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Even at the top of the business ladder, CEOs are still learning how to lead more effectively\u2014and often turning to their peers for guidance. For Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, that guidance came from legendary investor and former Berkshire Hathaway head Warren Buffett, who once shared with her two pieces of advice for handling difficult people and tense workplace situations.<\/p>\n
The first? \u201cHe said, \u2018You can always call them an asshole tomorrow.\u2019 Really good piece of advice,\u201d Fraser recalled at an event at Stanford\u2019s Graduate School of Business last month. \u201cSo, never in anger, respond to that email.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffett also taught her the value of criticizing by category and praising by name\u2014meaning leaders should recognize individual employees for good work but avoid singling out people when something goes wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re always going to regret it if you criticize someone by name; it\u2019s going to come back and bite you,\u201d Fraser said.<\/p>\n
Fraser recalled one moment Buffett\u2019s lesson proved especially helpful: when an activist investor began putting pressure on the bank. At first, she said she had a self-described \u201cvery rude response\u201d to the idea of being empathetic toward someone causing her problems. But stepping back and viewing the situation from the investor\u2019s perspective, she said, ultimately led to a breakthrough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think empathy gives you a competitive edge because there\u2019s far too many people that don\u2019t try and understand the other perspective,\u201d Fraser added.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Fraser said putting Buffett\u2019s mantra into practice isn\u2019t too complicated: \u201cJust don\u2019t be a jerk to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being an \u201casshole\u201d at work could lead to a pink slip\u2014and it might be a wake-up call for Gen Z<\/p>\n
Fraser has spent her entire career working her way up the banking world. She started as a mergers and acquisitions analyst in 1988 after graduating from the University of Cambridge. She eventually returned to school to get her MBA at Harvard Business School and later spent 10 years at McKinsey. She joined Citi in 2004 and became CEO in 2021\u2014the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the years, she said she\u2019s worked with all kinds of personalities\u2014but some simply aren\u2019t a good fit. As Citi has undergone a multiyear restructuring, one of her priorities has been straightforward: remove toxic employees from the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood people in a bad culture, they\u2019ll go back to being good people again and fix the culture,\u201d she said. \u201cBut if an asshole\u2019s always an asshole, and it\u2019s amazing how that just drains energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The emphasis on attitude and workplace behavior may resonate with Gen Z workers as they enter the corporate world and adjust to professional norms. So far, that transition hasn\u2019t always been smooth. Some six in 10 companies have already fired some of their new young hires, citing a lack of professionalism, organization, and communication.<\/p>\n
Fortune reached out to Citi, and the company had no further comment.<\/p>\n
The right attitude may be Gen Z\u2019s biggest career advantage<\/p>\n
Fraser\u2019s emphasis on attitude is echoed by other CEOs who say mindset can make an outsized difference early in a career.<\/p>\n
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has admitted that attitude\u2014something largely within a young worker\u2019s control\u2014can have an enormous impact on long-term success.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn embarrassing amount of how well you do, particularly in your twenties, has to do with attitude,\u201d Jassy said in a conversation with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky.<\/p>\n
Former Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach has offered similar advice, drawing on his own path from competitive wrestler to the C-suite.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attitude that you bring to the office\u2014and to your employees, your peers, and the people you serve alongside every day\u2014is what ultimately will determine a lot of your success,\u201d Eschenbach said on McKinsey\u2019s Inside the Strategy Room podcast last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often say your altitude in life is completely determined by your attitude in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Citi #CEO #Jane #Fraser #swears #Warren #Buffetts #golden #rule #dealing #conflict #work #respond #email #anger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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