Jamie Dimon's Radical Attention

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Jamie Dimon's Radical Attention

Jamie Dimon doesn't hide behind staff or packed schedules even though he runs JP Morgan Chase, the world's largest bank.

Instead, he structures his work life around direct connection, personally hosting client lunches and dinners, handwriting letters, and making time for one-on-one meetings.

His office runs with military precision of knowing who's coming, why they're meeting, and what they need.

"Half the time they don't even need me," Dimon explains. "They want a research report or lunch with someone specific."

→ Never rushed: "I'm never harried, never late; I’ve always done my pre-reads."

→ No distractions: "I do not have my phone or notifications on my iPad."

→ Complete attention: "I'm looking at you, I'm learning from you."

When peers say they're "too busy" for client visits, Dimon sees a fundamental error.

He regularly:

• Visits call centers

• Joins sales calls

• Travels to smaller cities

• Meets personally with small businesses

Dimon is also very comfortable with being wrong. "Just make it better going forward. Don't feel you need to protect me."

For Dimon, leadership means full presence, direct connection, and radical availability. Even at the highest levels, great leadership still begins with simply showing up with your full attention.

Can Your Assistant Handle More?

You know that nagging feeling.

Your assistant handles everything you ask of them with ease. Scheduling, travel, email management - it all gets done without a hitch.

Yet something feels...off.

You sense there's untapped capability, bigger projects you could hand off, but you haven’t paused to identify exactly what.

That feeling lingers, unresolved, quietly occupying mental space.

Most executives I talk to underutilize their assistants. Chances are, your assistant can take on higher level work.

Why? Because people naturally rise only to the bar set for them—no higher, no lower. Setting that bar, and continuously raising it, is your responsibility as a leader.

When delegators default to caution, they unintentionally set expectations too low, missing their assistant's true potential.

Here are two lightweight tests to help you quickly assess:

1. The 10% Stretch Test

Assign one higher-leverage responsibility they've never handled before. Something just outside their comfort zone:

• Instead of just booking conference travel, have them identify 3-5 key people you should meet and draft the outreach messages.

• Instead of passively managing your calendar, ask them to audit your last month and suggest 2-3 changes to eliminate wasted time.

If they handle the new responsibility without dropping any balls, you know they’re ready for more.

2. The "What Would You Do?" Test

Next time they bring you a decision, resist the urge to instruct— simply ask how they'd handle it first:

• Instead of saying "Draft a response to this investor," ask: "How would you reply to this?"

• Instead of giving scheduling preferences, ask: "How would you optimize my travel for this trip?"

This pushes them to think at your level. To anticipate, not just execute.

If they nail it, the bottleneck may be you.

The highest performers I know don't wonder if their assistant has more capacity, they actively test it.