- Natalie Dawson fired two employees for an extramarital affair at work
- She believes cheating in personal life reflects dishonesty at work
- Dawson views such behavior as a liability to company culture and trust
Natalie Dawson, President of Cardone Ventures, revealed on 'The Diary of a CEO' podcast that she fired two employees for having an extramarital affair with each other, explaining that she views such dishonesty as a liability to the company environment. Dawson said that firing the employees was an instant decision, and she's stood by it despite online backlash.
"As soon as I caught wind of it, it wasn't even like a split second decision, I can't have this in my environment, especially somebody close around me," Dawson told host Steven Bartlett.
When asked if she'd fire someone for cheating on their partner, her response was clear and firm. "Absolutely. I can't have cheaters. If they're going to cheat on the person they're supposed to spend the rest of their life with, do you think that they're cheating on their work? Do you think that they're going to cheat on our clients? That person is a liability to the environment" she said.
Dawson believes personal and professional ethics go hand-in-hand. "If somebody has a problem in their personal life, they're the same person that shows up to work," she added. Dawson emphasised her responsibility as a leader to maintain a specific culture built on trust and accountability.
Online Debate
The millionaire CEO's admission has ignited a significant online debate regarding the boundary between employees' private lives and their professional standing. Some praised Dawson's stance on ethics and others criticised her for overstepping boundaries.
One user on X said, "I agree with Natalie Dawson. Permitting a cheater to operate within your business isn't a display of leniency—it's a declaration of moral bankruptcy. To dismiss dishonesty as trivial only mirrors your own ethical decay."
Another commented, "Honestly, if you can't keep your personal life out of the office, maybe you shouldn't be in the office at all. She's basically saying, "If you can't handle basic boundaries, don't expect me to trust you with anything important." Harsh? Maybe. Accurate? Probably."
A third said, "This is borderline power drunked manager. Are they doing their jobs? Are they on time? If yes, what business is it of a manager to be involved in people's relationships or whether they are cheating. Trying to control people's life because they work for you is narcissistic behavior."
Dawson co-founded a management consulting and private equity firm with her husband and Grant Cardone in 2019. She has built a reputation for high-performance teams and scaled Cardone Ventures to $225M in revenue.
