465. How Mentors helped Ginni Rometty become Fortune’s “#1 Most Powerful Woman”, with Host Dan Hesse
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And now, The Mentors Radio, one of the most popular and unique shows on the air today. Here each week, remarkable CEOs and leaders, including host Tom Lurie and Dan Hesse, and their guest, will mentor you, challenging your thinking about life and work. sought after for their ethical leadership and advice, and for helping others succeed throughout their careers, now these same CEOs, the mentors, want to help you achieve your highest level of profitability, success, and personal fulfillment in life, at work, and in business. Learn more and check out the show notes at TheMentorsRadio.com. That's TheMentorsRadio.com. And now, here's your mentor.
Welcome, I'm your host, Dan Hesse, and I'm with the ninth chairman, president, and chief executive officer of IBM, Ginni Rometty. Under her leadership, the 100-year-old company reinvented 50% of its portfolio, built a $25 billion hybrid cloud business, and established leadership in AI and quantum computing. IBM acquired 65 companies during Ginny's tenure as CEO, including Red Hat, the largest acquisition in the company's history. She also drove record results in workforce transformation and supported the explosive growth of an innovative high school program to prepare the workforce of the future in over 28 countries. Through her work with the Business Roundtable, she helped redefine the purpose of the corporation.
She has been named Fortune's number one most powerful woman three years in a row, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and has been honored with the designation of Officer in the French Legion of Honor. Today, she serves on multiple boards and co-chairs 110, a coalition committed to upskilling, hiring, and promoting 1 million Americans without four-year degrees by 2030 into family-sustaining jobs and careers. She's the author of the bestselling book, Good Power, creating positive change in our lives, work, and world, which is full of lessons she learned from important mentors, both inside and outside of IBM. So welcome, Jenny, to the Mentors Radio. I love the names Virginia and Jenny because those are the names of our only granddaughter.
Oh, is that right? I did not know that. Wonderful. I thought that was an outdated name, actually.
Well, you know, older names, for lack of a better term, are coming back in style, which is great to see. So I really enjoyed reading the book, Good Power. But the book opens with a sad story, but it really lays the foundation of your journey to the top of IBM. Tell us what you overheard your father telling your mother, I think it was in the garage just before Thanksgiving when you were 16 years old.
Yeah. I guess it does begin in a sad way, although I don't want people to feel that way. And I'll tell you that in a minute. I do begin the book with a story about my mom. And it is a conversation I would be in my mid-teens. I would walk in the garage and I would hear my father say to my mother, that he didn't love her and he didn't love any of us and i would watch my dad turn walk away and that would be the last we would see of him and he would leave my mom with no money no home just four children and my mom hadn't worked a day in her life outside of the home and uh and there we were and And so I begin there because to me, that does set the foundation. As I look back now for who I became, because I think the valuable lesson, you know, you call your show The Mentor's Radio, right?
So this idea that I watched my mom, she never said it this way, but she was never going to let my dad define who she was. You know, my mom ended up having to go back to school because we had to go on welfare and financial aid and food stamps and all that sort of thing. But she got some education and eventually got a job, eventually got us off of aid. We were able to keep our home. And she just showed us by doing that, that she wouldn't let him define who she was. And by her action showed us, don't ever let someone else define who you are. Only you define who you are. Right. So my dad wasn't going to define her as a loser.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:07–4:41
2
How did Ginni Rometty's childhood shape her leadership style?
4:41–8:58
3
What pivotal moments defined Ginni Rometty's career path?
8:58–13:24
4
How did Ginni Rometty redefine the purpose of a corporation?
13:24–19:27
5
What lessons did Ginni learn from her mentors at IBM?
19:27–25:23
6
How does Ginni Rometty define 'good power'?
25:23–31:38
7
What role does AI play in the future of business according to Ginni?
31:38–39:57
8
How can companies adapt to a skills-based workforce?
39:57–42:07
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Mentors Radio Show
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470. The Transformative Power of Creative Work and “Safe Danger” with Guest Ben Swire and Host Tom Loarie
469. Good Leaders Get Their Hands Dirty, with Guest Mentors Nelson Repenning and Don Keiffer
466. Jim Loehr on “Sapiens Reinvented” and The Essence of a Meaningful Life, with Host Tom Loarie
464. Stop Selling and Start “Falling into Trust” with Richard Harris, and Host Tom Loarie
463. Learn to Live Your Values and Say No, with Dr. Sunita Sah and Host Dan Hesse