Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Gina was full of herself. Times were good. She was on the fast track at an old-line Wall Street investment bank with a hefty salary and growing responsibility. And she loved the bank itself, its 100-year-old traditions, quiet trappings of wealth, and the aura of power and influence that permeated the place.
The only downside was the commute. She spent two-and-a-half hours a day traveling: drive to the station, train to the city, subway down town, walk to the bank; then reverse everything in the evening.
The train ride wasn't bad, though, especially at night. The same bridge game had been going continuously five nights a week for over three years. Gina was a constant kibitzer, and finally joined the game when one of the players retired. She was at least as good if not better than he was, and soon became "one of the boys" around the horizontal briefcase.
When Gina got her big assignment at the bank - a major corporate spin-off - she couldn't wait to show off at the bridge table. She talked price/earnings and debt-to-equity ratios, book value and inventory turnover, projected revenues and performances. "Shut up and deal the cards, Gina!"
Unfortunately, she wasn't boring everyone. The anonymous "face" across the aisle - the same face that had been in that same seat every night - was a partner in another investment bank. And he was appalled. Such indiscretion with a client's confidential data is a cardinal "no-no."
The next day, a few phone calls led him to the senior partner in Gina's firm and he described the "girl on the train." It didn't take long to identify her, and Gina was fired immediately, with cause, from the bank she loved, effectively blackballing her from all investment banking.
At her exit interview, a personnel assistant suggested, "Gina, have you thought about Wall Street employment recruiting? That takes strong conversational skills. Your mouth would be an asset."
