Bryan is the global leader of McKinsey’s talent work. He has served a wide range of talent-intensive businesses, leading employers in sectors such as retail, transportation, logistics, healthcare, banking, asset management, and oil and gas.
Throughout his career, Bryan has served a wide range of private, public, and social sector clients—including those focused on education and workforce development—and has served multiple higher-education institutions on their organization and strategy. In addition, he has codeveloped workforce-development programs that link educational programs to employer needs. Bryan has also served multiple foundations on their education and economic-development initiatives. He represents McKinsey on the Rework America Business Network.
In addition to his client service, Bryan holds several people leadership roles within McKinsey. He works closely with the firm’s people analytics function, and he sits on the board of McKinsey’s People Insights solution.
Published work
“The value of generosity in leadership,” McKinsey & Company, December 2024
“Understanding what neurodivergent employees need to succeed,” McKinsey & Company, September 2024
“Managing in the era of gen AI,” McKinsey & Company, July 2024
“Workers wanted: How to fill the skilled-trade shortage,” McKinsey & Company, May 2024
“Why so many bad bosses still rise to the top,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, May 2024
“Rethinking organizational health for the new world of work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, March 2024
“The human side of generative AI: Creating a path to productivity,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2024
“Looking back, looking forward,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2024
“The shape of talent in 2023 and 2024,” McKinsey & Company, January 2024
“Going for goal—a dependable approach to setting 2024 objectives,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2024
“Human-centered AI: The power of putting people first,” McKinsey & Company, December 2023
“Right skills, right person, right role,” McKinsey & Company, October 2023
“Activating middle managers through capability building” McKinsey & Company, September 2023
“The organization of the future: Enabled by gen AI, driven by people,” McKinsey & Company, September 2023
“The future of middle management” McKinsey & Company, August 2023
“Are middle managers your next ace in the hole?” McKinsey & Company, August 2023
“Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work,” Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023
“Don’t Eliminate Your Middle Managers,” Harvard Business Review, July 2023
“Middle managers hold the key to unlock generative AI,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2023
“Middle managers are the heart of your company,” McKinsey Quarterly, July 2023
“Making sense of generational stereotypes at work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, July 2023
“How generative AI could support—not replace—human resources,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2023
“Investing in middle managers pays off—literally,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023
“Talent tightrope: Tailor employee experience to support two key groups,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2023
“Stop wasting your most precious resource: Middle managers,” McKinsey & Company, March 2023
“Workplace rituals: Recapturing the power of what we’ve lost,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023
“Shorter for longer: Navigating the taut talent tightrope amid economic uncertainty,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, January 2023
“Transforming HR to better support higher education institutions,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022
“Investing in Georgia today for the economy of tomorrow,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022
“Talent in a changing market: What now?,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022
“Taking a skills-based approach to building the future workforce,” McKinsey & Company, November 2022
“Quiet quitting and performance management,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022
“Freelance, side hustles, and gigs: Many more Americans have become independent workers,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022
“Race in the workplace: The frontline experience,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022
“The office of the future: A whole new (floor) plan,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022
“The Great Attrition is making hiring harder. Are you searching the right talent pools?,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022
“Stave off attrition with an internal talent marketplace,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022
“Is worker power on the rise?,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022
“Talent at a turning point: How people analytics can help,” McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“A call to action: Provide employees with room to grow,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“Back and forth: COVID-19’s impact on business in 2021—and today,” McKinsey & Company, February 2022
“The Great Attrition: What to do about the labor shortage,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2021
“COVID-19 and education: An emerging K-shaped recovery,” McKinsey & Company, December 2021
“The key role of dynamic talent allocation in shaping the future of work,” McKinsey & Company, September 2021
“COVID-19 and education: The lingering effects of unfinished learning,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021
“Shaping the workforce of the future in retail and consumer goods,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021
“LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace,” McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“Culture in the hybrid workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“Grabbing hold of the new future of work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“Grief, loss, burnout: Navigating a new emotional landscape at work,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2021
“One move companies can take to improve diversity,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021
“The elusive inclusive workplace,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, March 2021
“Craftsmanship: The key to developing talent in an agile organization,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2021
“The vanishing middle manager,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Three podcast episodes to tackle today’s talent challenges,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Race in the workplace: The Black experience in the US private sector,” McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Unlocking the true value of effective feedback conversations,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021
“Grief, loss, burnout: Talking about complex feelings at work,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, December 2020
“COVID-19 and learning loss—disparities grow and students need help,” McKinsey & Company, December 2020
“Strategic talent management for the post-pandemic world,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2020
“Today’s skills, tomorrow’s jobs: How will your team fare in the future of work?,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, October 2020
“Three steps to creating more value through talent,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2020
“HR says talent is crucial for performance—and the pandemic proves it,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“Rebooting retail: How technology will shape the future of retail,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020
“COVID-19 and jobs: Monitoring the US impact on people and places,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2020
“Lives and livelihoods: Assessing the near-term impact of COVID-19 on US workers,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020
“Next-level sales talent: HR’s message to the CEO,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, February 2020
“The new science of talent: From roles to returns,” podcast, McKinsey & Company, January 2020
“Getting practical about the future of work,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2020
“Employee motivation in the age of automation and agility,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2019
“Building the tech talent pipeline,” McKinsey & Company, December 2019
“The future of work in America: People and places, today and tomorrow,” McKinsey & Company, July 2019
“Automation in retail: An executive overview for getting ready,” McKinsey & Company, May 2019
“Why we all need performance ratings on a regular basis,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, April 2019
“Straight talk about employee evaluation and performance management,” McKinsey Quarterly, October 2018
“Boosting the skills of incumbent workers: An interview with Walmart’s Kathleen McLaughlin,” McKinsey & Company, September 2018
“The fairness factor in performance management,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2018
“Adapting education to the demands of a rapidly changing economy: An interview with Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley,” McKinsey & Company, August 2018
“Ahead of the curve: The future of performance management,” McKinsey Quarterly, May 2016
“Getting beyond bureaucracy in human resources,”McKinsey Quarterly, April 2015
“Redesigning Knowledge Work,” Harvard Business Review, January-February 2013
“The State of Human Capital 2012—Why the human capital function still has far to go,” People & Strategy Journal, 2012
“The economic cost of the US education gap,” Teachers College Record, June 2009
Past experience
Delta Air Lines
Business development
Education
Harvard Law School
JD
University of Virginia
BA, international relations, government
