Goldman Sachs Talks

James Citrin, Leader, Spencer Stuart North American CEO Practice

In this episode of Talks at GS, James Citrin, leader of the North American CEO practice at Spencer Stuart, discusses how to maximize performance at the workplace, key insights from his new book Leading at a Distance: Practical Lessons for Virtual Success, and the future of work and teams in the post-pandemic world.

On workplace performance: “Most people in the world define their success or their jobs as you have objectives, and your job is to meet your objectives. That’s what creates average performance. Very strong performance are those who exceed their objectives. On average, across those cohorts, the strong performers, this is like the top 20%—on average achieve their objectives by 20%, whether it’s a revenue generation, cost reduction, cost of borrowing, whatever it was across. But the top one percent, they actually redefined their job. They don’t just do more of the same. They actually meet their objectives. But then, they think about what can I do that will actually add value to the organization in a way that I know better than my boss might know, or the organization. And then they initiate that, in order to add value in unexpected ways.

On the “RAMP” model: “The RAMP model is an acronym for relationships, accountability, motivation, and process. Let me focus on the two ends of that, relationships and process. What we found, and this has been a growing trend in leadership, is the importance of purpose and relationships…You want to really be associated with a company, with a firm that you’re really proud to be a part of that represents your values. But the relationships aspect of leadership and life is not to be underestimated.”

The episode was recorded on June 22, 2021.