Career Development
We want the best and brightest people to build their careers at Lehman Brothers. This is why we devote significant resources to training, mentoring and ongoing professional development.
Ongoing Training
Training is an integral part of the culture at Lehman Brothers. From initial training programs to senior leadership programs, we are committed to educating and developing our people. We offer educational programs for every stage of your career — from product and technical training to developing industry expertise to advanced leadership skills.
Career development programs at Lehman Brothers fall into one of four general categories:
- Product and technical training.
- Leadership and management development.
- Professional skills training.
- Programs that support Firmwide initiatives, such as ethics and diversity education.
Our commitment to our people is evidenced by the significant resources we devote to our initial and ongoing training programs. Our initial training programs combine rigorous on-the-job and technical training sessions with cross-divisional Firm presentations on our organization and culture.
Senior managers from relevant business areas lead our ongoing training programs. In fact, managers at Lehman Brothers dedicate a significant amount of time to employee development, becoming coaches and mentors to help you realize your potential and build upon existing skills and experiences. Over the past five years, over 150 managing directors have served as leadership program co-facilitators.
Learn More About Our Training Programs
Feedback And Performance Review
Lehman Brothers has established formal and informal feedback processes for all employees.
You can expect to receive formal performance reviews from your business manager, likely twice a year. These reviews provide you with an opportunity to understand where you excel and where you can improve. The reviews are also a time to discuss your goals. At Lehman Brothers, performance reviews are a two-way dialogue and are an excellent opportunity to voice any concerns, requests or other issues that may be on your mind.
The best feedback, however, is often provided on the job. This is why we encourage you to solicit regular feedback on your performance from your managers. Our program managers also work with department managers to help them provide constructive feedback on a regular basis.
Mentoring
At Lehman Brothers, we have created a distinctive and active mentoring program. The goal of the mentoring program is to provide you with a mentor who can offer advice and provide a broader perspective on your career outside of the formal management structure to help you achieve your personal and career goals. Relationships formed with mentors can become some of the most treasured relationships you will build, on both a business and personal level. Whether you are joining us for an internship or a full-time position, you will have the opportunity to be paired with a mentor to help you make informed decisions, overcome obstacles, understand complex issues and navigate the Firm.
If you are joining us for the summer, you will likely be assigned two mentors: a “junior” mentor or a “buddy” who can help with day-to-day issues, and a “senior” mentor who is more experienced in the industry. Our employee networks also provide many opportunities to meet and network with potential mentors from all levels of the Firm.
Mobility
Mobility is part of the fabric at Lehman Brothers and is encouraged within divisions, across divisions and across geographic regions. We want our management team to be well versed in all aspects of our global business, so we actively rotate managers through different business areas and regions.
To encourage mobility, some divisions have recently launched formal pilot programs for developing leaders. For example, the Investment Banking Division has a global mobility program that encourages senior associates and junior vice presidents to spend two years in a different region while remaining within their product or industry group.