This last point is particularly important because first impressions count. Is your boss ever going to run his or her eye over every single deal? Of course not. But you can bet your life that they will keep a close watch over your first transaction.
So it came as no surprise to me when a banker friend told me she was worried sick when she got her hands on her first bond issue for her new employer this week. Truth be told, it was just a simple private placement denominated in local currency — something that she had done many many times before.
But the pressure this time around was so great that she could not sleep the night before the deal. While some might have considered popping a sleeping pill, my dear friend was so worried about oversleeping that she instead decided to stay awake the entire night.
To make extra sure that she did not fall asleep, she found solace in her Nespresso machine, downing six shots of coffee, one straight after the other. And boy did she pay for that.
While the espresso certainly kept her up, it also sent her straight to the emergency ward with acute stomach seizures. Not only did she miss her first trade, she also ended up missing an entire week of work. What a debut!