Authentic Connection & Trust!
The trading floor, where I spent the first decade of my career, is a battleground. Most standard societal norms cease to exist when one finds herself working on a trading floor. In my first job as an interest rate sales analyst at Lehman Brothers, my boss told me that I was not allowed to use articles (i.e., couldn’t say the words “the”, “a”, “an”) because “it wasted time and time is money.” My role was to execute multi-million-dollar transactions on behalf of clients (banks, hedge funds, pension funds.) If I made even one mistake, it could cost the firm and my traders millions of dollars within seconds. Speed, precision, and excellence were nonnegotiable. My days could consist of up to 100 transitions within an eight-hour period, considerable market fluctuations, and a range of emotions wide enough to put a Shakespearean play to shame.
Understanding differences and connecting authentically
Right now, many of us, including myself, are feeling triggered and charged up. 2020 has been a year that is testing our resolve, our grit, our self-image, and our ability to grow. For some, this is a time to check in with our biases, and for others it is a time to have painful and difficult conversations, to educate and to be educated, to listen and be heard. While I am sad and worried, I am also incredibly hopeful. I genuinely believe that as a society, we will have the potential to thrive and use this painful moment to grow.
It's not me, it's my boss...oh really?
If your manager makes you want to go home and scream into a pillow every single night, or you’ve taken up kickboxing just so you can picture your manager’s face on the bag, then keep reading.
Sounds like you are suffering from a toxic relationship with your boss. You are not alone—an EY study (detailed in the Harvard Business Review) reported that 58% of people trust strangers more than their own boss! That’s right, they trust a random person off the street more than they trust the guy responsible for their development, compensation, and day-to-day happiness. Pretty scary!
Struggle to delegate? Three behaviors to watch out for
My first job out of undergrad was on the Lehman Brothers interest rate sales desk. I sat on a trading floor amongst some of the best financial professionals who transacted multi-million dollar deals on a daily basis. The work was incredibly stressful and required a tremendous amount of attention to detail and accuracy. If you made a mistake, it typically cost at least $50,000. I worked in a team consisting of 3 senior salesmen, an associate with three years of experience and myself – a clueless college grad. At first, no one trusted me to do much of anything except get coffee and make copies. Over time, I began to take on more client facing responsibilities (writing trade confirms, answering phones and writing market commentary). Executing one of those multi-million dollar trades was off limits though. I didn’t have the skills yet, and no one was interested in losing money due to my lack of experience.
Tension at work? Ask a dog how to ease it!
I wish I could say that I have never experienced tension at work, but let’s get real here. Competition, deadlines, hierarchy, and differing interests create complicated and tense relationships at work. The good news is that you have the power to decrease this tension and win people over.
Criticism! Three steps to prevent it from stressing you out
Criticism! Three steps to prevent it from stressing you out
How to get the most out of your summer intern
Our two summer interns started last week. We are a small company and feel vulnerable every time we bring someone into our little nucleus and open our business up to them.