How to survive a career in financial markets

Tim Skeet

I was delighted to participate in the ICMA Future Leaders group event on Thursday July 19th. We had a great audience and a lively discussion. Many thanks to my co-panellists, Mandy DeFilippo, ICMA’s new Chair and Executive Coach Jill Watt. Congratulations to co-hosts Michael Sansen and the team.

This topic is as relevant today as it was when I set out early in my career without a clear idea of where I was heading.

There were several excellent take-aways from the evening, amongst which were these, in no particular order:

? Be Self-aware, in control and resilient

? Know yourself, what you want and what you can really do

? Check in with yourself every six months or so- re-evaluate your goals- plan changes as necessary

? Set-backs and mistakes are a necessary part of learning and everyone’s experience- deal with them, learn from them, dont be overwhelmed by them

? Go through life looking forward not back- those who drive fast cars staring in the rear-view mirror will slam into the truck ahead! But do glance back to learn the lessons of your past

? Don’t be afraid to ask for something if you want it. It’s like pitching for business- always ask for the deal- if you don’t, others always will

? Be visible and get noticed- demonstrate good IQ coupled with strong EQ- what you kow is important, but so is how you interact with others

? Get a sponsor and build an effective network around you

? Keep learning and embrace change- this industry has always been changing and evolving- don’t be doing yesterday’s job tomorrow, to find it is no longer relevant

? Life-work balance is different for each of us- calibrate it correctly for you

? Stay fit in body and in mind- take neither for granted

I spoke also of my own literary studies at university and made reference to a specialist knowledge of the German Bildungsroman. Some of the audience, intrigued, asked me about this.

This literary genre, championed by many authors and well exemplified in German literature, examines the journey of life, self-discovery, making mistakes and developing consciousness. Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister in the ‘Lehrjahre’ or Thomas Mann’s Hans Castorp in the classic ‘Der Zauberberg’ (Magic Mountain) warn also of chasing dreams.

Michael Lewis’ The Big Short, which I recently revisited, also points to the challenges of an industry that periodically overheats. Ultimately the crashes of today can be found in the past, and will repeat in the future. Be prepared.

Financial markets are challenging and intensive places to work. Rewarding and tough on many levels, the bumps, potholes and opportunities of these career paths remain just facets of the human condition, celebrated by writers down the ages.

While technology and knowledge move on, the emotions and thoughts of people remain remarkably the same. Look around and know your colleagues, watch your competitors, learn to recognise their hopes and their ambitions. Then see these as foils to your own.