Business travel is returning to pre-pandemic levels as CEOs recognise the necessity of face-to-face interactions despite the rise of videoconferencing tools. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon advocates for in-person meetings, stressing that leaders must engage directly with employees, customers, and clients.
“Leaders have to get out. They have to be curious; ask a million questions,” Dimon stated on LinkedIn’s This is Working series. He argues that corporate travel enables executives to understand market positions, client needs, and competitor strategies.
Dimon dismisses the notion that leaders are too busy to travel, warning that avoiding real-world interactions can lead to failure. He emphasises that companies with disengaged leaders become stagnant and bureaucratic. Curiosity and continuous learning are crucial for dynamic leadership.
In 2012, Dimon sent his top consumer banking team to China to learn from companies like Ping An, WeChat, Tencent, and Alibaba. This exposure to advanced technological practices influenced JPMorgan’s own AI initiatives.
Dimon criticises leaders who lack awareness of broader market conditions, which he believes results in poor policy decisions. “Complacency and politics is the petri dish of death. The antidote to that is that you’re always learning, always curious,” he concluded.
