Do People Want You As Their Leader?

Many private buysiders feel results are the whole game.
But they leave a lot of juniors and peers feeling less enthusiastic about them as leader than the commercial track record would suggest.
The delta?

Humans have an instinct to seek mentorship from a more experienced person who:
1. demonstrates expertise to survive / thrive in the world,
2. CRITICALLY, shows an interest in the welfare of the less experienced individual.

For example, I remember working for a VP in my banking days. I looked to him because:
1. he had buy-in from key senior partners and got us work on really cool deals,
2. but, CRITICALLY, he never gave you a felt sense he cared; it was transactional
While people liked working for him because he had interesting work, no one felt loyal to him because he spent no time to slow down and care about others. I remember seeing him a decade later on Vesey at a coffee shop -- hoping for a brief reunion to reminisce -- he waved hello and said "gotta go"

As you ascend in buyside leadership, process and results are table stakes. The bigger differentiator I see in those who go from inner circle lieutenant to senior leader -- is this ability to create a "felt sense" of care in the juniors.

Slow down a minute today. What do you notice when you enter a room?
1. Enthusiastic juniors bought in to working for you and seeking your continued guidance?
2. Or heads down, people taking orders -- feeling a bit disconnected from your one-track focus on your own agenda?

#privateequity #privatecredit #buyside