BridgeWater Associates Secrets’ Revealed by Former Employee on Blog

Bridgewater Associates is one of the largest hedge funds in terms of assets under management in the investment world. Despite its size the founder and manager Ray Dalio, keeps a tight lid on his colleagues. It seems that he do it with success because his fund is one of the most secret hedge funds.

However, Kathleen Ogrady who worked in Bridewater for several months posted a blog with some information about the fund and revealed some previous undisclosed information.

Kathleen learned more about self-leadership in several months than most people learn in a lifetime. After seeing a recent article on Ray Dalio in The New Yorker, titled Mastering the Machine, she felt compelled to write about her experience on her blog.

Kathleen states that she learned the following five lessons at Bridgewater:

Lesson #1: Don’t waste time on formalities.
Lesson #2: Be confident, make friends, and ask questions. Gambling on assumptions leads to chaos.
Lesson #3: Play is inherently linked to productivity. Whenever possible inject humor and fun into your work.
Lesson #4: Anything is possible, as long as you believe it has to be.
Lesson #5: Know yourself, and don’t let anyone else determine your worth, but you.

Ray Dalio is an American businessman and founder of Bridgewater Associates. Bridgewater Associates has since attracted many clients including pension funds and is currently (as of January 2012) the largest hedge fund in the world with nearly $120 billion under management.