“The Fixer”
Welcome to The Fixer, a weekly newsletter from The WayFinders Group.
You could be making headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it won’t happen to you because you’re here learning from other leaders’ spectacular missteps. Every Friday, we forensically examine the corporate crises that could have been avoided with foresight, fresh thinking, and a phone call to the right people (aka us!). We also provide the next installment of our agony aunt column, and the best escapism money can buy.
Friday’s Fiasco: when personal posts become corporate crises
This week, Citigroup made a classic corporate misstep: they forced a senior employee to delete a personal social media post expressing political views, then launched an internal “review” of the matter. The result? What should have been a non-story has become headline news across financial media.
Our advice to Citi? Don’t touch the post!
The real scandal here isn’t what trading desk head, Akshay Singal, wrote on LinkedIn, rather it’s Citi’s panicked reaction that transformed a personal opinion into a corporate crisis. By demanding deletion and announcing a review, they’ve created precisely the kind of BBC-style controversy that destroys reputations and dominates news cycles for weeks.
Don’t touch the post Issue a simple statement acknowledging that employees hold diverse views whilst reaffirming the bank’s commitment to serving clients across all communities. Done. No drama, no Streisand effect, no story.
Define your lines Create clear social media guidelines that distinguish between personal views and conduct that materially impacts the business. You need clarity on what crosses the line (direct client attacks, confidential information breaches, discriminatory language) versus what’s simply uncomfortable but protected expression. Most tellingly, Singal’s previous LinkedIn post celebrated Citi’s culture and paternity leave policies. This employee was literally a cultural ambassador until he wasn’t. That suggests the real problem isn’t an employee’s social media activity, it’s leadership’s inability to hold complexity and handle nuanced conversations about values in practice.
Prepare don’t react Train your leadership team on responding to controversial employee views before it happens. The most elegant approach is proactive: clear frameworks coupled with leadership training that prevents corporate crises rather than creates them. Instead, Citi’s now managing a reputational mess that could have been entirely avoided with some strategic thinking and a steadier nerve.
Trending: Chief of Staff caught in the middle #FixerFriday
Dear Leah,
I’m Chief of Staff to our new CEO who joined six months ago following a difficult transition. The previous CEO was beloved but stepped down after a major strategic misstep. Our new leader is brilliant and exactly what we need operationally, but the senior team is still grieving the old regime. I’m caught in the middle – the CEO confides in me about feeling isolated and questions whether certain executives are undermining him, whilst those same executives tell me they feel shut out of decision-making. Last week, our CFO said, “I don’t know if I can work with someone who doesn’t trust us”. Right after that, the CEO asked me to “keep an ear out for resistance.” I’m supposed to be building bridges, but I feel like I’m accidentally burning them. How do I navigate this without betraying anyone’s confidence?
INITIAL RESPONSE: It sounds like you’re having a tough and lonely time of things! I’m sure it’s not much comfort, but this is a pretty normal experience during a changing of the guard. The good news is that you have both the ear of the CEO and the ear of the CFO: both of them trust you. The bad news is that being a piggy in the middle isn’t sustainable.
DIAGNOSIS: Neither the existing team nor the new CEO have been brought on a journey. There’s no trust because there’s no relationship. When’s the last time you did something fun together? Got out of the office and had the opportunity to speak to each other as people, rather than as colleagues?
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM: There’s no psychological safety. Everyone is concerned for their own position and suspicious of the motivations of others on the team. The CEO feels insecure about not measuring up, and the team wonders if the new CEO ever will. That is not your hill to die on, nor is it your responsibility to convince the team that the CEO is the right person for the job.
THE PATH TO RESOLVING IT: Reassure the CEO that there is no malice amongst colleagues. Tell the CEO that it is his / her responsibility to create a forum for each leader to get to know them. Suggest that the CEO invite criticisms and concerns from team members and establish an open door policy. Invite questions and curiosity about the go-forward plan. In relation to the team, direct them to put their issues at the feet of the new CEO, encourage them to give this transition process time to improve, and don’t give it another moment’s thought.
