And the reason I came to IBM was I think - I always say at a really early age, I learned you've got to be passionate about what you do. No matter what it is, you put too much, your heart and soul in it, you have to be passionate about it. You make too many sacrifices.
Ginni RomettyIBM's long-standing mantra is 'Think.' What has always made IBM a fascinating and compelling place for me, is the passion of the company, and its people, to apply technology and scientific thinking to major societal issues.
Ginni RomettyI always say, you know, if I sit here and close my eyes and say, 'When did I learn the most in my life, in my career?' It'll always be when I close them and everything I think of is when I took a risk. It's when I think I learned the most.
Ginni RomettySomeone once told me growth and comfort do not coexist. And I think it’s a really good thing to remember.
Ginni RomettyI've been head of strategy at IBM and together with my colleagues built our five-year plan. My priorities are going to be to continue to execute on that.
Ginni RomettyAnd so when I moved to IBM, I moved because I thought I could apply technology. I didn't actually have to do my engineer - I was an electrical engineer, but I could apply it. And that was when I changed. And when I got there, though, I have to say, at the time, I really never felt there was a constraint about being a woman. I really did not.
Ginni RomettyI think actions speak louder than words is one thing I think I always took from my mom. And to this day, I think about that in everything I do.
Ginni RomettyFor CEOs today, it's all about acheieving growth and efficiency through innovation. It's not about product innovation so much anymore as about innovating business models. process, culture and management.
Ginni RomettyOne of the most important things for any leader is to never let anyone else define who you are. And you define who you are. I never think of myself as being a woman CEO of this company. I think of myself as a steward of a great institution.
Ginni RomettyWe have started something called the Corporate Services Corps. Now, it was modeled after the Peace Corps from long ago, the 1960s. And the idea was in this modern day and age, how do you get IBM’ers around the world to be global citizens? You know, globally aware, contribute, understand how to work in that environment, but do it on scale.
Ginni RomettyAny city has to give some thought to its ambition and brand in order to set sustainability goals.
Ginni RomettyYou have to stick up for what you believe in. And that, to me, is the biggest thing you can do about driving inclusion.
Ginni RomettyTo me, I learned along the way, you know, culture is behavior. That's all it is; culture is people's behaviors.
Ginni RomettyEvery day I get to 'Think' and work on everything from digitizing electric grids so they can accommodate renewable energy and enable mass adoption of electric cars, helping major cities reduce congestion and pollution, to developing new micro-finance programs that help tiny businesses get started in markets such as Brazil, India, Africa.
Ginni RomettyOne thing I always think about in making a market, and it again is something I have learned from Sam [Palmisano] as well, he always says, "Be first and be lonely."
Ginni RomettyToday when I think about diversity, I actually think about the word “inclusion.” And I think this is a time of great inclusion. It’s not men, it’s not women alone. Whether it’s geographic, it’s approach, it’s your style, it’s your way of learning, the way you want to contribute, it’s your age - it is really broad.
Ginni RomettyClients say, 'What's your strategy,' and I say, 'Ask me what I believe first.' That's a far more enduring answer.
Ginni Rometty