More than Meets the Eye — Lunch with Paul Choi, Executive Director, Human Capital Management, Goldman Sachs

Sometimes the most meaningful and inspiring conversations happen over casual meals. The Time Auction Blog is a snippet of our meetings with people who have found passion in their life and career, where we get a glimpse into their mentality behind their ventures.

Paul joined Goldman Sachs as an associate in Investment Banking in 2000, moved to Human Capital Management in 2002 and later became the head of Goldman Sachs University and Talent Branding for Asia Pacific. Having spent a huge span of his career at Goldman Sachs, what kept Paul committed to the firm was not only his passion for people and finance, but also the support of his fellows and community.

During the time when homosexuality was not as widely accepted, Paul received support from his workplace to overcome stereotypes and pursue his personal mission to provide hope for others like him — by mainstreaming gay stereotypes and participating in outreach opportunities to parents, youths and in the local community. On top of his day job, Paul spearheaded the firm’s “Pink Friday” flagship event which invited all offices across Asia Pacific to wear a pink T-shirt to celebrate and show support to the LGBT community. Paul also leads the Asia Pacific LGBT network council in Goldman Sachs.

Our volunteers had a truly well-spent Monday afternoon inside Goldman Sachs’ gorgeously decorated meeting room with a stunning backdrop of the harbour. It’s no wonder Paul stayed at the firm for 17 years (after 13 interviews to get in FYI) — it’s not just for the stellar views but also for the warmth in this workplace! Read on for tips on how he got there — we’ve got you covered!

What are the life mottos you live by?

“There are two mottos that I live by. The first is,

‘Less is more’.

I don’t think we can do everything in life so prioritize the things that are more important. Another one I will always use is

‘Life is too short’.

Don’t focus on things that you cannot change. Rather, spend your energy on things that you can change. That’s already difficult enough.”

What is one habit that has significantly improved your life?

“Exercise. I am very committed to exercising and will work out everyday if schedule permits. I will take out time during lunch breaks or in my evenings because exercise hugely benefits my body and ensures I have sufficient energy to stay focused. Exercise makes me sweat but afterwards, I feel very energized and rejuvenated.”

If you have to give a lesson that is unrelated to your career, what will it be?

“Master your emotional intelligence (EQ) and self-awareness.

After joining the workforce, a lot of people don’t remember the lessons learnt during their academic studies. What helps you succeed in life is not always found in a textbook but rather, it is how you apply emotional intelligence in your day-to-day interactions. I often incorporate self-awareness training into my mentoring sessions to enable people to successfully apply EQ .”

How do you practise the lesson about emotional intelligence?

There are four things in general that are broadly related to emotional intelligence. The first step is to be self-aware. Building awareness is difficult and I’ve been coaching other people on how to be more aware of their own emotions. It is an interesting journey that anyone can go through. After becoming self-aware, the second step is to manage it. For example,

when you feel angry, you can control the emotion so it won’t result in you hitting another person. When you feel happy, you can manage it so you will not jump around inappropriately at the wrong time.

Thirdly, it is about how to accurately detect emotions in others. Finally, the last step is to blend all the lessons to effectively manage the key relationships and stakeholders in your life.”

What is one message you’d like all of us to take home?

“I think it’s similar to my motto. There are many things in life that you can’t control. Don’t try to control those things because you will not get a lot out from it. Try to

focus on things that you can control

because when you put more time on that, it will yield better results and make you a better person.”

Thank you Paul for taking time away from exercise to have lunch with us! Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who helped to raise 91 volunteer hours to Jane Goodall Institute, Food Angel, KELY Support Group, IMC Sunday School and more!

Check out Time Auction for our line-up of meetings with more amazing people — volunteer 10 hours and join us for a treat!