It’s All About People And Doing What is Right

To Our Clients

In a world awash in brands, balance sheets and technology of all kinds, one can overlook the most important differentiator in life—the human touch—people who care, who listen, who think, who drive, who protect, who serve, who question, who solve, who execute…the list goes on and on. While our bias is to talk about our clients and Jefferies, we really are talking about the entire universe, be it for -profit enterprises, investment funds, not-for-profit causes, local or national governments, religious groups or whatever pursuits are out there.

What distinguishes good and great from marginal and mediocre? How do we do what is right, rather than just allowing the status quo to continue? How do we avoid causing unnecessary pain and damage? Seems to us it comes down to the will and commitment of an individual or a team of individuals who have the strength, integrity, energy and will to do what is right and just. We see this as we watch the U.S. government, leadership in Europe and ruling parties across Asia and Africa all struggle just to do what is right and fair. Unfortunately, politics, hubris and self-interest create a dangerous cocktail that puts a roadblock in the way of many worthy objectives and prevents them from being accomplished. We won’t go further into the political dialogue, but you can probably relate to what we are feeling. Leaders need to set their personal agendas aside and just do what is right. They need to always remember that their needs and wants are subservient to the people who put them in their current positions. The moment their behavior reflects otherwise, regardless of their short-term titles, they are no longer leaders.

We at Jefferies are committed first and foremost to you, our clients. Sounds trite and surely words that others have also spoken. Please know that every day the two of us do our best to deliver on this worthy objective. For us, delivering means making certain our most important asset, our 3,805 employee-partners, are empowered, energized, motivated and fully equipped to get the job done for you. The day we forget where the real value, power and future of Jefferies resides is the day we deserve to get tapped on the shoulder and asked to move on. Yes we have a brand, a balance sheet and technology, but what we really have is our people. The job of our entire Jefferies management team is to assure we are beholden to all our teammates so we, in turn, as an entire firm can deliver value to you, our clients.

Thank you for your continued support,

Rich and Brian