Written by:
Andrea Schiller

BT International Conference Spotlight on Keynote Speaker Bill Maw, CFO of Liquidnet

Early in his career, Bill Maw was asked by a supervisor, “What are you doing individually to be the best in the world at what you do?”

“My response, my coworkers’ responses to that question-- they were kind of pathetic. We all considered ourselves pretty good at what we did, but, well, great?”

Maw, CFO of Liquidnet Holdings, Inc., centered his keynote address at Monday’s conference lunch on the three principles he has learned throughout his career. The things that he has discovered which allow people to make the transformation from “Good to Great” are keeping good company, having guts, and finding a coach.

Maw recalled a major failure of his, when General Electric invested and lost $30 million in an early-stage tech company in Colorado, and being told by his supervisor, “If you don’t make a change, you may not be here.” And he considers himself lucky-- because he was told this. “Most of you will not be told your weaknesses; consider what efforts you are doing to improve yourself.”
“Dysfunctional people fail and destroy everything around them,” and so the company you choose will make or break your career. Maw asked everyone to look around their tables, at all the executives and attendees in the room, and to consider with whom they work best.
Maw discussed his biggest career regrets, saying, “I wish I had been bolder, braver-- displayed more courage. I wish I had confronted all those aggressive A-type personalities that think they are smarter than they actually are with my own ideas.”
His final point was that it is crucial to find a coach. “Get a shrink-- someone who will get you out of your comfort zone, make you feel like a bit of a child. Old habits die hard. Self-honesty is hard. Deliberate practice is very hard to do, and you need help to do it.”

*The keynote was covered by a BT Marketing staff member

Image courtesy of Liquidnet