Demonstrating Personal Ownership and 'Founder's Mentality'

Question

Bain looks for a 'Founder's Mentality' in its consultants. Give an example of a time you identified a problem that was 'not your job' and took full ownership of solving it. Why did you feel it was important to step in, and what was the long-term impact?

Accepted Answer

Ownership is about seeing the big picture. Situation: I noticed that our department’s onboarding process for new hires was disorganized, leading to low retention in the first six months. Task: Although I was a junior analyst, I decided to revamp the system. Action: I interviewed recent hires, identified gaps in training, and created a digital 'Knowledge Hub' and a peer-mentoring program. I presented this to the MD and got approval to roll it out. Result: New hire productivity increased by 20%, and retention stabilized. I took this on because I care about the organizational health, not just my specific tasks. This reflects the Bain value of treating the firm’s resources and culture as if they were your own.

Demonstrating Personal Ownership and 'Founder's Mentality'

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