Acknowledged the poor job I did
So I just started banking a few months back I'm in my mid thirties I did a few jobs before this. I did a very poor job in one of my first pitches earlier this week. I was occupied by execution and didn't think things through as I should. Very basic mistakes.
Today I went to the boss office told him that I know I did a poor job. My mind is very occupied with execution and doing things I never done before versus thinking things through. I was very open with him.
Was a bit shocked by his response. He didn't even look me in the eye. Just said okay but was clearly shocked by what I said.
You think I made a mistake telling him what I did? Was I supposed to just ignore my mistakes like nothing happened?
You don't have to ignore your mistakes but you don't have to grovel before your boss either. A simple acknowledgment of your mistakes followed by a brief explanation of how to improve next time is usually all you have to. Maybe even ask for feedback.
Yah this is weird. I 100% appreciate people who are self aware and know when they did a poor job but no need to randomly go up to your boss and tell him you suck. If you do a debrief after a process you can mention areas of weakness/plans to improve but don’t act like a martyr.
It is annoying when juniors do a poor job and act like they did good work.
My take might me controversial but my philosophy has always been never apologize in investment banking unless you made a colossal screw up on a live deal or RFP (like drawing a middle finger in the slide). My reasoning is that the people in investment banking typically do not have the people skills to take the apology like a proper human being, they are busy so they usually forget about the screw up and most important, you just do a better job next time and they forget about your past unless you have a pattern for screwing up.
I see your point but I did not apologize. I simply acknowledged doing a poor job and told him he'll see big improvement soon.
You're spot on of bankers not having the people skills to take apologies like a human being. That's exactly what I thought when a senior guy like him didn't really know what to do
Agreed with both of you guys. Apology or not, this was probably the issue. He probably viewed it is as a de facto apology.
I'm more of the mindset that you just focus on what you did wrong and make sure to take steps so that you don't make the same mistakes moving forward. When it comes to your strengths and weaknesses, you can say in your annual or periodical performance review, "I've been consciously working on x,y, and z as I know these are things that I can work on", but I agree with everyone else that calling yourself out by your own volition isn't necessary. Unless you are a fresh analyst, I think exhibiting confidence and presence are two of the more underrated aspects of our job and you will lose credibility if you are calling yourself out, especially if it becomes a recurring thing where you are pointing out the mistakes you are making, but not improving on them. Just prove by your actions that you're actively working on your mistakes.
I think better said almost, is don't plant a seed from your end in other people's mind that you are underperforming for any reason. If you make a mistake which gets called out live, obviously own up and apologize and move on, but no need to be a self-martyr and remind people that you messed up once it's all said and done. Honestly if you feel really compelled, just discuss what went wrong with your direct Analyst/Assoc/VP on the deal and frame it constructively.
I don’t know I think being self-aware and acknowledging where things went wrong and actively trying new things to do better in the future is a good sign and shows initiative to improve. You’re new and as long as you get better with reps, that’s what matters.
I’ve gotten harsh criticism in the past, just have to swallow it down and use it to improve. That’s the best way to turn a blow into something positive.
You’re most likely going to work with various seniors so if your experience with one is lukewarm it probably won’t matter much.
Yeah, no need to do that in the future. Better to just let your work speak for itself on the next one.
Echoing the above. Really shouldn’t be highlight errors and weaknesses in banking.
Move on and do better next time.
Replies along the lines of "don't acknowledge weakness" and "never apologize" are pretty weird IMHO. Really not a problem what you did, unless the tone of it was particularly weak and sucking up. When someone in IB makes mistakes, there is sometimes a concern that he doesn't even understand the importance of the mistakes and thus might not even have a clue. Which is a bigger problem. So it can be useful in some cases to quickly let them know that you're aware how bad the mistake is, so that they at least don't have to worry that you lack judgment entirely. Just don't overdo it; a quick "hey just FYI, I realize that screw-up isn't a typical one, won't happen again."
I think you would be better served next time requesting a 15-20 minutes meeting with your boss to discuss your difficulties, than to just go to his office and lay it on him/her. I am sure he/she is very busy. Maybe you have that good open relationship with your boss, in that case it might be fine. But if you schedule a separate meeting, it won't be just an apology session but also ask for his/her guidance on how you can improve.
IMO, it's not the fact that you screwed up, but how you brought it up. you treated your boss like a therapist and "aunt agony" and someone to rant to so you don't feel as guilty.
Don't do that, no one likes to be made use of. If you feel guilty about your shit work or if you have personal things on your mind, go into your boss's office, ask if he has 5 mins, tell him you want to do an "after activity review" and if it's okay if you do it now with him.
if he's fine to do it now, tell him (i) you know you didn't do well, (ii) what was your reason, (iii) what you will do better to prevent this from happening again, (iv) then ask for feedback or his thoughts on how it went.
Preferred to do in a lighter setting like getting coffee or a drink, a few days after is fine or even a week.
I actually have first hand experience in this (i.e. screwing up and feeling like shit the whole week and then deciding to tell my senior). everyone makes small mistakes, but the bigger mistake is ruminating on it. bounce back and learn and get better.
in the words of Kratos, "don't be sorry, be better"
Haven't thought about that angle before of being in his shoes. Thanks!
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