Ginni Rometty

Gradual.

I also felt like I can remember so well, you know, this idea that, again, now we're in the 80s, 90s.

I'm a woman.

I'm in technology.

And I was down in Australia at a conference.

And I gave this great speech, again, power of me, you know, I'm thinking I give this great speech, financial services, this guy, man walks up to me after, I think he's gonna like ask me some great question.

And he said to me, I wish my daughter could have been here.

And in that moment, and at that point up to then, I'd always been about, look, please don't notice I'm a woman.

Do not notice that.

I am, I just want to be recognized for my work.

Crossing over from me to we,

Like it or not, I was a role model for some number of people.

Maybe I didn't want to be, but that didn't really matter.

So I could either accept that and embrace it or not.

I think it's a good example of that transition.

I did have a little epiphany with that happening.

And then I'm like, okay, because I would always be like, no, I won't go on a women's conference.

I won't talk here.

I won't, you know, no, no, no.

But then I sort of realized, wait a second, you know, that old saying, you cannot be what you cannot see.