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PROUDLY PRESENTS
David Lewinson
Resident of The USA and 3-DNET® VIP member
Email contact : david.lewinson@exec.org
INTERVIEW WITH 3-DNET®
Listen to sample sound "bites" from the interview:
Question 1 : Tell me about yourself
I was born and educated in England where I was lucky enough to attend private school. I studied classical languages at the University of London and completed my MA at the University of Manchester. Both my parents were born in Eastern Europe and spoke several languages at home and with colleagues – my father was a global news editor for the BBC and my mother was a professor of Russian at the University of London. I found myself constantly exposed to a European way of life and a multifaceted way of dealing with people from all over the world. This upbringing had a dramatic impact on my career, especially once I became an expatriate – first South Africa and then North America. I married an American girl, lived with her in London for nearly two years and then moved back to the United States where I have been for the past 20 years. For virtually my entire career, I have worked for international companies mostly headquartered in Europe and in my most recent position I was commuting across the Atlantic searching for new customers throughout the whole of Europe. This background is one of the best ways of defining who I am – a European citizen who has worked, traveled and lived all over the world.
Question 2 : What can you offer to your next employer ?
I have an in-depth knowledge of dealing with financial institutions all over the world principally as a salesman and developer of new business. I have done this on many different occasions at all levels of decision maker from the owner or CEO downwards and I have always been successful at creating new business relationships where none existed. Above all, I am a total team player and am just as comfortable playing lead or second-string. I get the job done whether as a manager or functional employee and never ask someone to do what I am not prepared to tackle on my own. Above all, I will never compromise my ethical standards and have a proven track-record in this regard with the US regulatory authorities. I work all hours of the day to get the job done but I am a family man who enjoys free time at the weekend. I have never lived on my laurels, but am very proud of my achievements. These have always inspired me to do better and meet new challenges.
Question 3 : What are your strengths ?
Above all, I am a salesman and a dealmaker. I enjoy the chase and I know how to close. I am very self-confident while being totally aware of my limitations. I am not put off by unfamiliar ideas or ephemeral projects since my nose stays to the grindstone until the job is complete. I am multilingual and I use this to my advantage in social and business gatherings. I express myself very succinctly both in writing and in person, but am still able to listen when the situation requires. I like to weigh all the facts, but rarely have the luxury of waiting till they are all known. I always try and present a balanced view but will take decisive action when needed however unpopular. I am able to create an intellectually honest climate for my team and will always work to earn the respect of my peers. Nothing is a given.
Question 4 : What are your accomplishments ?
I have always been a survivor in the corporate world and have been able to reinvent my skills on several occasions whether as an analyst, a salesman, a trader, an investment banker or a specialist in electronic financial systems. I have built client bases from nothing in several countries, I have built commission streams approaching $2 million annually, I have managed disparate teams across a multinational business, and I have developed strategic partnerships and contributed to the creation of a new financial technology company. Above all, I create “cash” for my employers – that is my most significant accomplishment.
Question 5 : What are your limitations ?
Frankly, the sky’s the limit!...I have always embarked on new projects with a willingness to learn, and my ambitions and dreams are just as strong as they were when I moved to the United States 20 years ago. Failure is not part of my vocabulary! it.
Question 6 : How much are you worth ?
I have always been able to justify my earnings in terms of the level of production or responsibility held, and that has usually exceeded the six figure mark for over 20 years. I think most employers would be prepared to pay for results which are what count.
Question 7 : What are your ambitions for the future ?
I have always wanted to run my own department or own company for that matter, but I realize that the key determinant is whether I can produce results whatever job I do. I already have tasted the fruits of success, but I would like to build a structure that can last for a few years and pay me a good living for at least another decade!
Question 8 : How long would it take you start contributing to the firm?
Every job has a learning curve, but I fully expect to hit the ground running on the first day. Typically revenues in the brokerage business start within two to three months while the sales cycle in technology can be much longer. When starting a new business, I usually forecast slightly better than breakeven after 12 months of operations.
Question 9: What is your management style ?
As stated earlier, I never ask anyone to do something I would not be prepared to try myself but I also will not interfere in someone’s job when I do not understand what they do. I always try to learn at first hand what the team members do and why they do certain tasks in a particular way; where possible, I try and cross-fertilize some of those techniques within the whole group and encourage subsets of the team to work with each other or engage in constructive dialogue. I also try and get my reports to challenge their own thinking and to try and find fault with my logic especially if they understand the business very well. If you cannot engage the team with each other and yourself, no management style will help. I do listen for the opinions of others and I do try and justify both unpopular and popular decisions, but I will not tolerate deliberate obstructionism. I build loyalty based on my own ability to help, advise and guide the team, but will always defer to an expert and give him or her due recognition. At the end of the day, ethical decisions are profitable ones
Question 10: Why do you think you have a good potential to be a manager?
I am intellectually honest and extremely proactive in analyzing opportunities and problems. I know how to treat people fairly and how to get them engaged and because I know how to produce results on time and within budget. At the end of the day, I know how to motivate and build up other people’s confidence and I know when to give and take in a difficult circumstance whether work or personal.
