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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/joris-luyendijk-banking-blog/2013/jul/19/happy-banker-fired

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Version 0 Version 1
Does a happy banker change his outlook after he is fired? Does a happy banker change his outlook after he is fired?
(2 months later)
"Do you speak to happy bankers at all?" wrote a director-level banker, working in treasury, to the blog. "Your interviewees all seem so… miserable." Point taken, I replied and a little while later we met for an interview. I wrote up his words and was about to publish them here when something happened that would put his outlook to the test. But neither of us had any inkling of what was to come when he set out his ideas on that first meeting."Do you speak to happy bankers at all?" wrote a director-level banker, working in treasury, to the blog. "Your interviewees all seem so… miserable." Point taken, I replied and a little while later we met for an interview. I wrote up his words and was about to publish them here when something happened that would put his outlook to the test. But neither of us had any inkling of what was to come when he set out his ideas on that first meeting.
"Insiders on your blog who are so negative about the sector… It's not very kind to say so, but they just didn't make it. They get kicked out and then they go complain to the media. It's tough to take, obviously. You had to go while your colleague is still at his desk. Because he was better. Getting sacked at a bank is like getting dumped by a woman who says: 'It's not me, it's you.' When the axe finally falls and I have to go, I hope I'll be the bigger man. Take it on the chin and move on. I had a great time, got paid well and enjoyed it while it lasted.""Insiders on your blog who are so negative about the sector… It's not very kind to say so, but they just didn't make it. They get kicked out and then they go complain to the media. It's tough to take, obviously. You had to go while your colleague is still at his desk. Because he was better. Getting sacked at a bank is like getting dumped by a woman who says: 'It's not me, it's you.' When the axe finally falls and I have to go, I hope I'll be the bigger man. Take it on the chin and move on. I had a great time, got paid well and enjoyed it while it lasted."
He then echoed a view that probably unites all front-office bankers I have spoken to:He then echoed a view that probably unites all front-office bankers I have spoken to:
"The world of investment banking is a meritocracy. Nobody ever asked me what university I went to (I'm a drop-out). I never encountered racism, sexism or homophobia and the simple reason is that people just don't give a fuck who you are. It's what you can do."
"The world of investment banking is a meritocracy. Nobody ever asked me what university I went to (I'm a drop-out). I never encountered racism, sexism or homophobia and the simple reason is that people just don't give a fuck who you are. It's what you can do."
So that was that, I thought as we wrapped up the interview, good to have another "happy banker" on the blog. But then a new email came in: he had been fired. So we met again for a genuinely interesting laboratory experiment: had his views changed?So that was that, I thought as we wrapped up the interview, good to have another "happy banker" on the blog. But then a new email came in: he had been fired. So we met again for a genuinely interesting laboratory experiment: had his views changed?
He looked as healthy and happy as ever, and said:He looked as healthy and happy as ever, and said:
"I may have been on a mental high when doing the first interview with you. Perhaps I already sensed what was coming – maybe the decision had been made already by top management and I had unconsciously picked up on it? Maybe I was mentally preparing myself when talking to you the way I did."
"I may have been on a mental high when doing the first interview with you. Perhaps I already sensed what was coming – maybe the decision had been made already by top management and I had unconsciously picked up on it? Maybe I was mentally preparing myself when talking to you the way I did."
He continued:He continued:
"Looking back I may have fallen victim to the self-serving idea that we control our fate; as long as you're good, nothing bad can happen to you, and since nothing bad has happened to me, it must mean I am good and therefore safe; that sort of thing. In the same way military men tell themselves that they can't die because they don't make mistakes. But the best soldier can drive over a landmine."
"Looking back I may have fallen victim to the self-serving idea that we control our fate; as long as you're good, nothing bad can happen to you, and since nothing bad has happened to me, it must mean I am good and therefore safe; that sort of thing. In the same way military men tell themselves that they can't die because they don't make mistakes. But the best soldier can drive over a landmine."
His bank was helping him find a new job, and overall he seemed very hopeful of staying "in the game". He concluded by drawing a parallel that I suspect many "big-swinging dicks" will subscribe to:His bank was helping him find a new job, and overall he seemed very hopeful of staying "in the game". He concluded by drawing a parallel that I suspect many "big-swinging dicks" will subscribe to:
"Research shows that the life of a wild animal is mostly suffering; stress and fear and pain. Yet do we believe pets to be happier? For me the buzz that comes with the pressure for survival is attractive. I'd rather be the wild animal than the pet."
"Research shows that the life of a wild animal is mostly suffering; stress and fear and pain. Yet do we believe pets to be happier? For me the buzz that comes with the pressure for survival is attractive. I'd rather be the wild animal than the pet."
I know the interviews on this blog are long and, taken together, the interviewee's stories run to almost 3,500 words. Still, the two interviews (before redundancy and after) are really worth your time. He gives fascinating insights into office politics in banks, into the psychological defence mechanisms bankers employ when talking about the risk of redundancy, and into the role of luck in bonus size. The first interview is here, the second here.I know the interviews on this blog are long and, taken together, the interviewee's stories run to almost 3,500 words. Still, the two interviews (before redundancy and after) are really worth your time. He gives fascinating insights into office politics in banks, into the psychological defence mechanisms bankers employ when talking about the risk of redundancy, and into the role of luck in bonus size. The first interview is here, the second here.
Read on …Read on …
This banking blog features interviews with more than 90 insiders across the world of finance. Here is a guide to help you find your way. For insiders there is this index of interviewees ranked by activity. I am still looking for people working in human resources in a bank. Please help this blog: Mail to: jlbankingblog@gmail.com. Anonymity guaranteed. This is a very happy banker: "Do I deserve a million? Well, do you and I deserve to live in the first world?"This banking blog features interviews with more than 90 insiders across the world of finance. Here is a guide to help you find your way. For insiders there is this index of interviewees ranked by activity. I am still looking for people working in human resources in a bank. Please help this blog: Mail to: jlbankingblog@gmail.com. Anonymity guaranteed. This is a very happy banker: "Do I deserve a million? Well, do you and I deserve to live in the first world?"
And this human resources officer talks about what it's like to fire people for a living: "When the call comes, people know right away."And this human resources officer talks about what it's like to fire people for a living: "When the call comes, people know right away."
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