Associate at our firm always passes the buck
We have an associate that always claims to be busy, but ask anyone if this person has delivered anything of value and the answer is always no. Further this person pushes back on everything and dies on the worst hills during. Example, claimed to be maintaining a diligence question list (so easy you can’t fuck it up) and client asked for a summary. Took 48hrs and was missing a ton of questions/answers. Associate sent it directly to the client even though MD, Director and VP said not to before it went through review.
What’s worse is during mid-years this person said they were killing it. Always shows up late (doesn’t finish in the wee AM hours, but shows up at 11am or later). Doesn’t take any leadership with the Analysts. And sends snarky emails to senior people on our team regarding any ask. Even asks that are more than reasonable (eg investor asked for an updated MP given the change in forecast, can you update and send? Response from associate: what’s wrong with the old one? All they did was modify cash burn. Let’s just send the old one and voiceover the change.) no fucking joke.
So what the hell do we do with this person? The associate is smart, but the attitude is literally horrendous.
Doesn't seem that smart if he/she takes 48 hours to get a diligence question list summary wrong. All of this should have been communicated to to him/her at the mid-year. If no improvement, give em a shit bonus and be upfront and say they do not have a future at the firm. Hopefully the message is loud and clear so they leave.
Has this been a recurring issue or one as of recent? If the latter, try to communicate this if you haven't already. The attitude problem should have been addressed during the mid-year either way.
If you believe he/she is smart from your prior experiences or from other people's input, perhaps they've done solid work at one point but may be going through some burnout. My mentality was in a similar place after working for a few years with little vacation for an extended period of time, while being overworked. Felt revitalized after taking a few weeks off, and my working dynamic improved significantly with my teams afterwards. Everyone can benefit from taking a few weeks to recharge
Attitude can be easy to adjust - it's a matter of motivation and engagement in the role. If nothing changes by year end, then let the bonus reflect this
Response from associate: what's wrong with the old one? All they did was modify cash burn. Let's just send the old one and voiceover the change.
Sounds like a chad. I like this guy
For real, he should be a VP by now tbh.
Part of me also thinks this wasn't that bad of an idea (although, coming from an Associate seems to be out of line at that level). But when you develop a reputation for being arrogant, then even the smallest things seem like major attitude problems.
You are looking at this completely wrong!
One of the most powerful things I have learned is that you have to respect people's time in at a company. No matter what you may think of that person, any person, if they have survived in that company's culture/environment there is a reason for it. Period.
You are asking why this person is a clown. A smarter person would ask, why this person is a clown and still here?.
Who are they aligned with? What do they do correctly? What are some of the adaptations that they have made to stay in the company? And, more importantly, what can you learn from that?
You look at this guy like a clown when you should be looking at him like your next mentor.
This is actually incredibly good advice for anyone reading this. Believe or not folks the working world is no meritocracy. This person could be well connected in that they provide value to one powerful person and that person protects them. There is probably more to the dynamic with guy than you know. Truly shit performers get canned almost immediately.
Seems like seniors are well aware of this guy's issues, people can say whatever they want about their reviews but their bonus will ultimately reflect performance. Some people are just terrible at their jobs. At least they're not screwing over analysts but simultaneously making seniors think they are the golden child (happens occasionally)
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