"My mother was an MD in an investment bank. Her ego was massive"

efinancialcareers.com:

My mother was a managing director at a large bank. She worked her way up from being a graduate and was consistently told that she was one of the best of her cohort.

Although this may sound like the dream to many, for my mother it came with negatives. Unfortunately, the types of people that dominate this industry tend to possess undesirable qualities. The banking industry is known for having difficult personalities, and those personalities tend to get worse as you move up the corporate ladder.

Firstly, senior people in banking tend to be very transactional. With my mother, I learned very quickly that when she was being nice or doing something kind for you, it was because she needed something or wanted you to do something in return. If you refused to do what she wanted, she would get offended and even shun you. It was surreal and absurd.

Secondly, these people usually have massive egos. I imagine this stems from being told that they are better and smarter than everyone else. Being in a position of authority firmly cements these beliefs in their heads. I saw with my mother how this affected her behaviour.  As far as she was concerned, her opinion was always the best opinion and her advice was always the best advice. Anytime I decided to not do things her way and to take things in a different direction, she would feel offended. It injured her pride. It was almost like she was thinking to herself: “Who even are you and what do you know?”  I had the luxury of doing that because I wasn’t her subordinate at work, and she couldn’t force me into doing what she wanted.

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Since retiring from banking, she's definitely changed. Some of those traits are still there, but they aren’t as