David Solomon

David Solomon was humiliated - but instead of getting mad, he did something that eventually landed him the CEO job at Goldman Sachs… In 1991, a 29-year-old David Solomon was working at Bear Stearns, desperately trying to impress casino entrepreneur Sheldon Adelson, who was planning a new Las Vegas resort called ‘The Venetian’. David invited Sheldon to lunch at the Bear Stearns office - a rare opportunity to start a relationship and hopefully land him as a client. After months of preparation, the day of the lunch finally came. David sat anxiously at the conference room table waiting for Sheldon. 30 minutes passed. Then an hour. Nearly two hours after the lunch was planned, Sheldon finally arrived. David now had his chance. But actually, he didn’t. Sheldon glanced at the sandwiches on offer, decided they were not of a standard he could accept, so turned around and walked out. David was humiliated. The meeting was over before it had even begun. But instead of letting it affect him, David kept going with Sheldon as if nothing happened. He spent the next several years doing anything possible to meet the businessman, including flying across America for an after work drink. After 7 years of lunches, meetings and drinks - David developed a "deeply trusting relationship” with Sheldon. And when Sheldon wanted to execute a $1 Billion refinancing, he chose David and his team at Bear Stearns. But, Sheldon also demanded Goldman Sachs join the deal. Another humiliation. David said: “I'd spent 7 years cultivating this opportunity, and now I had to share it with someone else!” Again, David didn't let it impact his pursuit of Sheldon and the business. Instead, he embraced the idea, working closely with everyone involved to make the deal a success. Building relationships paid off. After the deal closed, Jon Winkelried recruited David to Goldman Sachs. Fifteen years later, Sheldon offered David the chance to run his billion-dollar casino empire. But by then, David was already President of Goldman and on the road to becoming CEO. Looking back on that period of constant rejection, David said: “Success comes from showing up over and over again.” #finexecutive