Question 11: What would you look for in hiring people?
Above all, I am looking for someone who will be honest about himself/herself no matter the pressure to which they are exposed. This is essential as the team can only function properly if everyone knows their capacities and limitations. I will hire the occasional loner because they may have more drive than a comparable team player, but I am always very aware of the need to make the team work together. A disruptive person, however creative or successful, is rarely a good choice. I personally hire people who have all the talent necessary to grow into a job and can make additional contributions to the success of the group. I prefer to hire people who are as smart as or brighter than me and who have a good sense of humor.
Question 12: As a manager, have you ever had to fire someone?
Yes, a few times. I am always reluctant to pull the trigger until I have given the person in question a chance to improve themselves or to adapt to the situation. In the case of layoffs, I try to help the individual talk about his career and his future and I always provide a solid reference. A manager needs to be dispassionate about the firing process, but if the hire is based on the above principles and the individual does not hurt himself within the company as a whole, then there is rarely a need to fire someone.
Question 13: What do you see as the most difficult task of being a manager?
The hardest part is dealing with the different personalities at all the different levels of the organization. Resistance to change is always one of the greatest obstacles to overcome, and trying to persuade other people successfully that change will bring them and the company benefits takes time. Analyzing the situation within the department or company requires patience and a practical approach. Unfortunately, many financial companies are managed in a haphazard even irrational manner, and attempts to modify that culture can lead to frustration rather than success. Working within the confines of a corporate culture can be the most difficult aspect for any manager.
Question 14: Describe what you feel is the best work environment?
Undoubtedly, where an employee feels like coming in early to work and leaving past his/her due time. Even in a non-cohesive work environment, the energy felt by all employees is markedly different under such circumstances. However, such a positive atmosphere can be marred by managers who abuse the system and make employees feel uncomfortable about leaving early or arriving late one morning due to some personal circumstance. Flexibility is key, and as long as staff are treated fairly (no-one is seen to be given preference), the company as a whole benefits. Even when everyone cannot be positive – perhaps due to poor financial results – it is essential that management explain to their staff what is going on in the company and help reinforce the energy needed to improve matters.
Question 15: Looking back how do you describe your past employer?
Paternal – and this was one of its greatest strengths and weakness. The company hired staff for the long term (the average employee was in place over 25 years including the COO), but embarked on a series of layoffs two years ago that eroded the collegial atmosphere built over decades with clients. Since the organization was afraid to change its business practices and unwilling to adapt to changes in the financial markets, it lost market share. Even the new CEO was afraid to make changes at the department manager level in case relations within the firm and with its parent company deteriorated any further. The company had an unbelievable franchise amongst its worldwide financial clients based on 60 years of history and employee longevity; when it undercut the employee ties and refused to adapt its pricing models, it started to spiral downwards. The inertia of senior management aggravated the situation to the point where 20% of the staff was laid off within two years; the department managers did nothing to ensure their job survival and the CEO could only react with severe cost cuts. .
Question 16: What have you done to increase productivity, performance, efficiency, etc..?
In virtually every organization I have ever worked, I have always proven myself by tackling new projects head-on even when “politically” unpopular. I have gone out on the road with other team members and sounded out clients to find out why a sale may not have gone through or any cause for customer dissatisfaction. I have always taken an entrepreneurial view and seized an opportunity when it arose e.g. winning an investment banking client and seeing a project to its end when the main business of the firm was collecting commissions from brokerage. Recognizing those kinds of opportunities, championing them to senior management and seeing them through to conclusion can be very effective. I have also not been afraid to promote someone low on the totem pole to department head when I was convinced that every member of the team would respect her and work with her effectively – which proved to be the case. Injecting sharp jolts of creativity or changing the status quo in order to galvanize the team enhance productivity and performance on a long-term basis.
Question 17: Whether you are a "computer wizard", how do you respond to the financial side of your responsibilities?
I try to present the financials so that everyone can understand the impact of the P&L on the whole company. In the financial industry, it is essential to be accurate all the time since regulators are very keen to spot mistakes. Attention to detail and asking the right questions are essential components; again honesty in presentation and not being afraid to deliver unwelcome messages are an essential part of the process.
Question 18: How many people have you supervised in your recent job?
I had no managerial responsibilities in my past position, but have traditionally supervised small teams of five to six people. .
Question 19: What do you like more, working with figures or words?
For me, words are the ideas and the rationale for doing something; numbers are the tools for monitoring and reporting results. I take both very seriously, but since I am very creative and entrepreneurial, I tend to work with verbal concepts most of the time.
Question 20: How do you think that your subordinates receive you?
I think I have always managed to win their respect and motivated them to be honest about their work and themselves. I delegate as much as possible but will always step back in if results don’t flow; at the same time, breeding a collegial “can-do” attitude and engaging everyone in the success of the team does create a positive environment within the team.
Question 21: What do you think of your previous boss?
