AT&T CEO John Stankey has spoken openly about a key mistake he believes he made while leading the company. His comments come months after an internal memo he wrote went viral and sparked discussion online.
The memo talked about AT&T moving toward a more business-focused work culture, which made many wonder about employee loyalty and the company’s values. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, Stankey explained what he was really trying to do with that message.
He admitted that he did not move fast enough to change the company’s culture in the way it needed. According to him, culture change was treated as one of many goals when it should have been the top priority. Stankey said he should have acted sooner and he now feels focus was needed from the start.
AT&T CEO Speaks About Leadership Mistakes
Speaking with Alan Murray, president of the WSJ Leadership Institute, John Stankey explained, “The memo shouldn’t be over-rotated on. It’s one of a series of steps in trying to put a framework out there and remove excuses for leaders to lead. That memo outlined my point of view on it and it gives leaders who want to lead all the air cover in the world they need to go and execute around that framework.”
Stankey admitted that one of his biggest mistakes was not acting quickly enough to change AT&T’s work culture. He explained that he treated culture change as just one of several priorities when it should have been the main focus.
This year, AT&T changed its work rules and asked employees to come to the office five days a week instead of following a hybrid system. John Stankey explained that people who strongly prefer working from home may struggle to fit in with the company’s plans and goals.
He shared these views in a message sent to AT&T managers after reviewing an employee survey. He explained that the company handles fast moving work that deals directly with customers and large projects. Because of this, the business needs teams to work closely together in person.
John Stankey also made it clear that employees are free to choose what kind of job suits their personal lives. But he pointed out that if someone depends fully on remote or hybrid work to manage their career and daily life, it may not match the direction AT&T wants to take.
