FEATURE
DON’T ASSUME SOMETHING THAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU IS IMPORTANT TO SOMEONE ELSE...
im Mustin is currently a Senior Managing Director at Bernstein Private Wealth in the heart of the financial world. She’s also a wife and mother who has worked hard to balance her personal passions with being a woman climbing the ladder in one of the most competitive sectors possible. “If there was one common thread throughout my childhood and my life it’s I like solving problems,” Mustin said. “When I was a kid it manifested itself in me taking apart things that work perfectly well to see how they worked and then put them back together again – including my mom’s car radio at one point.” Over almost three decades, Mustin has enjoyed solving puzzles. Now a leader on Wall Street, Mustin continues putting the pieces together in an increasingly diverse marketplace. She started as a forensic accountant for the Treasury Department and eventually made the move to the investment world, where there weren’t many women in leadership roles. There have been critical moments along the way where Mustin was able to piece together the map to her ultimate career goals. Mustin remembers one moment that shifted her approach to the ladder she was climbing. While working at Deutsche Bank, she had the best year of her career. She was waiting outside her manager’s office for her review meeting during, which she would learn the size of the bonus she would receive for her
exceptional performance. She was nervous. A male colleague had the appointment before hers. He hadn’t had a very good year, but when he emerged from the office, he was happy – he had been promoted to a managing director role. Mustin sat down and received a glowing review and the largest bonus of her career, an amount that far exceeded her hopes. At the end of the conversation she asked her manager about being promoted. The boss was crestfallen to learn that was a goal of hers; he hadn’t considered her for a promotion. At that time, Mustin learned that she needed to be her own advocate, and more vocal about her goals. “Don’t assume something that’s important to you is important to someone else,” she shared. “You have to show up and do the work and earn it, you have to deliver, but don’t just assume that someone is going to promote you.” Mustin then put a plan in place to join an admittedly small number of women in managing director roles at Deutsche Bank. During the following year the market tanked and she didn’t have nearly as good of a year as she did the previous year. But when she met with the boss for her review, while the bonus wasn’t nearly as large as she had received before, the promotion was available. In the years since, Mustin has been one of a growing number of women leading on Wall Street. And she’s thankful for men along the way who have helped cultivate her skills and encourage her to continue climbing.
