Ideas to further show appreciation for my favorite senior?
Current 2nd year in IB that just signed an immediate start exit and will be leaving. I worked extensively with 1 senior who was the best person I have ever worked with out of all of my bosses, coaches, professors, etc.
Besides meeting with him and expressing my appreciation in person along with a hand written thank you note, I wanted ideas on how to further display my appreciation if anyone had any ideas.
For context, here are some things that made him great:
-Had a "no weekend work" rule for his juniors. He would always push back on client requests that would cause weekend work.
-Would constantly say "I know how busy you are, so we are just going to re-use this book, this page, etc so you can focus on your other work"
-After EVERY single meeting, he would personally come to my desk, shake my hand, and say thank you very much for the hard work on this book. He has done this to me 75+ times.
-Whenever he would meet with big time CEOs or CFOs, he would bring them to my desk and introduce me as the "Star analyst who was responsible for the meeting materials"
-Would take me out to lunch very very often
-Would bring me coffee / desserts / treats without asking very very often
-Never once showed any frustration on mistakes, fuck ups, anything at all
-Deadlines were incredibly incredibly reasonable. If another senior or client had an unrealistic request he would ALWAYS push back for us
-Times where I told him I was staffed to the max and had no capacity on his work, he would smile and say "no probelm at all" and then I would see him in actual excel backups / powerpoint
-Would constantly ask how my family is doing, how my friends are, what my plans are this weekend, etc
-Would often do "mental health" check ins, make sure I am doing okay
I could go on and on , but hope this paints the picture. He was truly a saint.
Buy him a call girl for the night you leave
Sounds like the absolute man. He has enough money where no matter the cost, a gift won't mean as much. If he is old-school, I would 100% write a long handwritten letter about how much he meant to my career and how I should carry myself as I progress. A nice bottle of whisky might be a nice touch.
Keep it consise but otherwise good advice.
Agree but a classic Montblanc pen or good Scotch will keep you in his mind
I’d buy the Mont Blanc 149 diplomat fountain pen or the JFK
You don't need to be grandiose. A few nice words in a concise, handwritten note is as much as he'll even want from you. Kinda weird when juniors get all sappy when they leave, honestly. So many people come and go from this industry and none of us are that special. I'm sure he'd appreciate the gesture but I don't think an Analyst 2 buying their MD a gift card for a steakhouse or anything is necessary, considering dude makes like 8x what you do. Just let him know that he inspired you to take his approach of leading by example and with empathy. I think that's the main thing a guy in his position will want to know - that he made a positive impact on someone he mentored. Anything else is overkill and potentially gay.
Unless you're a hot chick and he's single....then go nuts. And lick the shaft too while you're down there.
hahahhaah took a turn at the end
Sadly have nothing to add as I’m just a sophomore, but this gives me hope for office culture as someone hoping to break in.
A token gesture as a thank you, is more than sufficient.
Scotch has been the traditional/standard drink of choice in finance, for generations -- during my father's era, all senior leadership had Scotch in the office (and sometimes cigars), to offer someone.
Back then, a bottle of Scotch was the default gift, thank you, congratulations, etc.
Nowadays, you don't see it as much; but those in senior-level roles, still tend to remember the "tradition" of giving Scotch.
I would say, if you want to go all out, buy him a small bottle of decent Scotch, with a handwritten card, saying "Thanks for everything" and leave it on his desk, without making it awkward.
I am very much a traditionalist when it comes to certain traditional expectations of treating senior level leadership with a certain regard (and that mutual interaction); and I think you have the right mindset, which is noteworthy.
However, for a Junior to give a gift to a Senior; it can be somewhat awkward at times (not bad, but awkward).
A bottle of Scotch, and a handwritten card, left on his desk; it achieves the goal, meanwhile avoids the awkward moment.
I would suggest something along that line.
Great response, thank you so much. Have a good one.
Sounds like a man with incredible emotional control, intelligence and empath for others. A great leader.
I would take him out for a beer/drink at a nice bar and express your gratitude for working under him. Experiences and interactions are remembered more than physical gifts. That being said, I’d get him a hand-written card with a bottle of whatever spirit he ordered the evening you went out, or expressed he liked. Don’t overdo it.
What is he like as a senior in terms of performance? Is he a rainmaker? Respected around the office? Trying to understand if it’s possible to “be a great boss” but also generate a lot for the company by way of fees.
Wow sounds like an incredible person. That’s the type of senior you’d run through a brick wall for that’s fs
Tell him that he showed you what it takes to be a good boss, and that you hope to emulate him one day. That’s gonna matter more than any gift.
Now here’s the kicker … you actually need to act like him when you’re a boss. It’s a zillion times easier to spew your negative emotions and stress on juniors, and to hog the limelight when they do something good. To cave in. To grind them like some jerk ground you before. This behavior perpetuates because it’s easy and effective in the short term.
What your boss did day-in / day-out took guts, backbone and empathy. It’s not always easy to do what’s right, and sometimes you bear real personal costs. The very very best gift you could give your boss is to lead your teams the same way, even when (especially when) it’s hard.
a bottle of Petrus/Lafite/DRC
I too once had the absolute pleasure under such MD. Absolute joy.
Sounds like an amazing MD for sure. I'd take the MD out for lunch / dinner / drinks and tell them directly face-to-face how much you appreciate everything they've done for you rather than leaving a note. Make sure you pay for lunch / dinner / drinks ofc.
I had a similar great experience and on exit gave my boss a bottle of Glenlivet 18yr scotch. We still keep in touch to this day 4+ years later. Good bosses and mentors are a rarity in my experience, especially people willing to truly go to bat for your success and progression.
damn what bank is this
While I agree that a fine, aged scotch would go a long way, I think the finest gift of all would be an enduring relationship. Throw a semi-annual invite on his calendar to catch up regularly. There are few things that make people feel better than hearing about the success of those they've mentored.
Wow - quite a story! Which bank was that? Sounds so unreal and being in the industry for 10+ in 3 different banks never heard about someone like that… you got very lucky in your first job and if I were you, would put the note together and probably a bottle of his favourite alcohol
Man a boss like that would make me want to stay in IB haha
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