69 - - - - - Q UA RT E R _ 0 2 _ 2 0 2 6 From left to right: Jane Fraser addresses an economic forum in Asia and performs community service with Citi colleagues in Dallas, Texas. EK : If you could wind the clock back to when you took the role as CEO, what do you wish you had known then that you know now? What key thing would you call out to others as they head into roles like this? JF : The job is extraordinary, but it’s relentless. Everything is coming at you the entire time, and it just doesn’t stop. So you do need to have incred ible emotional resilience. You stick with the plan, and if you need to adapt the plan, you need to do so with real grit and determination. You can’t let the media, the chitchat, the noise around you get in the way of getting your job done. One of my board members told me, “You need two things as a CEO: big ears and thick skin.” And you have to really build those listening skills, because people will often tell you what they think you want to hear. So you need better sources of truth and other ele ments of input. You also need courage, physical strength, and good health because, again, it’s always on. But I think that emotional resiliency was something I had really underestimated, and I don’t think there’s a good enough job done in helping leaders build that. EK : How do you think about what kind of legacy you want to leave Citi? JF : As we’ve gone through all this lift, I’ve always said I can’t wait to run the bank that we’re build ing. I would hope the legacy is having success with both the way the bank operates and the capabilities we’ve got, as well as in the talent pyr amid and the culture. That is a human bank. I think the bank with a brain is table stakes, but having a human bank is very important. It’s a great gift you have as a CEO—this ability to make people feel good and celebrate them when they’ve had suc cess. The relationships, the human dimensions, are to be nurtured and invested in. The other thing, obviously, is global dominance. Jane Fraser is CEO and chair of Citi. Eric Kutcher is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Bay Area office and serves as McKinsey’s chair of North America. Comments and opinions expressed by interviewees are their own and do not represent or reflect the opinions, policies, or positions of McKinsey & Company or have its endorsement. ‘The job is extraordinary, but it’s relentless. Everything is coming at you the entire time, and it just doesn’t stop.’ » »