There are sights, events, and people that inspire you and change your course in life. I spent the last week in the company of Daniel Maury and I think he's one of those people for me. Many of the older people who have given me guidance have said that careers go in cycles: happy and grinding, inspired and muddling. Since school I've really been in the unhappy catagory, though recently I have begun to re-evalute my muddling label. I think there is quite a bit going on - but back to Daniel. He's the first person I've come across that I really want to work for and with, regardless of the product involved. It is exciting and inspiring to be in his company and he is a truely brilliant and charismatic man. He become an ED at 35 after running his own online trading platform business and working for Arthur Anderson and JP Morgan. Now he's in Fixed Income in UBS and I'm seriously considering looking into roles there to get into his reporting structure.
What Daniel did for me in the final review meeting, and I doubt he was aware of it, is reassure me after a year and a half of doubt, that I CAN be good at this. I will get as far and as I high as I want to go. I have the potential to do this and do it well. If he can do this - if he can be excited by his work, there must be something in this firm for me too. Hearing him say this was more powerful than hearing it from anyone else I've heard it from.