Here is the sole Excellence in Leadership Award recipient for Traders Magazine’s inaugural "Wall Street Women: A Celebration of Excellence." An independent advisory committee of women chose the winners from nominations by the industry.
The 16 awards were presented on Nov. 10 at the New York Academy of Sciences.
Excellence in Leadership Award is presented to a woman who demonstrates exemplary leadership and exceptional performance throughout her career. This individual, selected by the advisory committee, is such an outstanding professional that she qualifies for multiple award categories and is considered to be the standard-bearer for women in the financial community.
To See A Slideshow of All Winners: http://bit.ly/tFKh0G
Stacy Bash-Polley
Firm: Goldman Sachs
Years in Industry: 17
Previous Firms: Ernst & Young
Status: Co-Head, Fixed Income Sales in the Americas
Goldman Sachs’ Stacy Bash-Polley became a rising star of sales and by 2004 was a partner.
She began as an associate at Goldman Sachs in 1994, after a stint as an information specialist with Ernst & Young. Bash-Polley has undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, but she also obtained a master’s in information science.
Bash-Polley won Traders Magazine’s Excellence in Leadership Award for at least two reasons: She had a thorough education, and she expected to succeed. Now co-head of Goldman Sachs’ fixed income in the Americas section, Bash-Polley emphasizes that success comes to those who actively pursue it and have the tools to achieve it.
"The DNA of someone who is successful is someone who doesn’t wait to be asked," she said. "It’s someone who goes for it." She added that such a person is not someone who needs to be reassured, but knows her job and can achieve goals independently.
Take, for instance, the conferences so many professionals must attend. "I never go to these things without coming back and having an action plan. When I go, there is an intention. When I come back, there’s an action," she said.
Yet Bash-Polley also believes professionals who get to the top should sometimes be deliberative. One must know when to stop and think, a practice she employs.
"I call it the 24-hour rule. It’s very important, when faced with a conflict, never to respond right away, whether it is an email or any other situation," she said. "Waiting ensures that you will be much more thoughtful and actually get the results that you want."
Learning the importance of this rule, she notes, and a through education, are both vital to any person’s success.
