'thank God that wasn't me'

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.

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?

Hi there ‘Caught in the middle’!
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.

Facing your own fiasco? Don't let your crisis become next week's newsletter feature. Call us.

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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.

When you’re ready to avoid becoming our next case study or want to feature a case study of your own, contact us at [email protected]. 

About The WayFinders Group

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.