Even at the top of the business ladder, CEOs are still learning how to lead more effectively—and 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.
The first? “He said, ‘You can always call them an asshole tomorrow.’ Really good piece of advice,” Fraser recalled at an event at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business last month. “So, never in anger, respond to that email.”
Buffett also taught her the value of criticizing by category and praising by name—meaning leaders should recognize individual employees for good work but avoid singling out people when something goes wrong.
“You’re always going to regret it if you criticize someone by name; it’s going to come back and bite you,” Fraser said.
Fraser recalled one moment Buffett’s lesson proved especially helpful: when an activist investor began putting pressure on the bank. At first, she said she had a self-described “very rude response” to the idea of being empathetic toward someone causing her problems. But stepping back and viewing the situation from the investor’s perspective, she said, ultimately led to a breakthrough.
