As a first-generation Filipino-American, Jack Guevara grew up in a large, tight-knit family in Los Angeles, where no one before him had served in the U.S. military. He knew he wanted to be a combat pilot from the age of five or six when he first saw the movie Top Gun.
Nearly a decade later while he was in high school, Jack felt a strong desire to serve his country in the aftermath of 9/11. "I was inspired by the shared sense of purpose and unity in the United States," he remembers. After graduation, he was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy, where he majored in political science.
After graduating in 2007, Jack was commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps, and from there went to flight school. He spent most of his eight-year career based out of Camp Pendleton, California, flying the AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter and was then deployed three times to the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Japan.
Starting out as an attack pilot, Jack provided close air support as an aerial escort for the Marines and allied forces and graduated from the Weapons & Tactics Instructor course—the Marines’ equivalent to Top Gun. He eventually became the Operations officer of a squadron for more than 200 Marines and dozens of aircrafts. "Overall my military career helped me to define and live my values: I wanted to serve my country and lead and develop the marines under my charge," he explained.
Having spent much of his military career deployed in places where access to energy was both an economic and national security imperative, Jack wanted to make an impact in the area of sustainable energy when considering a civilian career. "The Department of Defense is the single biggest consumer of energy, and American leadership in transitioning to a clean energy economy is important, not just environmentally, but economically," he explains.
He chose to continue his journey at the firm because of a similar commitment to values. “In the Marine Corps, it’s honor, courage, and commitment,” Jack says. “At McKinsey, it’s a commitment to our clients and our people and to creating positive, enduring change in the world.”
Today Jack is based out of McKinsey’s San Francisco office, where he works with energy companies, utilities, and infrastructure developers. A recent example of his work includes helping a solar company reimagine their installation processes, significantly reducing costs, which made solar power more affordable for millions of families. In keeping with his commitment to the Marines, Jack continues to fly in the Reserve.
At our firm, Jack has leveraged much of his Marines experience in his client work. “What I bring to McKinsey from the Marines is execution discipline,” he says. “This means making sure we identify the most important aspect in a project and go after it, prioritize strategically, create a workplan, and stay on track.”
But his experience with different clients and teammates has also taught Jack how to inspire people in ways other than commanding. He talks about the importance of understanding what motivates someone—Is it family or community? Team or career? Or is it the mission? "When you find out motivates people the most - then it's helpful to restate your goals and the benefits for them in that context," he says. People learn about others' motivations by listening carefully. "Unstructured, casual conversations are where you find out the most important things," says Jack. "Something that was much easier to do before COVID."
When it comes to what inspires his fellow service men and women, often it's not geo-political movements. According to Jack: "They serve for the men and women to their left and right."