NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER: The Secret To Citi’s Success
On May 13, 2008 at 6:04 p.m., The Heel - an Ivy-educated attorney with a prestigious New York firm and occasional contributor to this blog - received a puzzling “Message from Vikram Pandit CEO, Citi” in his Inbox:
I want you to be among the first to know about the bold steps we are taking at Citi to be the premier, global, fully integrated financial services firm.
Our objective is to create for our customers an experience in which services are seamless, payments and transfers effortless, and distances meaningless. My commitment - and the commitment of everyone at Citi - is to work tirelessly around the world and around the clock to deliver outstanding value and service as we continue to earn your trust.
We are proud of our enduring strength as a global financial institution, striving to successfully meet the needs of clients like you in more than 100 countries. As always, we look forward to continuing to serve you - wherever you are and wherever you need to be.
Sincerely,
Vikram Pandit
CEO, Citi
So what are these bold steps on which “everyone” at Citi is working “tirelessly around the world and around the clock"? Vikram doesn’t say.
At first The Stiletto sniggered that if The Heel hadn’t closed his account several months earlier Vikram might have let him in on the secret. But then The Heel reminded her that she is a current Citi customer and Vikram had not sent her an e-mail.
Well, apparently “first to know” is not what you would assume, because The Stiletto got the exact same e-mail from Vikram on May 14th at 12:01 a.m. - and being a current customer did not entitle her to any additional details that had been withheld from The Heel.
The Stiletto can only surmise that the account The Heel closed had far more money in it than the active account she maintains. Sigh.
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