From Equity Sales to Empowering Stories

A Return to Barclays with Reflections on Career, Crisis, and the Strength to Persevere

This week was a bit of a roll down memory lane as I returned to Barclays to speak to employees in celebration of Disability Pride Month.

Heading back to Barclays’ Manhattan headquarters on 745 Seventh Avenue always fills me with a mix of excitement and trepidation. This place was my work home for a decade during my time at Lehman Brothers first, and later Barclays, and I have some of my best professional memories there in Asian equity sales.

At Lehman, after many fits and starts, we finally decided to meaningfully invest in Asia – just before it fell.

After Barclays bought Lehman, we started from scratch in equities but used our expertise in other areas, such as credit, rates, and currency, to build that part of the business. I managed the sales desk for Asian Equities, and the future looked promising as Barclays continued to invest in the region.

We hired a great US sales team. Okay, that’s me patting myself on the back for the hires I made. A few of us got together a few weeks ago for drinks when one was in town from New Zealand.

Though many of the people I worked with have moved on, it’s always great to catch up with those still at Barclays – and there is a hardy core rising to the top. The markets and revenue opportunities have shifted. Equity commissions have fallen dramatically globally. And in Asia, China certainly isn’t the growth engine it once was.

If truth be told, I’m also a bit melancholic about Barclays. It has nothing to do with my time there, but more about how it all ended for me. 

One day, I was at the top of my game. Then after that woeful Thanksgiving weekend in 2011 when a sleeping SUV driver plowed into my bicycle and paralyzed me for life, I was never able to go back. 

Sometimes I wonder what could have been if Work From Home had been an option back then. Could I have made it work? Perhaps, but that’s all water under the bridge now.

Under the Disability Pride Month umbrella, my talk to Barclays employees was focused on powering on after a traumatic injury. I shared some stories of my four near-death experiences in life and what I’ve learned about grit, resilience, and hope. 

If I can push forward, we all can.

As Andy Dufresne says in “Shawshank Redemption,” one of my all-time favorite movies, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Here’s a short clip from my talk:

Being back reminded me of our sales team's relentless drive – the passion, camaraderie, and determination to succeed against all odds. I now try to channel this same drive in my daily life, overcoming physical challenges and striving to inspire others to keep moving forward with a positive mindset, no matter the obstacles.

I bring that same mindset when I speak to audiences. 

I truly enjoy sharing my story as a motivational speaker. A few years ago, while receiving an honorary doctorate at Monmouth College, I gave the commencement address. I’ve also spoken at numerous high schools and corporations and given a very well-received TedX talk. 

If you know of a company, association, university, school or other group that would be interested in hearing my story of grit and resilience – and ultimately about hope – let me know or visit my site at rongold.live.