• Ralph Lauren CEO Patrice Louvet isn’t afraid to tackle workplace issues head-on. Although he prefers to focus on employees’ strengths when giving feedback, the French-born exec says addressing weaknesses sooner rather than later can help businesses—and careers—thrive.

Being the chief executive of a Fortune 500 company isn’t easy these days, but sometimes a little tough love can go a long way. 

For Patrice Louvet, the CEO of Ralph Lauren, that means when it’s time to give negative feedback, you just have to cut to the chase.

“If there’s a big issue, then you’ve got to start with the issue, and go straight on,” Louvet told LinkedIn’s This is Working podcast. “And sometimes people need to be hit by a 2×4 across the forehead, because it doesn’t always register right.”

While major problems like regularly missing crucial deadlines may require a stern hand, the 61-year-old said that he handles smaller issues that aren’t overly disruptive, like being unorganized, by focusing on the worker’s strengths before laying it on thick.

“Provide the feedback through the lens that these are opportunities for development,” Louvet, who’s led the fashion brand since 2017, added—and it’s a lesson he said he learned during his nearly 30-year tenure at Procter & Gamble. 

“You have to spend the majority of your time on your strengths,” Louvet said. “So 80% of your time on your strengths, 20% on your opportunities. If you spend all your time on your opportunities, you’re not going to be that effective.”

Fortune reached out to Louvet for comment.

The best way to provide employee feedback isn’t cut and dry

For workers, reinforcement can be a productivity make-or-break. A recent study found that some 75% of workers wish they felt more valued at work. For Gen Z, in particular, who have had a tough time adjusting to the workplace, understanding their skill gaps can help them avoid being on the early chopping block.

However, striking the appropriate balance between positivity and negativity is a challenge for many leaders, with only 14% of Fortune 500 executives admitting their companies know who the high and low performers are. Some leaders have, in turn, opted for unique approaches to letting their subordinates know their views on their work.

For billionaire Changpeng Zhao, former CEO of the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, that’s “whenever and wherever the thought comes up.”

“I in fact prefer to give feedback in large groups, so that other people can learn too and I don’t have to repeat myself many times,” Zhao wrote in a blog post in 2022. “Many people told me they were shocked the first few times when receiving feedback like that, but got used to it eventually.”

Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, also took a blunt approach, reportedly telling employees to stop complaining and focus on beating Airbus. 

“Don’t sit at the water cooler and bitch about people,” Ortberg told his colleagues, according to a meeting recording obtained by The Wall Street Journal. “Let’s focus on the task at hand.”

At chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), workers may even receive feedback from CEO Lisa Su after midnight.

“I don’t believe leaders are born, Su told Time. “I believe leaders are trained.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

• T-Mobile will lock cellular prices for customers for five years. The announcement comes as inflation rises and tariffs threaten to raise the cost of everyday items. Comcast, last week, also unveiled a five-year price lock on internet service.

With volatility ruling Wall Street and tariffs threatening to raise the cost of, well, pretty much everything, T-Mobile is looking to lock in customers by locking in prices.

The cellular carrier has announced it will guarantee customers no price increases for their talk, text or data plans for the next five years. The announcement comes alongside the introduction of two new plans for customers, which also includes Starlink service through the end of the year.

Four new Metro by T-Mobile plans were also unveiled.

It’s the price guarantee that’s likely to turn heads, however. Consumers, weary from the yo-yos of inflation over the past several years, are craving some sort of stability. That’s certainly not being found on Wall Street these days and prices on many everyday items are threatening to surge dramatically in the coming months.

“Since 2020, people have seen more than a 20% increase on the price of everyday essentials. We know value and savings matter more than ever right now, and we’re giving customers just that with these new plans — in addition to peace of mind knowing the price of their plan will stay the same for the next five years,” Jon Freier, president of T-Mobile Consumer Group, said in a statement.

T-Mobile’s not the only one offering a five-year deal to customers willing to make a long-term commitment to their brand. Last week, Comcast announced a five-year price lock for customers who sign up for a new Xfinity internet package, with prices starting at $55 per month.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

• Trump Media & Technology Group announced it officially signed an agreement to start several ETFs through its fintech brand, Truth.Fi. The ETFs will be available through Crypto.com’s broker dealer and will invest in cryptocurrencies and the energy sector, according to a press release. 

Truth.Fi, the fintech brand of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), signed an official agreement with Crypto.com, one of the largest cryptocurrency platforms in the world, to launch several “Made in America” themed ETFs. The partnership and ETFs were announced last month, but became official Tuesday. 

TMTG, whose flagship product is the social-media platform Truth Social, branched out into financial services in January with its Truth.Fi service. The deal with Crypto.com marks TMTG’s official entry into the ETF market. TMTG had previously inked an agreement with Charles Schwab to launch a series of separately managed accounts.  

Over the course of the last year, TMTG has made significant strides to expand its portfolio of digital businesses beyond Truth Social. Last year, it launched a streaming service, and this year, it has made notable headway in standing up a fintech platform. 

Truth.Fi bills itself as part of the “Patriot Economy,” a conservative effort to build a parallel financial system. The idea is that many existing financial institutions like banks, brokerage firms, and exchanges are too liberal. To compete with existing firms, companies like TMTG are trying to set up their own set of financial products. 

TMTG’s ETFs, labeled “Made in America,” will consist of digital assets and securities in industries such as energy, according to a company statement. The ETFs will be sold through Crypto.com’s broker dealer, Foris Capital US LLC.

One of TMTG’s longtime financial partners, Yorkville Advisors, is also involved in the company’s financial-services endeavors. One of Yorkville’s subsidiaries will serve as an asset manager for the ETFs. Yorkville is also the Registered Investment Advisor for TMTG’s investment products offered via Charles Schwab. 

TMTG and Yorkville’s finances are heavily intertwined. Last year, the two companies signed a standby equity purchase agreement, which is a specific kind of contract that allows a company to sell discounted shares to a firm that is then obligated to buy them. These sorts of agreements can be mutually beneficial because they offer a company like TMTG a guaranteed buyer of shares should they need to raise capital. At the same time, Yorkville can buy TMTG stock at a discount, paying only 97.25% of the share price, which it can then sell on the open market at full price. 

In 2024, TMTG raised about $450 million from this financial arrangement, according to SEC filings. 

TMTG’s foray into financial services, with a focus on crypto, marks the latest such venture in President Donald Trump’s business portfolio. Trump, who is TMTG’s largest shareholder via a revocable trust controlled by his son Donald Trump Jr. (who is also a company board member), has in recent months launched several of his own cryptocurrency businesses. Shortly before his inauguration in January, Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, launched memecoins. The two cryptocurrencies shot up in value before the price eventually fell. With his memecoin, Trump not only makes money based on the value of the coin, but also from trading fees as other investors buy and sell the coin. Trump also has a separate crypto venture called World Liberty Financial that lets users borrow, lend, and invest in cryptocurrencies.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com