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70 The McKinsey Mind

listening. Unfortunately, our formal educational systems provide
very little training in listening. Many of us learn the hard way. The
key lessons from McKinsey that you can apply in your work situ-
ation are to recognize the importance of listening, increase the
amount of time you spend listening (to the right people and on the
right subjects), and listen in an active manner.
Active listening simply means encouraging and guiding the
interviewee’s responses through the effective use of verbal and non-
verbal signals. Head nodding, arm crossing, and facial expressions
play a bigger role in interviews than you think. If you are truly pay-
ing attention to the interview, these things should come naturally.
If you feel that you are forcing them, perhaps the interview should
have ended about 15 minutes earlier.
Be sensitive. In their efforts to implement interview techniques
in their post-McKinsey positions, our McKinsey alumni learned
that style matters. Some people (wrongly, in our view) see inter-
viewees as a source of information to be drained dry. We suggest
a different tack. Try to establish a connection with the interviewee.
Treat the interview as a chance to meet a new person and actively
involve her in the problem-solving effort. The interview is a two-
way exchange that involves much more than a one-way informa-
tion transfer. If you let the interviewee become your partner in the
process, you will be able develop this relationship.
When it comes to the actual interview, the beginning matters. It
sets the tone for the rest of your time with the interviewee.
McKinsey consultants learn to avoid sensitive issues at the begin-
ning. This requires some forethought in order to identify what may
be “sensitive.” For example, if you are working on a cost-cutting
project that may involve layoffs, you might not want to start your
questions with the number of years the person has been in that
position and the exact nature of her contribution to the bottom
line. Francesca Brockett, the senior vice president of strategic plan-