The 7 Pieces of Advice I Shared With Goldman Sachs' Summer Interns

In my first year as CEO I had the pleasure of welcoming our summer interns to Goldman Sachs as they embark on the 10-week program. This year’s class is made up of 54 percent women and hails from more than 450 schools. Read on for the advice I shared upon their arrival:

Welcome to Goldman Sachs. Over the coming weeks, you will have the opportunity to work with colleagues across the firm and contribute to meaningful projects that impact our clients, people and communities. We want you to feel empowered to share ideas and make things possible.

As you start your journey at Goldman Sachs, I’d like to offer you a few pieces of advice:

• Be yourself. We believe who you are makes you better at what you do. Share your interests and viewpoints with your teams – we value our people’s unique experiences and perspectives
• Get involved. Raise your hand to participate in projects and activities that are important to you, and offer your assistance to others
• Live and breathe teamwork. We never lose sight of its importance in delivering the whole firm to our clients
• Listen more. Whether you support external or internal clients, it’s important to understand their needs in order to deliver the best solutions
• Focus on the details, but don’t forget the bigger picture. Know your team’s goals, and seek to recognize how your work fits into the broader strategy of the firm
• Build relationships. While you’ll have a lot of projects to drive forward during your internship, take the time to connect with others – both within your intern class, as well as your team, division and others across the firm
• Be open to new ideas, perspectives and possibilities. Those who are successful here are constantly learning and open to looking at things differently and incorporating feedback

This year also marks Goldman Sachs’ 150th anniversary – a milestone we’re very proud of and an opportunity to reflect on our distinctive culture and the contributions of our people past and present. It’s also a time to think about what the next 150 years will look like.

Enjoy your summer, and make each moment count.

David