自从在弗吉尼亚州夏洛茨维尔的白人至上主义集会上，极右翼抗议者和反抗议者发生暴力冲突以来，已经过去近两年时间。当年的血腥打斗和种族辱骂，是高沛德领导花旗时理念改变的关键。在那之前，高沛德身为美国最大银行之一的首席执行官，在许多政治问题和社会问题上倾向于保持中立。但2017年8月17日，他的立场发生了变化。

高沛德在发给花旗20万名员工的一份备忘录中，表达了反对此类恐怖事件的观点，称之“影响极坏，严重侮辱了我们的价值观”，并补充道：“很明显，暴力冲突体现出的仇恨、偏执和种族主义不可容忍。”

高沛德表示，当骚乱开始时，他认为花旗员工均了解该行的价值观。但在与领导团队进行了大量反省和讨论之后，他认为明确表明立场非常重要。

“坦率地说，当时我有点挣扎。”他说道。“我希望公司内部大家都应该明确知道，我们不会支持或容忍此类事件。但我认为，当前重要的是要让员工听到并收到提醒，让他们可以说：‘我很了解公司的立场是这样的。我了解身边的同事，这就是他们的立场。’因此从很多方面来说，我只想站出来，打消有关‘我们是谁’和‘我们采取什么立场’的疑问。”

自那以来，高沛德在重大的社会和商业问题上越来越多地表明立场。举例来说，花旗集团已经限制向商业客户出售枪支。在美国的银行中，只有花旗集团会披露女性员工与男性员工之间的薪酬差距情况。花旗还是最大的平价住房贷款银行。

高沛德36年前毕业于哈佛大学，随后便加入了花旗。在回想早年经历时，他如此描述对在公司工作的期望：“进门，埋下头做好自己的工作。”但他表示，如今对于在花旗工作的所有人来说，情况都发生了重大变化，特别是对身处最高层的首席执行官来说。

“当今时代，不管是整个社会、员工还是人民，都在期待企业为大局利益服务。” 他解释道。“在审视现今世界面临的挑战时，无论是环境问题、还是平价住房的问题，企业都处于优势地位，可以影响相关对话，而且有望影响最终结果。”（财富中文网）

译者：Charlie

审校：夏林

It is almost two years now since the violent clashes between alt-right protesters and counter-protesters at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Those bloody fights and racial taunting were pivotal in changing the views of Michael Corbat when it comes to how he leads Citigroup. Until then, as the CEO of one of the largest banks in the country, Corbat preferred to stay neutral on many political issues and social problems. But that changed on August 17, 2017.

In a memo to Citi’s 200,000 employees, Corbat expressed his opposition to the horrible events calling them a “vile and tragic affront to our values”, adding, “it is obvious to us that the hatred, bigotry, and racism which was on display can never be tolerated.”

Corbat says that at first, when the riots began, he assumed Citi employees understood the bank’s values. But, after considerable introspection and discussion with his leadership team, he decided it was important for him to speak up.

“I candidly, struggled a bit,” he says. “I would hope within our company that it’s obvious that we don’t stand or tolerate any of those. But I think in today’s age, it’s important for your people to hear it and to be reminded and for them to have the ability to say, ‘I know this is the way my company comes to work. I know the people I work with, this is what they stand for.’ And so in many ways I just wanted to be out there taking any questions off the table around a reaffirmation of who we are and what we stand for.”

Since then Corbat has increasingly been taking stances on prominent social and business issues. The bank has set restrictions, for example, on the sale of firearms to its business customers. Citigroup is the only American bank to disclose the pay gap between its female and male employees. It is also the largest affordable housing lender.

Corbat joined Citi 36 years ago, right after graduating from Harvard University. As he reflects back on his early years working in the bank, he describes workplace expectations as “come in, put your head down, do your job.” But he says today things have changed dramatically for everyone working at the bank, and especially for the chief executive at the top.

“In today’s age there’s an expectation of society, there’s an expectation of your employees, of your people, that we’ve got to serve the greater good,” he explains. “When you look at the challenges in the world today, whether it’s the environment or whether it’s affordable housing, we’re in a privileged position of being able to influence that conversation and hopefully, the outcomes.”