Having worked in investment banking for many years, this item intrigued me…
“Goldman Sachs shares plunge after chief Lloyd Blankfein hires high-profile lawyer Reid Weingarten”.
Now, I have no more idea of who Reid Weingarten is than anyone else who has read just that article.
But clearly Lloyd Blankfein, head honcho of the “Masters Of The Universe” sees Weingarten as “The Go-To-Guy” in this situation.
What’s a “Go-To-Guy”, you ask?
Well…
…I heard this explained by legendary marketers and copywriters Gary Halbert and John Carlton in one of the legendary “Scuttlebutt Tapes”. The first one in the series, in fact.
Essentially, “The Go-To-Guy” is the person you turn to when the consequences of failure are catastrophic…
“When there’s one second left on the clock and you’re one point behind, it’s the guy you want to have the ball, to take the shot. No matter how good everybody else is, he’s the guy. He may not even be the best player on the team, but he’s the guy you want to have the ball because you trust him to do whatever is necessary to get it done. If it can get done, he’s the guy that will do that.”
Fictional examples would be Sherlock Holmes…
…or Mitch Rapp, John Rain and Jack Reacher.
In the real world, lawyer Johnnie Cochran (who got O.J. Simpson acquitted) and Red Adair (legendary oil well firefighter).
One of the characteristics of “The Go-To-Guy” is that they tend to be a “no limits” kind of person, someone who doesn’t take “No” for an answer.
Basically, they will do whatever it takes.
But, it’s not just about being determined and hard-nosed.
It’s about being a master in a particular area…
…and the “10,000 hours” that it takes to get really, really good at something.
Back to Reid Weingarten…
…do you think that he has to advertise much and hustle for business?
Or that people haggle over his (no doubt high) fees?
I suspect not. That’s one of the big benefits of being “The Go-To-Guy” (or “The Go-To-Gal”).
So, you might not want to play in the high-stakes legal world…
…but there are big rewards to being “The Go-To-Person” in your field.