Crossing the Rubicon?

In a recent Matt Levine opinion article (easily my favorite finance opinion columnist), he discussed the the Goldman's board members thoughts on Gary Cohn and his subsequent failure to rise to level of president. Here is a quote from a former Goldman director:

"The board consensus was that Cohn wasn’t well rounded enough to lead the firm. “We’d talk about how we’d ‘crossed the Rubicon’ and he wouldn’t know what we were talking about,” says a former Goldman board member. “But he was unusually bright, knew markets, had huge character, and was straightforward. If you think I’m blunt, he’s right from the brain to the mouth.”

Matt made the argument of "Why the hell does this matter" which is a valid point on Mr. Levin, but for me it demonstrates something greater. Goldman and firms in general are looking for people that know more than just finance. They want to know that you can build the right model and speak coherently about interest rates, but they also care that you have interests in life outside of the world of finance. Being able to speak about world politics, ancient history is crucial for our own understanding of our current world.

Gary Cohn is obviously a brilliant man, but it makes me have a deeper appreciation for history, the arts, culture because these things will/should always be an important part of consideration for a job in finance. I remember I met this finance guy from UBS and a large part of our conversation was about his photography. He told me his goal was to do photoshoots for the New York Giants. I could see that this was his real passion. This makes me appreciate the industry more and see why it is more than just what model can you build. It's about who you are and what you bring.

ps. There are a lot of things you can bring