Whose fault is it..
Hi all,
As an analyst, I collaborated with an AVP on a project that had a Monday morning deadline (today). I completed my part of the work and submitted it to the AVP on Saturday morning. The AVP completed their portion of the work by Monday morning, around 8 AM. and combined our work.
At around 10 AM, I conducted a quick review before forwarding it to the Director as the DDL is coming. Unfortunately, during his review, the Director discovered several significant issues in the AVP's portion of the project.
Despite my efforts to address these issues, I was subsequently blamed by the Director for the shortcomings in the AVP's work.
When attempting to explain the situation to the Director, I was met with the assertion that I had not adequately understood the AVP's work.
However, I want to clarify that while I did review the work, I did not produce it myself and may not have been as familiar with it as the AVP....
The Director kept saying it was a "performance issue." I was so confused... until now. Any suggestion on this?
The blame falls 100% on everyone involved in situations like this. You and the AVP are both equally culpable.
That is how IB works. If you worked on something, reviewed it and then sent it to your superior, you are liable for 100% of the contents. Typically the person who sends the work catches the brunt of the MD's wrath but it's both of your faults.
If you don't understand what you're actually sending to your MD/Director, you need to take the time to talk through it with the AVP. What were you planning on doing when the Director asked you specifics about what you had sent to him? Stuttering and stammering and saying "uh, ask the AVP"? Becoming an experienced Analyst/Associate is all about actually being able to understand the work you're producing, instead of just being a data puller and entry person forever.
Thanks for your response, I really appreciate it!
I didn't have time to discuss it - I think that is the key issue - as he shared it with me near the deadline. Maybe I should inform D next time? AVP didn't cc anyone.
I was able to explain most of the reasons to D, but D kept asking me why I needed to structure the wording and why AVP's part was missing some points. For example, I could mention some points like XYZ, but AVP didn't include his part. D thought it was my fault for not including it in the presentation.
The next time in a similar situation, what would be the correct way to solve this? Many thanks!
Realistically, without knowing context, I kinda assume that you just got put in a tough spot. Especially if you're actually only an Analyst 1. Practically speaking, your Director is who he is and if he's going to blame you for this type of stuff then all you can do is try your hardest.
So maybe next time, when you know you're largely responsible for a certain deliverable, and someone else is doing a section or piece of it, try and talk through even the piece that you aren't doing to make sure you understand the full analysis. Basically don't say "Okay, will do" and start working on it until you understand the piece your AVP will be doing as well as the piece you will be doing, since you know you're eventually going to be liable for presenting it.
Again, in the real world, this isn't a perfect strategy and if you're still a relatively new analyst you are drinking from a massive firehose and shouldn't be immediately expected to understand 100% of a financial model, CIM, deliverable, etc. Probably your Director is just out of touch with what the rank and file do all day, was having a bad day, is mostly mad at at the AVP, but he bitched at you because you were the messenger. If that's the case, it's BS, but all you can do is try your best to get in front of it. Learning which senior bankers are unreasonable and how to cover your ass while dealing with them is unfortunately part of corporate life.
Its boss man fault
Unfortunately it's your fault- take this as a lesson of when you say "I have reviewed x" you are putting your stamp on the entirety of the product and it's validity. Ofc your AVP is a goon for making a bunch of mistakes, just means you need to check his stuff next time. No big deal but the earlier you learn to take ownership of a project the easier it'll be on you.
Many thanks! What would you recommend for the next time? For instance, if I receive a piece of work near the deadline and don't have the capacity to check the details like this time.
Lol just don't say you've checked it then. Good rule of thumb for anything is to CYA. "See attached for the consolidated, I scanned through quickly and made some small fixes but given the accelerated deadline wasn't able to check through in-depth. Let me know if you'd like me to do so/ if we can adjust the timeline accordingly" or something to that effect.
What the hell is an AVP? Assistant Vice President ?
It's your position.
Yes
He’s right. Sometimes my MD will go into a deck and make a bunch of typos and formatting errors. Your supposed to clean things up because that’s your job.
He didn't actually make those mistakes or any technical errors given his experience. I reviewed the data and formatting to ensure everything was fine. The issue is that he failed to articulate his part logically, such as the wording and overall structure.
Disagree with posters here. It is your fault, but mostly the AVP's / Associate's. As an Analyst 1, it is your job to begin learning fundamental Excel and PPT skills, but also to begin learning how to review work and take ownership. It is the Associate's job to do higher level work and review and present materials. Otherwise, what is the point of having an Associate if the Analyst does the work and is also responsible to check and present?
A good Director / MD should put some blame on you, but ultimately blame the Associate in my experience. A good Associate will also take the blame for you - I used to do that / still do that. If I told my Analyst to do something for me and its wrong, yes he / she is not faultless for doing it wrong, but it is also my fault for not checking and understanding it properly.
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