I meet many people with big job titles who don’t seem particularly special – and others who work hard, are clearly talented, and yet repeatedly miss out on the big promotions. Is there a formula to securing that career jump from good to great? Or are some people just luckier, finding themselves in the right place at the right time?
Last week, I shared the experience of interviewing a woman with a punk hairstyle and Doc Martens for a role that entailed meeting senior – and rather conventional – business leaders.
I managed money professionally for 15 years, and over that time I learned that being a good investor wasn’t correlated with how much research I did (assuming I’d covered the basics), or even how well I understood my own approach to risk and return – although that was important.
My nine children have very different attitudes to money: a few are interested to the point of checking share prices daily and wanting a City career; others’ eyes glaze over at the very mention of finance.