The Champion Leader

Chapter 1Leadership Connection Perfection (Lead with Emotional Intelligence and Bring People Together to Achieve Incredible Results)

“Psychic satisfaction is what employees and even external customers are primarily seeking.”

—Herb Kelleher

At the dawn of my business career, I began working in finance at the corner of Wall Street and Broad Street in Lower Manhattan looking to learn about stocks, bonds, and everything in between. I was an intern for one of the largest specialist firms on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). I fell in love with the close‐knit environment, the jokes, the importance of every moment, and the incredible speed at which the job moved. In at 8:30, finished by market close at 4 p.m.—and those 7.5 hours felt like a New York minute.

I learned early on what makes the millions of speedy transactions worth billions of dollars every day work: human beings. Despite all the technological advances of how orders were placed and deals closed, at its core, it was a people business that attracted me. People communicating with other people and relying on each other. Understanding the rhythm, body language, and pace of work.

After I graduated college, I came back to interview for a job with the same specialist firm. I was eager to embark on what I hoped would be a long career in New York finance. I met one of the partners for lunch and had a great conversation. I connected well with everyone the previous summer and earned their respect by being eager to ...