Wall Street Financial Truth

Chapter 26 What Chinese Can Get on Wall Street (2)
3. Communication - the most valued ability on Wall Street

After more than ten years of hard work in the workplace, I gradually understand the importance of communication skills.As the name suggests, it means communication, but it actually refers to skilled communication skills: being able to communicate with superiors and subordinates in a timely, accurate, and error-free manner, thereby establishing harmonious interpersonal relationships, benefiting both others and oneself.This kind of skill is especially important in the Wall Street workplace, but it happens to be the weakness of the Chinese on Wall Street.In fact, even if they speak the same language, they may not be able to communicate smoothly.

In North America, whether it is browsing newspaper advertisements or looking for a job through headhunting, the first requirement of employers for employees is always 'Strong Communication Skills'.English is my second language. After going abroad, I went through a language barrier for a long time before I could speak American English fluently.Therefore, it is natural to understand this article as the employer's requirements for the applicant's English listening, speaking, reading, writing, and adaptability.Just imagine, which employer would use an employee who doesn't even distinguish between "male and female" (the most common slip of the tongue when Chinese speak English is to say "he" as "she").

Let me tell you an old joke first.A dear friend held a banquet for guests. It was almost noon, and there were still a few people who hadn’t arrived. He said to himself: “Why didn’t you come?” Hearing this, some guests thought: I shouldn't have come?" So they got up and said goodbye.The man regretted his wrong words very much, and quickly explained: "Why did you leave if you shouldn't?" The guest who stayed behind thought: "Then I should be the one who should leave?" , In the end, there was only one long-time friend left.The friend scolded him and said: "Look at you, you really can't talk, and you are driving the guests away." The man argued, "I'm not talking about them." They! That's me!" He sighed and left too.This is a joke made by people who don't understand communication.

Then again, almost all Chinese who can enter Wall Street are highly educated and have high IQs, and they are all people who think highly of themselves.When these people encounter problems, they try their best to solve them by themselves. They are most afraid of the disdainful eyes of their colleagues, which is more uncomfortable than being whipped.At work, if the progress has lagged behind, the Chinese will want to rely on their own efforts, work overtime, and secretly catch up, instead of reporting the truth to the superiors and everyone working together to solve the problem.Dawang, who used to work with me, has strong personal ability. He grew up surrounded by various praises since he was a child. When he entered Wall Street, of course he wanted to show his skills.

Once, their team of four took on a small project.A colleague who writes documents collects customer requirements; a colleague is responsible for designing the model; Dawang’s job is to develop according to the model, and another colleague conducts testing.After seeing the client's request, the king went out early and returned late every day, working hard alone.His boss thought that he had just joined the company and needed to adapt in all aspects, and gave him plenty of time, and often asked him about the progress of the project.This dude wants to make a big splash, so he always answers quickly.A few days before the end of the project, his boss asked him about the progress of the project, but unexpectedly he reported to his boss, 'I am finished.'

His boss was anxious when he heard that, what, he was finished after making trouble for a long time (I am finished means "finished")!The task is not completed yet?Then he got angry from the heart, and reprimanded him with "Fuck" bitterly, which made Monk Zhang Er confused, and was even more anxious to explain again and again: 'I am finished, I am finished.'

Finally, the boss finally understood what the king meant: I am done.Dawang not only completed his own part, but also finished the testing work and corrected several small errors in the model.If in China, Dawang's performance is likely to be greatly praised.However, in Wall Street, a place with a high degree of division of labor, he committed a taboo in the workplace.Fortunately, his boss thought that he had just joined the company, so he would not pursue it after a few lessons, otherwise, he would really be "finished".

After that lesson, the king realized the importance of communication skills, and communication must be carried out through accurate oral English.After all, he is a smart person. When working on projects in the future, Dawang not only pays attention to maintaining communication with his superiors, but also often informs his team members about the progress of the work.Due to the great business ability of the king, he soon became the backbone of the team and the right-hand man of the boss.

Another time, their group was about to collaborate with two other groups on a new project.As usual, before the new project is developed, there is a Kick-Off Meeting (kick-off meeting, which refers to the meeting at the beginning of the project, just like the beginning of a kick-off game). The leaders of the three groups and the backbone of each group will all participate and discuss Regarding the structure of the project, the boss also asked Shang Dawang to participate.The king was very excited and prepared in advance, wanting to take this opportunity to perform well.

