Bio: Khe attended Yale University and has 15 years of finance experience, mostly as a fund of funds investor. Khe was promoted to Managing Director at Blackrock at the age of 31, and last year left to explore entrepreneurial passions around community building and helping people be their best selves. See his full bio below. Here are some principles he lives by:
Don't “Network”
Genuinely help people. Build meaningful relationships, instead of asking for introductions or advice. Younger employees often feel insecure that they have very little to offer to older ones, and that it is an asymmetric relationship. Remember though, making a genuine offer to help is a strong and noticeable gesture. Furthermore, any one, irrespective of age, has something unique to offer: a unique perspective.
Set Up Systems
It isn't human nature for us to remember so many names and details— so don't bank on just using your brain. Organize relationships based on interests (i.e. sports or hobbies) as well as by frequency of contact . Use a simple spreadsheet or an off-the-shelf CRM. Building and maintaining relationships takes immense effort and precision, the same way you would treat your job or your work out.
Think Long Term
Like any “investment,” you will not see any results for a long time. There are no shortcuts. But if you genuinely care about helping people, then you are executing on a passion. The more you care, the more your “network” will become just “friends.” Have fun with it, remember at the end of the day it’s just people, like you and I, who have passions, quirks, aspirations, and experiences. Connect on the “human” side and the “professional” side will work itself out. Trust me.
Think Different
Getting people's attention these days itself requires creativity. Write a hand-written note saying thank you. Old friend's belated birthday? Send them a video of you singing them happy birthday. Remember: you are not just competing with every other kid trying to get a job— you're competing against everyone in their life, period. Flex those creative muscles - go the extra mile to show that you care.
Full Bio: Khe attended Yale University and has 15 years of finance experience, mostly as a fund of funds investor. Khe was promoted to Managing Director at Blackrock at the age of 31, and last year left to explore entrepreneurial passions around community building and helping people be their best selves. He now runs Rad Reads, a platform of curated content around the topics of leadership, self-inquiry, innovation, and culture.
Khe curates a weekly newsletter, which frequently covers relationship building and leadership. You can subscribe here. He also shares advice on Snapchat @RadReads and blogs on Medium (http://medium.com/@khe).
Hi There, thx for reading the post!
- Very broad exposure to many elements of capital markets. - Less structure, so for the right person the opportunity to be "in the action" sooner - The ability to meet w/some of the smartest investors in the world - Non-traditional career path cuts both ways, you can accelerate quickly w/out being subject to the "track" but it's harder for the outside world to know your experience purely based on title
Cons: - You are removed as decision maker (since you pick managers) - Decisions take a long time (i.e. redeeming can take years) - There are not a lot of "decisions" (you may only make a few inv per year)
Hard to say, they are all over the place depending on firm size but comparable to IBD in those roles
A mix of both. I was a voracious reader of technical materials (text books and white papers) but also (per the article) had built a very extensive network, which gave me unique insights and access. As I progressed, learning how to be client facing was particularly important.
It's already happening. I'm also surprised that HF fees haven't been cut yet, but after a dismal Q1 it appears that there is going to be a major shakeout across the HF managers as well.
This is why I love WSO.
Thanks for doing this Khe!
Could you give any advice on how to find a mentor or request someone to mentor you?
Occasionally I meet successful people much older than me (at work or friends of family) with who I am able to establish a connection, however, I am eager to learn from them but don't know how to go about requesting them to mentor me. Just saying "can you mentor me" feels unnatural. Not sure if anyone has ever approached you with such a request, but any of your thoughts are appreciated.
Thank you!
Hi - glad you appreciate the post.
This is a really good question and there's no clear cut answer. Finding a mentor requires "playing the long game." As you meet people who you respect, your number one question should be "How can I be helpful to them?" It's not always obvious when there is a big gap in age, but always remember that you bring a unique perspective. In fact, when I meet younger folks, I ask them questions like "What are the coolest technologies you and your friends use?" or "Which book/movie/artist was inspirational to your generation?" They have perspective on that, and as an older person, that's very useful.
With regards to your question, as you meet people, listen... Actively listen. Look for any clues about things that interest them. If they mention they like Rutgers football, set up a google alert to pick up the news and if there's a juicy story, pass it along. Always offer up your time to them - you can flat out say, I really enjoy learning from you, I'd love to find ways to work closer together, even if that means doing things outside of my role on the weekends and evenings. Just make yourself helpful, in a respectful way.
I hope that helps. In fact, tomorrow, I'm writing a semi-related post on my blog on Medium (user: @khe)