Key Takeaways
Jamie Dimon says one of many key classes he has “discovered and relearned” is to keep away from making massive choices on Fridays whenever you’re drained as a result of it will increase the chance of poor judgment.
Dimon stresses emotional self-discipline as a core management ability, warning that anger can undermine decision-making.
Beneath his recommendation is a broader perception that folks ought to floor their careers in a transparent objective — treating others nicely, doing their finest, and leaving the world a greater place.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s newest profession secret is easy: by no means make massive choices if you find yourself exhausted, particularly on the finish of the week.
“Making massive choices on a Friday whenever you’re drained is a extremely unhealthy thought,” Dimon mentioned in a latest interview with NPR, when requested to mirror on what he wished his youthful self had recognized.
Through the interview, Dimon additionally framed emotional self-discipline as essential to management. “Anger doesn’t assist,” he mentioned, speaking in regards to the sorts of feelings that may throw off a frontrunner’s judgment and one other lesson he discovered.
Dimon, who turned 70 final month, has spent over 20 years working JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. financial institution. He mentioned he has “discovered and relearned” these classes over time and admitted that he isn’t good: “I nonetheless make a few of these errors, sadly,” he mentioned.
The risks of determination fatigue
Thomas Roulet, who teaches organizational sociology and management on the College of Cambridge, informed Enterprise Insider that Dimon is true — ”determination fatigue,” or a deteriorating capacity to course of info, might be harmful. He added {that a} CEO would possibly really feel pressured to make a fast determination because the week wraps up, which may result in doing so with out all of the information or with out checking in with the best individuals first.
“As a CEO, in case you have taken choices all through the week with out time to recharge, cognitive assets — a CEO’s capacity to juggle and course of all info they must make the best determination — are depleted by Friday,” Roulet informed the outlet.
Roulet additionally identified a structural downside many executives and impressive professionals face: because the week ends, they face stress to “simply resolve” so groups can transfer ahead, even when they’re confronted with incomplete information or they haven’t consulted key advisers. Dimon is basically arguing for pushing again in opposition to that tempo and accepting a brief delay to keep away from a poor, extremely consequential determination.
Have a life objective
Dimon mentioned within the NPR interview that his life objective was “to make the world a greater place.” He mentioned he was raised to have a life objective, to “deal with everybody nicely” and to “do the most effective you may,” and “that hasn’t modified.”
Dimon argues that objective, not fleeting happiness, is what really sustains individuals via the laborious, unglamorous stretches of labor. Earlier this yr, on the Feminine Quotient lounge in Davos, Switzerland, he reminded youthful staff that each job has a “grunt half” you need to “recover from,” and that chasing fixed pleasure or on the spot gratification can derail a promising profession.
“Don’t get a brand new job,” Dimon mentioned on the occasion. “Some individuals are all the time considering, and so they’re ruining their lives as a result of they need to simply take pleasure in what they’re doing.”
Dimon added that there isn’t any substitute for laborious work relating to constructing a profitable profession.
“Work laborious. There’s no substitute,” he mentioned. “I nonetheless see lots of people who suppose they will make a shortcut to a heroic ‘one thing.’ It’s virtually by no means true.”
Key Takeaways
Jamie Dimon says one of many key classes he has “discovered and relearned” is to keep away from making massive choices on Fridays whenever you’re drained as a result of it will increase the chance of poor judgment.
Dimon stresses emotional self-discipline as a core management ability, warning that anger can undermine decision-making.
Beneath his recommendation is a broader perception that folks ought to floor their careers in a transparent objective — treating others nicely, doing their finest, and leaving the world a greater place.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s newest profession secret is easy: by no means make massive choices if you find yourself exhausted, particularly on the finish of the week.
“Making massive choices on a Friday whenever you’re drained is a extremely unhealthy thought,” Dimon mentioned in a latest interview with NPR, when requested to mirror on what he wished his youthful self had recognized.
Through the interview, Dimon additionally framed emotional self-discipline as essential to management. “Anger doesn’t assist,” he mentioned, speaking in regards to the sorts of feelings that may throw off a frontrunner’s judgment and one other lesson he discovered.

