How to Embrace Candor

Happy Spring!

The rain has slowed, the bulbs are a bloom and our resident Canadian Geese (George and Martha) have four goslings following them around.  If that doesn’t scream S P R I N G, I don’t know what does. 

I am surprised that March is over, it was an action-packed month.  Seriously, the ISO 20022 readiness and release, a quick run to Charlotte, a Soroptimist Awards Ceremony where we gave out scholarships to three women, and a volunteer event celebrating over 800 volunteers for FieldHaven Feline Center (where I serve on the Board of Directors).  I am grateful for the busyness, as some of you know this is the first year anniversary of losing my sister, and her birthday week without the ISO release would have been very hard.  Grateful to many of you, who remembered and gave me some additional patience and grace during this time. 

Embracing Candor

This past week I have begun to have first quarter performance conversations with the full-time employees.  These conversations are essential to ensure everyone understands what they will be measured on and also receive real-time feedback for the quarter. 

One of the objectives that always feels hard to document is Objective Two:  Living the Wells Fargo Expectations.  The 2023 Expectations are Wells Fargo’s way of focusing on a culture that is transformative by embracing and modeling doing what’s right, doing it well and leading with an enterprise mindset. 

The six attributes within the expectations are:

1. Embracing Candor
2. Do What’s Right
3. Be Great at Execution
4. Learn and Grow
5. Champion diversity, equity and inclusion

6. Build High Performing Teams (Managers)

Next week, we will dive deeper into Embrace Candor, but today I challenge all to open the 2023 Expectations and do a personal assessment. 

• Are you embracing respectful debate and dialogue?  If so, you are embracing candor.
• If you see a problem, do you take ownership or get support to make things right? If so, you are modeling "doing what’s right".
• Do you strive to simplify transactions and end-to-end processing?  If so, you are showing others how to be great at execution.
• Are you tenacious in overcoming obstacles? If so, you are modeling to learn and grow.
• Do you speak up, share your unique voice, and encourage ideas that challenge your own thinking?  If so, you are advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Happy Spring and Happy Thursday all,

-srt