When reality doesn't match the narrative

The Big Short brilliantly captured how institutional behavior can diverge from stated principles. During my recent discussion with Global Relay's Rob Mason, we explored this same dynamic in today's financial institutions - but also found some leaders getting it exactly right.

Take UBS's Sergio Ermotti closing down a profitable algo trading desk because it didn't align with the bank's stated client-focused mission. No grand statements, just clear action that showed exactly what the organization truly valued.

A critical insight emerged: the very notion of 'business vs compliance' is fundamentally flawed. If it's not compliant, it's not business - it's something else entirely (and we have plenty of names for that). Leaders who truly understand this aren't making trade-offs between compliance and revenue - they're ensuring their revenue is genuinely business-derived.

This is part 3 of our 5-article series examining the gap between institutional rhetoric and reality. Because sometimes, like in 2008, the real story isn't in the corporate messaging - it's in the decisions leaders make when profit and principles collide.

Huge thanks to Global relay for hosting these conversations about what genuine leadership looks like in practice.

Find the full GRIP article here.