To understand McKinsey, we first need to understand the man behind the name: James O. McKinsey. Born in 1889 in Missouri, James was the son of a farmer, and his early life was anything but glamorous. He wasn’t born into wealth or privilege, but he had a keen mind and an intense drive for learning. After earning his bachelor’s degree at State Teachers College in Warrensburg, Missouri, he went on to study accounting at the University of Chicago. Eventually, he became a professor there, teaching accounting and developing a reputation as a rigorous thinker with a knack for applying academic principles to real-world problems.
