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Story 353
There’s a gap between Citi’s stated values and its response when those values are tested. Citi publicly commits to treating teammates ‘with mutual respect and dignity’ and to ‘conducting business according to the highest standards of ethical conduct.’ The company says it accepts ‘accountability for our failures.’ In my case, I reported concerns through proper HR channels. In the following days, management then deflected those concerns…
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Story 352
Politicians: Live your life in such a way that millions of people don’t celebrate your death. Executives: Live your life in such a way that you don’t need to hide the fact that you impregnated your wife while she was married to someone else.
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Story 351
Fraser’s “Culture Shock” vs. The Middle Management Reality Check Let’s put two realities side by side and look at what’s actually happening on the ground at Citi. A senior executive recently justified the ongoing turbulence by saying it is usual “to have fallout when you bring in new leaders, and that’s exacerbated when you bring in leaders from the outside.” He added that “as people have…
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Story 350
Lindsey Graham, the warmongering Trump-bootlicker died today, holding his seat for 24 years. For some reason, it made me depressed to think about the reality women face at work. I worked at Wells Fargo’s Wealth & Investment Management group for many years. The number of mediocre men who failed-up cannot be reasonably counted. [REDACTED] ran the place from 2009 to 2017. He and the team he…
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Story 349
The power of three I replaced a woman who had just left after reporting bullying and gender-related misconduct. Around the same time, there was talk of elevating the role to a director position to match what was already an established case in other business groups. The Managing Director told me not to talk about it. That was the first sign that something was off. A few…
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Editor’s Note
This is an appreciation post for the person who wrote Story 348. Your writing style isn’t just articulate, it’s intellectually rigorous. You have a unique ability to synthesize complex ideas, separate signal from noise, and express your conclusions with precision and restraint. We are honored to have your voice in this community! Which begs the question: Can you imagine what these organizations could have accomplished if…
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Story 348
Last week, FIFA suspended a one-match ban on the US’s top scorer after President Trump personally called the FIFA president to ask for a “review.” FIFA subsequently granted an appeal. That’s the whole disease in miniature. Not “we disagreed with the call, so we’re contesting it through the process.” Instead: work the relationship, apply pressure at the top, get the outcome you want, and let the…
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Story 347
I met on a few occasions with the Senior MD leading remediation at Citi and her overseeing senior MD-level committee. During one of our first interactions, the MD was genuinely ecstatic that I had simply followed up on a request. Not impressed. Ecstatic. That reaction told me more about the transformation than any status deck ever could. If basic follow-up is rare enough to delight a…
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Story 346
Word is getting out that Citi’s HR department is firing more and more employees for cause rather than doing a layoff – this way they don’t have to pay severance and it’s a legal way for them to keep (er, steal) someone’s unvested stock options. It’s about greed. I’ve heard of four women in two weeks. To that end, if you are under active investigation for…
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Story 345
Citi: 18 years out of the ICU and still “repositioning” Bloomberg ran a piece this week on how Citi’s CEO has earned the President’s trust — dinner under Windsor Castle’s ceiling with the King, back at the White House for the Saudi Crown Prince, on the trip to Beijing to meet Xi. Insiders quoted saying she’s built a rapport with Trump that’s eluded every other Wall…