Best VP you’ve ever seen

Given the audience I expect everyone to be like "the rockstar VPs *love* getting into the trenches and spreading comps alongside the analysts at 1 am" 

I think the very best VPs seem to have hacked investment banking. So they have tremendous respect from senior bankers without seeming to work very hard

They have an uncanny knack for knowing precisely what an MD wants to see in materials, so their teams don't waste much time turning changes.

They run seamless processes and take a flexible approach to delegating, so they involve themselves as much as necessary. They also have solid relationships with clients and understand how they're thinking about deals/issues - this also saves their teams time and effort. It also makes them a valuable potential reference for analysts.

This creates a virtuous cycle where senior bankers respect them enough to put them on good deals while not scrutinizing their work product. This attracts the best juniors, which makes the VP's life even easier

Paradoxically, the worst VPs also often work the hardest and seem to be the most miserable. ​​​