My last boss was a product of management inertia in the sense that he learnt how to “play the game” and survive, but was completely incapable of being an agent of change. As a result, he had a totally hands-off relationship with the sales team and was rarely able to focus on client prospects, or see the big picture in terms of new opportunities. He was also unwilling to push forward his subordinates’ proposals, leaving them to be dissected by other managers and usually shot down because those managers did not want to see him succeed. Mark’s biggest problem was that he was such a nice man that nobody took him seriously.
Question 22: Describe a situation in which your work was criticized?
When I was at Natexis Securities, the board was very critical of my performance. The circumstances leading up to this included head office’s refusal to comply with SEC and NASD regulations (despite the entreaties of legal counsel), and their inability to accept that the clearing organization proposed by them prior to my arrival could not process the broker’s business on time. When the broker became under-capitalized, I was compelled to notify the authorities and to become the CFO as the bank’s appointed CFO refused to continue in the position. I was heavily criticized during this period for lack of production (the broker could not actually process the business it was doing), for my actions that led to SEC and NASD filings (which I was legally bound to perform) and a letter that I sent to the chairman of the bank criticizing the incompetence of senior management that led to these events. Since the bank was very monolithic in style, the board of directors was instructed by the banks’ chairman to deal with the matter themselves. They proceeded to make my job tenure impossible despite the fact that I had a three year contract, on which we settled out of court twelve months into my position. I learnt that even when an executive holds the power and the mandate of the board to get the job done, they can change their minds overnight when they don’t like the methods employed..
Question 23: If I spoke with your boss what he would say about your greatest strength and weaknesses?
I think that any of my past bosses would say that I had a lot of ideas (which they did not always agree with), and that I was highly motivated to succeed. They would also say that I always put in the hours to see a project through and persevered even when the odds were against success. My biggest fault would probably be that I always questioned the status quo.
Question 24: How can you handle life under pressure and with tough deadlines?
To be perfectly honest, most of my career has been spent in a pressure cooker meeting deadlines, closing sales and executing trades. Any executive in the sales process is faced with numerous obstacles and targets from the first phone call to the ongoing relationship. I have never had a problem dealing with this and I have always set myself as an example to my team members. Unexpected issues always arise at the most inconvenient times – I actually find myself becoming more flexible as the pressure increases and, in some ways, enjoy myself more when facing multiple deadlines. I become extremely productive under such circumstances.
Question 25: What do you think you do better: staff work or line work?
I have done both very successfully and enjoy both equally.
Question 26: In your current position, what problem have you identified that was previously overlooked?
I have learnt over the years that organizations can never move at the speed which their constituent employees would wish for, and yet I continue to challenge the status quo whenever I embark on a new project or position. In the case of my last employer, I immediately found out that the management did not know their “manufacturing cost” in supplying execution and custody services. It was only when I asked the right questions about why we could or could not bid competitively for new business that we discovered we could prospect larger clients than heretofore.
Question 27: If you had a choice of job and a company what would you choose?
I have always sought out challenges, but I have the most fun when I have to create something from scratch – write the rules, find the customers, open the office, recruit the team and make it all work within budget on time. Smaller organizations are attractive to work in because they have the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, but they rarely have the resources needed to get the job done properly.
Question 28:Do you have any objection to take a psychological test?
No, I have done so in the past and enjoy the experience.
Question 29: Do you consider yourself as a creative person?
Most emphatically yes and very entrepreneurial as well. Coming up with new ideas and thoughts, trying them out on other people and refining those concepts is all part of what makes me getup in the morning, and I use that creativity to inspire other people to question their own ideas and look “outside the box”. I don’t think I would have survived in the financial industry for 20 years unless I was creative most of the time.
Question 30: How do you describe your personality?
I am very outgoing socially and in business, and find it easy to win people’s confidence. I also know when to keep quiet and avoid talking for the sake of being heard. It’s much harder to listen. I will always control my anger in the workplace, but do not hesitate to let fellow workers know when I am upset. I don’t like hiding my feelings even though it’s often necessary – I would rather be described as genuine and moody than dissembling and upbeat.
Question 31: What is your outside reading you do?
I read as many newspapers a day as I can both online and in hard-print, not because I am a news junkie, but because I get stimulated by stories occurring all over the world. I read about business, about entrepreneurs as well as large and small companies that have become successful or failed. I follow technology trends in the financial industry very closely especially as this has become a hobby for me. On the lighter side, I have always been a fan of the “mystery” genre and have read most international detective novels published in the last half a century or so.
Question 32: What are some of your outside activities?
I finally learnt how to ski at the age of 45 after avoiding the slopes for 30 years, and it has become a passion even though I rarely risk the most difficult terrain. I have made exercising at the gym a virtue after dislocating my shoulder twice many years ago, and I still go to aerobics classes. I got very excited about golf a while back, but have not had the time as family comes first! I get the most pleasure spending vacations or taking short trips with my wife and daughter.
Question 33: Are you continuing your education?
Yes, I just completed a course in elementary Spanish language and I am always trying to improve my skills. I have been sponsored over the years by various employers to attend seminars and workshops, but I never completed an MBA – something I still occasionally regret. I will always go to a specialized workshop if finance and time permits, and I am still always learning on the job.
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