What I learned at Goldman Sachs
I was lucky to work with an exceptional group of people at Goldman Sachs. These are the traits I observed in the highest-performing employees (and aspired to!).
1. High agency
High-agency people happen to the world; the world doesn’t happen to them. They take ultimate responsibility and see everything as a problem to be solved with creative solutions. If they haven’t solved a problem before, they speak to someone who has or find an answer. They never ask, “How do I do this?” without first trying to answer that themselves.
2. High-speed communication
Let’s be real: Communication is a core part of any role. Those who respond quickly are people we consider to have their “sh*t” together. This is no different in the workplace. Speed demonstrates attentiveness and conscientiousness—two critical predictors of success.
3. Ability to say “I don’t know” and ask questions
Counterintuitively, the highest performers ask the dumbest questions. They prefer to understand than to be perceived to understand; they prefer to be right than to be perceived to be right.
4. Think before doing
High performers plan the work before working on the plan. There’s nothing worse than trying to complete a project with vague actions: it creates mental fatigue and procrastination because the next steps aren’t clear. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln
5. Ability to limit distractions
High performers minimise interruptions, manage digital distractions, and protect focus time. They don’t ‘stroll’ their way through the work day; they own it.
6. Ability to zoom in and zoom out
High performers understand the context of their work in the bigger picture. This allows them to question a) whether the work should be done in the first place and b) how to do the work most effectively. High-performers often say, “I don’t think we need to do this — here’s why” or “I think there’s a better way to do this.”
7. Bring solutions, not problems
Instead of pointing out problems to seniors, high performers come prepared with potential solutions. This demonstrates initiative but also accelerates problem-solving and decision-making. There’s no sweeter feeling for a senior than having their problems swept away by high-performers.
8. Don’t seek feedback
Counterintuitively, the best people to work with don’t seek feedback—they get feedback automatically because of the quality of their performance.The best feedback of all? Quick promotions, requests to be on more teams, getting assigned challenges ahead of their peers, and seniors asking to work with them frequently. Seeking feedback too readily can project insecurity and a belief that you’re not performing as well as you could. Guess what? You’re probably right.
Don’t conflate this with meaning that high-performers can’t receive feedback constructively—they can; they just don’t have to often.
9. Close loops quickly
High performers don't leave tasks or projects hanging. They prioritise completing what they've started and ruthlessly “clear the decks.” They communicate proactively to manage expectations if they’re delayed for any reason. This habit builds trust and reliability, as colleagues know they can count on them to follow through.
10. Done is better than perfect
High performers know when to go slow and when to go fast. Most work requires only 80% good enough solutions; often, ‘done’ is better than spending additional time to perfect it.
11. Doing—not just thinking—two steps ahead
Top performers don't just react to current situations; they anticipate what happens next. A client sends an email to a Senior with a request, and a high-performer is cc’d. The Senior receives a second email within 5-10 minutes with a suggested approach to the client’s request and a notification letting the Senior know that they’re already working on it. “Here’s how I think we should handle it; let me know if you have an alternative approach; otherwise, I’ll have this for your review in 2 hours.”
12. Ruthless time efficiency
High achievers guard their time fiercely. They know that Parkinson’s Law (work expands to fill the time allotted to it) applies to all work. They prioritise tasks ruthlessly, focusing on high-impact activities and eliminating or delegating low-value work. They're masters of saying "no" to preserve their focus on what truly matters.