Rich Handler is well-known for keeping a really low profile, is rarely quoted by the press, and never appears on financial television. But as of late, the 58-year-old CEO has created a presence on social media and has more than 15,000 followers on his Instagram account. In a surprising move, he offered a Q&A with @litquidity which is a very popular Instagram account, known for its finance members, with over 265,000 followers.
Handler is considered the longest-serving CEO of a Wall Street bank and was interviewed by Yahoo Finance to talk about what he thinks about management, careers, and communication when the COVID-19 pandemic changed the playing field.
He also discussed his growing appreciation for the value of social media as an avenue to communicate with and connect with millennials including current and prospective employees.
Even though he has experienced many difficulties in his life, he believes this is absolutely the worst he has encountered. Although this is a really scary time, his message to everyone is encouragement and optimism.
Recently, he posted on Instagram his story titled the “nine jobs he had and one lie”. His jobs included being a waiter, insurance salesman, telemarketing agent, messenger, vacuum cleaner salesman – door-to-door, retriever of golf balls, splitting logs, a babysitter, newspaper deliverer, and CEO on Wall Street. Oh, by the way, his lie - he was never was a retriever of golf balls, he doesn’t even know how to play golf!
Approximately 1,000 guests flooded his direct message. Also, he received tons of messages expressing their appreciation for his post and the messages around it.
Handler told Yahoo Finance that he probably doesn’t look trustworthy because most people do not believe he was ever a babysitter. With a light touch of humor, he said anything is possible and he truly appreciated everyone’s responses.
He also informed everyone that the worst job he ever had was a salesman for Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners going door-to-door in the dead of winter in Rochester, NY. He added, he did learn a lot about vacuum cleaners and this is a great vacuum cleaner!
He believes he learned a lot more about others than they learned from him. Publicly- traded company CEOs have totally embraced social media in recent years. They have set up Twitter and Instagram accounts and have a habit of looking very corporate. Handler encouraged his millennial daughter, Skylar, to give Instagram a try. This was in an attempt to clear up many misconceptions about Wall Street and the people running it as bad people.
He said he has a lot of good friends in the industry who are hardworking, love their families and friends, and are philanthropic. His firm never took a bailout during the crisis. The industry is made up of “real people” with the same hopes, beliefs, and fears as everyone else.
Handler has a raw approach to social media by sometimes appearing on his daughter’s account with a pasta stain on his t-shirt or jumping on a trampoline during a group fitness class.