Stop chasing giants: lessons from the fairway for investment banks

As competitive pressures intensify, small, midsize, and boutique investment banks often look up at the J.P. Morgans of the world and wonder, Should we try to play their game?

It’s an understandable instinct. Prestige is magnetic. Scale is seductive. And when uncertainty runs high, as it does in today’s market, copying the biggest player can feel like the safest shot in the bag.

But as in golf, swinging harder is not the same as swinging smarter.

Consider the story of Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, two of the most compelling case studies in modern golf. DeChambeau transformed himself from a physics-obsessed technician into a power hitter, adding massive muscle and blasting balls 400 yards down the fairway. He surged to victory, and the world took notice, including McIlroy.

McIlroy, one of the sport’s most naturally gifted players, chased Bryson’s formula. The result was a collapse in his swing and a decline in his performance. In a rare moment of candor in 2021, he admitted that trying to copy DeChambeau’s power game had done “more harm than good.” Only when he abandoned that pursuit and returned to his fundamentals did he finally break through. The shift culminated in a long-awaited Masters win more than a decade in the making.

Investment banking leaders, take note. Rory’s journey is your cautionary tale.

When chasing the big players backfires

Many firms today are gripped by a similar anxiety: What if we get left behind? In response, they adopt the big-bank blueprint: grand workplace redesigns, generic amenities, borrowed brand personas. But the big banks aren’t copying anyone.

JPMorgan Chase is setting the trend with 270 Park Avenue, featuring high-design workspaces, wellness-focused amenities, and thoughtfully curated social spaces that signal exactly how far the biggest players will go to attract top talent. And soon, the world will see how American Express tackles 2 World Trade Center and how Wells Fargo pushes the boundaries with its new Las Colinas campus.

Yet following the giants often dilutes identity, confuses talent, blurs value propositions, and weakens client relationships, especially for smaller or midsize firms, where trust and proximity are core advantages.

This isn’t new. A decade ago, tech and tech-adjacent firms raced to copy Google’s workplace model, from slides to nap pods to beanbags, only to end up with gimmicks that never matched their culture. Banks risk the same trap if they chase the giants instead of leaning into what truly sets them apart.

You do not win by being a lower-budget version of a giant. You win by being unmistakably and unapologetically yourself.

Slow down to speed up

Periods of rapid industry change create the illusion that decisions must be made instantly. But research on the cognitive value of mental spacesuggests that our best strategic thinking emerges when we slow down enough to regain clarity.

Before you chase the next trend or the next “must-have” workplace feature, pause. Give your leadership team room to breathe. Slow down long enough to reconnect with what actually drives performance at your firm.

Ask yourself:

• What problem are we actually trying to solve?
• Are we reacting to fear or to opportunity?
• Is this decision aligned with who we are and how we serve clients?

Just as Rory rediscovered his swing by eliminating noise and giving himself time to reset, firms can regain strategic clarity when they resist the pressure to mimic larger competitors’ every move.

Get back to your fundamentals

Every successful golfer has a personal swing DNA shaped by rhythm, instincts, and body mechanics. Companies have the same. Revisit your fundamentals:

• What do you offer that is impossible to mass-produce, such as access to senior leadership, continuity, speed, or industry intimacy?
• What environments and experiences best support that value proposition?
• What type of talent thrives in your environment?
• What do your clients consistently come to you for that the big banks cannot offer?

This is not about coming up with marketing slogans. It’s about defining the differentiators that resonate deeply with both employees and clients.

Alignment matters. A mission statement framed on a wall does not create alignment. A culture where people can articulate the firm’s purpose and feel it reflected in their daily work creates alignment. And when employees are in tune, client experiences become clearer, more consistent, and more trusted.

Make your identity visible

Culture should be your hallmark, not a hidden advantage. Workplace strategy helps smaller banks define the hallmarks of their culture and express these commitments creatively in their spaces. It turns values, mission, and ways of working into tangible, real-world experiences.

Ask yourself: does your workplace show candidates and clients who you are without explanation? Does it reinforce the qualities that set you apart from the giants?

Large institutions struggle with authenticity because scale demands standardization. Smaller banks, guided by intentional workplace strategy, can more easily do what big banks cannot: create spaces full of personality, purpose, and clarity. The right design attracts the right people and strengthens client trust.

Make that identity impossible to miss.

Play your game

Rory McIlroy won not by swinging like Bryson DeChambeau but by reclaiming the swing that was already his. Small and midsize investment banks can do the same.

In a field crowded with firms trying to be bigger or more prestigious, the real competitive edge is authenticity. Do not chase the big players’ game. Perfect your own.

This is how you attract talent that thrives in your environment. It is also how you deepen client relationships, which depend on access, trust, and a sense that your team understands the deal, the industry, and the people behind it.

Talent isn’t looking for the longest drive. Clients aren’t looking for it either.

Both are looking for the right fit, and the firms that stay true to their identity are the ones that deliver it.