Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Interactions beyond simply producing quality work

While I learned a great deal about the investment banking field from my time at BOCI, perhaps the most valuable skill I acquired was how to interact with other members of the company. In our education system, we are led to believe that merely good work on exams and assignments are all that are necessary to succeed. However, in the real world, that is not simply the case. Your relationships and how you present yourself play a huge role to your success at any given company.

For me, I frequently observed my boss and his mannerisms within the company. After studying my boss, Timothy Geng, I have truly come to respect all the small details he focuses on that ultimately carried him to the position he is right now. As a fairly young man that has already climbed the corporate ladder in BOCI to become the Senior VP of General Industries, his career path is something that I strive to follow in the footsteps of. While it is unquestioned that he understands his field and has an unrivaled work ethic, a large part of Timothy’s success within the company can be attributed to his supreme understanding of social dynamics.

First off, my supervisor makes everyone in the company feel welcome. I still remember on my first day when Mr. Geng gave me a tour of the investment banking department and introduced me to nearly everyone on the floor. He remembered everyone’s names and shared casual jokes with them throughout the process. He then let me get settled in before he brought myself and the other intern aside to explain everything our job entails as well as the intricacies the whole department deals with. While I was happy with this overview on the first day, I thought nothing too much of it. I assumed that this introduction was a natural process that all newly hired employees go through. It was only after I found out from the other interns that their bosses did not do the same that I truly appreciate what my boss went through to make me feel welcome within the company.

This sense of belonging did not fade beyond the first day. Throughout the internship, my boss would continually check up on how I was doing in regards to both my work and my life adjusting to Hong Kong. We had many conversations about our personal lives and I really felt connected to my supervisor on a level beyond that of a professional setting. With regards to my work, he was very demanding, but not once did he ever yell or belittle me when I made mistake. This reaction has consequently caused me to be even more meticulous with my work. Rather than being scared of my supervisor like so many other interns dealt with, my motivation was that I did not want to disappoint and cause trouble for Timothy.

This of course extended beyond just his interactions with me. Mr. Geng has always went out of his way to hold conversations with any employee in the department, regardless of position. He would constantly walk over to random cubicles to check up on people’s personal lives. Despite his fairly busy workload, he always finds time for his fellow co-workers. Timothy is one of the smartest bankers I know. However, it is his mastery of social interactions that make me truly respect him as a role model.