A few days later, the three groups got together for a meeting. When discussing structural issues, Dawang’s boss suggested that because the new project is not complicated, only the master-slave structure design is needed, so that the development time is short; but Dawang denied it at the meeting. The master-slave structure, he believes that this structure is not conducive to the further expansion of the system, and a layer must be added in the middle. He has no scruples like "slapping" and talked a lot, explaining the advantages of this system, He didn't notice that his boss' face was getting darker.

How could the king have thought that even though he is a technical backbone, he is still a latecomer in the team and a novice with the lowest qualifications.Generally, supervisors and colleagues are seniors when discussing projects with other groups.In this case, when newcomers express their ideas, they should try to adopt a low-key and roundabout way.Especially without knowing the inside story, such as how much money was allocated to the development project, and the length of the period.

And when you disagree with your boss, no matter in China or in the United States, you must take into account the face of the other party.Don't think that Americans are more straightforward than Chinese, so they can speak freely. Especially in public, the boss also cares about face.

Fortunately, Da Wang's superiors knew him very well and knew that he was bookish, so they didn't give him any shoes.Immediately after the meeting, I suggested that the king sign up for the Toastmaster training class (Toastmaster is a global non-profit club that allows him to train his communication skills through simulation exercises and instant feedback-editor's note), so as to train the way of speaking on different occasions.

Today's king has long been a master in the workplace. He understands that on Wall Street, everyone is a screw in a small group, a medium-sized department, or a large company, and communication is the most important ability.Communication is based on "cooperation" and "understanding".Only by fully understanding the responsibilities of colleagues and superiors and subordinates, putting yourself in their position, and considering their needs, will you not either affect the combat effectiveness of the entire team, or rashly offend your superiors, and almost "smash" yourself and others. Other people's jobs!

4. Dress in style – be Wall Street snobby

It is said that there is an evaluation of the "three temperaments" of overseas Chinese in China: first, "spending money is stingy". They are all soaked in sweat, and they naturally have to calculate when spending money; second, it is true that they "speak foreign style". I think most people don't speak foreign language just to "show off"; thirdly, "dress in rustic style", I am deeply touched by this, and have made many jokes.

After graduation, I went to Wall Street to look for a job. I sent out a lot of resumes, but the chance of interviews was close to zero.why?Later, a headhunter broke through this layer of "window paper" and said, my suit is not all fur, the style of leather shoes is not fashionable, the socks are too short and the color does not match the leather shoes, and the tie is not fancy enough. regular.I thought that Americans dress casually, but I didn't expect Wall Street to be so demanding on dress.In order to conform to the "on the street" rules, I changed my clothes from top to bottom: crisp worsted cotton white shirt; exquisite cuff buttons; Italian silk red tie, dark in color, which set off the white shirt and black suit perfectly. Appropriate, not as old-fashioned as bright red; the black leather shoes have been polished to shine, and a few wrinkles have been deliberately made to look more decent; the briefcase has also been replaced with genuine Italian sheepskin, which is extremely soft.When I changed into this outfit and stood in front of headhunters, the chances of interviews increased exponentially.It cannot be said that Wall Streeters are snobbish.Just imagine, when a person has not yet spoken and has not had the opportunity to show his talents, others can only judge whether this person understands the rules based on his appearance.There is a saying in English: "First impression last."

Not long after entering Wall Street, the company's new regulations stipulate that you can wear casual wear on Fridays, that is, you don't need to go to work in suits and leather shoes.In this way, new troubles appeared again.The vast majority of Chinese people in the company think that Polo brand T-shirts and shirts are of high quality.On Fridays, everyone passed by and glanced secretly. Everyone had a logo of riding a horse and swinging clubs on their chests, which looked like a uniform, so silly.Looking back at Laomei, the clothes are well matched from top to bottom. There is no logo on the clothes, but the texture is very good.Only then did I understand that "casual wear" is not casual wear, but more demanding than a suit, and it is more difficult to match, and the taste of the dress is superior.A colleague from Taiwan, who likes Mack Jackson, once wore black leather shoes and white socks, and the trouser legs were shrunk to the calf.Lao Mei looked at him and snickered, teased him, and made him catwalk.

All in all, shirts, ties, suits, and leather shoes are absolutely necessary to work on Wall Street, and you must be shaved and have your nose and nails clean.That's true for us [-]-to-[-] guys, and it's not easy for the ladies either.

Women's attire for work is also very knowledgeable. Clothes that are too sexy are definitely not acceptable, as this will have a psychological impact on the colleagues around them.This is especially true for women in senior positions, who dress too sexy and are seen as incompetent, regardless of their skills.Summer poses the greatest challenge to women's attire, with unlined skirts or miniskirts, anything that reveals the color of a bra or the line of panties, should be avoided lest male colleagues whisper.After the women in the company are promoted, they tend to be more cautious and selective in choosing clothes than ordinary female colleagues.

