I am former McKinseyite and I know Jay. He's not stupid, but being a great leader at McKinsey versus the real world is much different. McKinsey gets the "best of the best". When you lead a team of A-type sharks who all know that it's "up or out", there is no need for people skills or empathy. The company has a pipeline of talented people to take your place. In the real world, 99% of people don't have or think with the same analytic rigor as those you find at McK. I know Jay is intelligent but he never struck me as having the people skills to develop those aren't McKinsey talent, or to get the most out of people. That requires an investment in time and energy into people and knowing what makes them tick. It's heavy on soft skills and being a genuine human being, an attribute that's missing from 90% of those from McKinsey including Jay. Jay would rather do excel models and scenario planning problem solving sessions. Those are great individual contributor skills but not ones of true leaders who get those most out of all people and make lemonade from lemons. You can't teach human touch or values. Jay would be best in roles facilitating strategy but not leading. His face often fails to hide his contempt for people who are not as intellectually gifted as him.
