PwC Vice Chairman of Markets, Strategy something something something Tim Ryan wrote a post over at LinkedIn about finding talent in unexpected places. The gist being you can might potential capital market servants in strange places like Subway; Ryan has already let his local sandwich artist/proprietor know that he can interview with the firm at any time.
Of course, he only learned that serendipitious talent hunting was possible by one that got away:
Although I fly in and out of New York almost every week, I rarely linger. But while I was stuck at the airport during one of this winter’s many snow-induced delays, I opted for a shoe shine and struck up a conversation. While talking about current events, this shoe shiner spoke eloquently about many of the good things that businesses do to help society and that, in many cases, businesses "get a bad rap". He also spoke, however, about the need for business to continuously focus on building trust, improving society, and the need to address the complications arising from income inequality. He was balanced, fair, charismatic, and masterfully transitioned from small talk to the big picture.We talked for a good 20 plus minutes and then my flight was called, and I rushed off. As I settled in for the flight, I realized that I hadn’t given the shoe shiner my card and I became angry with myself. This man is a hard worker, extremely thoughtful, and good at engaging with people. He’s the kind of person who would connect well with our people and our clients. I missed an opportunity to probe more about his interests and possibly recruit him to PwC or another organization that could benefit from his skills because I was moving too fast. Although I’ve since returned many times to La Guardia, he hasn’t been there.
If you're a regular at LGA and this guy sounds familiar, let him know that TRy is looking for him. Maybe mention the Thanksgiving party that he hosts if you think it'll help.
[LinkedIn]
