaways was on managing tough situations with gratitude; it's true that it is hard to be frustrated or angry when you're keeping gratitude at the top of your mind.”