I followed his advice and accepted a position with a bank in Boston where I was part of a management training program. I figured I would get into the financial industry and then, down the road, pivot and do what I originally intended. A couple of years in, after completing the management program, I cold called my way into a job at First Boston (later Credit Suisse First Boston), an investment bank.
At First Boston, I became a corporate bond salesman working with large institutional clients who managed multi-billion dollar fixed income portfolios. I loved it, and I spent the next 17 years with the company in various capacities, including running the institutional businesses in New England.
My father was originally from Arlington, Massachusetts, and ended up practicing law in Washington, D.C., where I was born and lived as a child. He was a big influence on me in two particular ways.
First, he treated everybody with dignity and respect, no matter who they were, what their job was, or what they did or did not have. It has always stuck with me. At a young age, I was very aware of my surroundings and saw that some people were more fortunate than others. Because of that awareness, I’ve always felt strongly that people should give back when they can or be helpful in some way when they have the opportunity to do so.
Second, my father was a great listener. If someone had an issue or problem, instead of trying to solve it, he would ask “What’s the issue, and what are you thinking?” He would let you lead the process of thinking through the issue and talking about it, eventually weighing in with his thoughts. That’s helped me greatly in my career. With every team I’ve led, I always ask, “What do you think?” as opposed to saying, “Just go do this.”
Another valuable lesson I learned from both my father and mother is that most issues in life are not a matter of life or death. The sun will come up tomorrow morning and things will generally be okay. I’ve always strived for balance—never too high, never too low—and that came from watching how my parents moved through the world.