YOUR ROLE GOING FORWARDS:
Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. You must not allow yourself to continue to be the middle man.
Reframe your role. Your priority is to the CEO. Ensure that people don’t try to colour that relationship. Protect yourself.
Ask for help. Leadership transitions are complex, and you don’t have to navigate this alone. Consider bringing in external facilitation to help the business navigate these crucial early relationship-building conversations. Sometimes an outside perspective can create the psychological safety that allows both sides to be vulnerable about what they really need from each other, and build a bridge to a collaborative working environment everyone is proud to be a part of.
Friday Fixes & Escapism
Leaders have long days too, so here’s what we’re loving at The WayFinders Group this week:
Feed yourself well: if getting to Chile is still a pipedream, why not immerse yourself at Mareida in Fitzrovia? Former financier Prenay Agarwal has brought authentic Santiago to London—from Atacama Desert table salt to volcanic rock displays and Santiago’s top female chef Carolina Bazán crafting the menu. With Conde Nast giving it ££, this is the kind of passion project that transforms dinner into travel without the jet lag.
Find your flow: we’re dreaming about being Unplugged. Hector and Ben have created the antidote to our always-on existence: beautiful off-grid cabins where CEOs can finally switch off without flying to the Himalayas. After burning out from 14-hour screen days at their tech startup, they’ve built over 30 uniquely designed retreats just outside London where you can intentionally go offline for 3-4 nights. No wifi, no technology, just you and nature through floor-to-ceiling windows. Because sometimes the most productive thing a leader can do is absolutely nothing at all.
Fuel your body: as millennials, you probably are expecting some reformer pilates in this section. However, Leah recently started listening to podcasts while she’s running. Why not check out the latest episode of The Sacred Podcast, hosted by dear friend Elizabeth Oldfield.
Flex your brain: if you can’t unplug, and you can’t get abroad, why not prepare to immerse yourself in Shakespeare’s toxic masculinity masterclass. David Harewood and Toby Jones are bringing Othello’s manipulation and rage to life at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 23 October, with PJ Harvey providing the soundtrack to what promises to be the kind of boardroom psychology lesson you can’t get from Harvard Business Review. Perfect inspo for your next difficult stakeholder meeting.
You know those moments when your board dynamics implode, your top talent turns toxic, or your stakeholders start questioning whether you’re the right person for the job? That’s exactly when you need The WayFinders Group.
Founded by lawyer and accredited mediator Leah Brown FRSA, we’re the multi-disciplinary team you call when traditional HR solutions aren’t enough, the legal work is out of scope, and McKinsey can’t fix what’s fundamentally broken about how people relate to each other in your organisation. We don’t just mediate conflicts, we rebuild the cultures that created them using human-centred design principles to understand your unique stakeholder ecosystem, prototype solutions collaboratively, and iterate based on real-world feedback.
Think of us as the team that prevents your next move resulting in failure, and instead sets the foundation for the legacy you want to leave. Because when you can handle the impossible personalities and navigate the political minefields, everything else becomes manageable.
Our track record includes transforming private companies, NHS trusts, police forces, sports teams, and educational institutions, plus handling the kind of boardroom breakdowns and CEO crises that end careers if mismanaged. We ensure sustainable transformation rather than quick fixes.
Facing your own fiasco? Don’t let your crisis become next week’s newsletter feature. Call us.
Fix it fast through an emergency response when your organisation hits turbulence. From boardroom breakdowns to cultural meltdowns, we’ve seen it all and will get you through it.
Future-proof your leadership through proactive training and frameworks that prevent problems rather than create them. Build resilience, clarity, and confidence in your leadership team before you need it.
Find your way forward whether a merger gone wrong, a scandal brewing, or simply the sense that your organisation has lost its way – we help leaders chart a course to calmer waters.
If you’re ready to avoid becoming our next case study or want to feature a case study of your own, contact us at rebecca@thewayfindersgroup.com.
ENDS
