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McKinsey & Company Anyone at McKinsey & Company willing to refer a Marine veteran (OIF, I swear I will not eat all the crayons. "Crayons" are for art is what my wife tells me to tell myself)
5yrs Marines (Sgt, Comm maint tech w infantry Bn)
8yrs in Oil & Gas (engr coordinator, qty surveying and proj ctrl)
CM undergrad
MBA (professional program, graduated May 2022)
I'm looking for a role in McK serving O&G, industrial, capital projects clients. Open to generalist roles as well. Can review for vetting.
Who said yes to this??
Any Jewish New Yorker looking for your jap? Hi.
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Offer to come in 3 days a week but say you need to leave at 4. I wfh full time, but pick up my kids at 3, 3 days a week. It’s fine. I’m happy to jump back on the computer after bedtime and we bill our time—it’s quite obvious how much you’re working and whether you’re hitting hours.
Love this!!! Thank you. Will definitely be using this.
Loved this autobiography. Relevant summary of some key points from ChatGPT below. Take from it what you will, but I would go in two more days a week and leave at 5. Go in early if you have to…
Katharine Graham, the legendary publisher of The Washington Post, didn’t explicitly offer modern “work-life balance” advice in today’s terms, but her life and reflections—especially in her Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir Personal History—offer powerful insight into navigating expectations at high-powered jobs.
While she didn’t advocate for short work hours (her own career was famously demanding), here are key takeaways from her experience and philosophy that can inform your question about limiting hours or managing expectations:
⸻
🧭 1. You Teach People How to Treat You
While not a direct quote from Graham, her career shows the importance of setting boundaries by example. If you’re always in the office late, people will assume that’s your standard. Graham, once she grew into her leadership role, earned respect not just for her presence but her judgment—which doesn’t require 80-hour weeks.
“To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun?”
— Katharine Graham
She was passionate and committed, but she also grew to recognize that personal confidence—not presence alone—commanded respect.
⸻
⏳ 2. Early Overcommitment Comes With a Price
In Personal History, Graham recounts her early tendency to defer to others and overextend herself, especially as a woman leader in a male-dominated world. Eventually, she learned that being constantly available wasn’t sustainable—or strategic.
“Once, power was considered a masculine attribute. In fact, power has no sex.”
— Katharine Graham
Her eventual rise was built on making smarter decisions, not being omnipresent.
⸻
🔁 3. The Role Evolves As You Grow
When Graham took over The Post, she was a novice leader often overwhelmed by expectations. But as she grew into her authority, she became more intentional with her time and influence. This suggests you may initially be expected to be very present—but that expectation can shift as you build trust and results.
⸻
🛠️ Practical Implication:
If you want to limit your hours and avoid setting an unsustainable precedent:
• Set expectations early (with your boss or team) about focused work hours.
• Deliver results that make your time valuable, not just visible.
• Communicate boundaries confidently, not defensively.
• Don’t apologize for efficiency—Graham wouldn’t.
I love this, thank you! I think setting/communicating boundaries will be huge. I just hope I can be confident and not defensive 😅
When you go to the office, why do you end up staying so late? Is that normal for your office/firm?
And this is exactly what I want to do. I have no problem picking back up when baby is sleeping.
I’m a big law associate with a one year old. I either leave the office by 4 or 4:30, or don’t get in until 10:30 (sometimes both- making my effective in offices hours something like 10:30-4:30) and I have a commute as well. I aim to get into the office 3x a week but sometimes it’s only 2x depending on my husband’s work schedule
Wow. This would be so ideal. What is your billing requirement?
And I know the firm I work at is stable employment. Family is just the most important thing to me and I’ve always said I’d never let a job get in the way. Now I feel like I’m gonna miss seeing my baby grow up. I am also the breadwinner and we rely on my paycheck. Wondering if I should push back on this, look for a new job or just suck it up.
I work for a surety. Super niche. I work on surety claims and advise in-house.