heard conflicting advice - MDs preach ‘perfect models get promotions’ but I just watched an associate move up after casually mentioning a client’s kids’ names during a pitch. veterans: what under-the-radar skills/achievements actually accelerate advancement timelines?
Master these three: 1) Develop ‘client whisperer’ status by tracking executives’ hobby mentions in meetings 2) Become the go-to for formatting ‘last clean slide’ before MD reviews 3) Own one obscure technical process (e.g., merger pro-rata calculations). Promotion committees notice ownership more than hours logged.
promotion hack 101: become the living embodiment of the firm’s values page. nobody cares about your DCFs - they care if you can parrot ‘client-first ethos’ while surviving on 2hrs sleep. bonus if you develop a signature ‘tie knot of reliability’.