At the time, there was an opening for an assistant vice president in our department. There were two female candidates, both of whom were eligible for promotion, and there was only one. Who would get it?I made a bet with two colleagues in the group that the one who always wears a pair of scuffed shoes at work will definitely lose.Why?The details are very important. Perhaps, the lady thinks that high heels squeeze her feet, so she puts on comfortable sandals when she arrives at the company. Even if her other clothes can’t be faulted, those shoes will drag her back. The overall image has been greatly reduced.

Politicians and celebrities, for the sake of their careers, must also pay attention to their appearance.Hillary and Clinton are typical examples.On more than one occasion, she has been criticized by her political opponents for being too rigid and masculine.During the presidential campaign, in order to highlight her role as wife and mother in order to win the public vote, she constantly changed her attire, deliberately reinforcing the traditional soft image of women.

In American companies, it is legal for employers to require employees to specify clothing.Actually, we don't need to read a company manual to know what to wear to work.When we are new to a company, the easiest thing to do is to look around: see if the manager takes off his or her coat at work: is he or she wearing skinny jeans or a short skirt, etc., so that mistakes can be avoided.Even if you don't need to meet clients for your job, you still need to pay attention to your attire to make a good impression on your boss or future boss.

When I knew how to dress for work, one day I received an invitation from my boss to attend a party at his mansion in Long Island.Because I remembered that the boss usually dressed well, I put on a serious suit and took the train to Long Island in a decent way.The boss picked me up in a red Ferrari.He opened the car door and walked over to me, staring at me like an alien.And I thought I had misread it. The boss was wearing flip flops, beach shorts, and a pink T-shirt. That outfit was quite different from his usual image, like a young hip-hop dancer.Of course I was so surprised that I didn’t know what to say, but the boss teased me jokingly, why, our family is fine, whose funeral are you coming to?As soon as he arrived at his house, he hurriedly found out his son's casual clothes for me to change. It was a barbecue party that day, and he wore a suit and leather shoes to eat barbecue. Isn't it funny?
Since then, whenever I attend a party, I will definitely ask 'What's the dress code? 'Lest embarrassment make a joke.Near the end of the year, the company held a Christmas party on the cruise ship, and I learned that that night was casual wear just like going to work on Friday.And that day, there was an old middle-aged colleague who was wearing a neat suit, so the old American colleague asked him what he wanted to eat when he saw him, which made him confused.It was later discovered that he was dressed exactly the same as the waiter in the restaurant on the cruise ship that day.

Having said that, people who have stayed in Europe and the United States for a long time often return to China to visit relatives and friends. They must wear casual clothes and casual shoes, and they will not wander around in suits, leather shoes, and long skirts.But if you return to China to participate in other activities, because you have been away from China for too long, you don't know their dress code.Before participating in various activities, it is best to ask: 'What's the dress code? '

5. Be careful on the laid-off blacklist

On August 2009, 8, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report on the national employment situation. In July, the non-agricultural jobs in the United States lost another 7. Although it was much lower than the average of 7 in the previous three months, unemployment The rate is still as high as 24.7%.Employment prospects remain weak in many industries, particularly those in wholesale trade, transportation, warehousing and finance, which will continue to lose jobs in the future. On August 33.1, Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, pointed out that if you add up those who cannot find a job and those who work less than required, the unemployment rate in the United States will be as high as 9.4%.

As we all know, the financial tsunami was caused by Wall Street.Since the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2007, nearly a quarter of my friends who used to work on Wall Street have unfortunately been laid off. It is very difficult to find a new job. Even if you are lucky enough to return to the original financial field, your salary will be reduced by at least 20% to 30%. %.Therefore, whenever I read that the unemployment rate in the United States remains high, I can't help worrying and sweating for my former classmates, colleagues and friends.But things are often like this, the more you are afraid of something, the more things will come.My New York friend Sister Hu faced the "unfortunate" experience of being laid off.

Sister Hu is an alumnus of my Queens College in New York. When she was 40 years old, she "accompanied" her husband to study for a doctorate in computer science.Her husband received a full scholarship, and she didn't have to work part-time to support the family, but she felt bored staying at home, so she followed the trend and went to school to take a few computer courses.After all, she is old and has a liberal arts background. Her computer degree is really tiring.Fortunately, Sister Hu's husband is very capable, and Sister Hu asked her husband to do all the slightly difficult homework.

(End of this chapter)