Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World
Reader Score
82%
82% of readers
recommend this book
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty delivers a powerful combination of memoir, leadership lessons, and big ideas on how we can all drive meaningful change.
Ginni Rometty led one of the world's most iconic companies, and in Good Power she recounts her groundbreaking path from a challenging childhood to becoming the CEO of IBM and one of the world's most influential business leaders. With candor and depth, Rometty shares milestones from her life and career while redefining power as a way to drive meaningful change in positive ways for ourselves, our organizations, and for the many, not just the few--a concept she calls "good power."
Rometty's "memoir with purpose" combines the experiences that defined her life--personal hurdles, high-stakes decisions, passionate advocacy--with the actionable advice of a coaching session to highlight lessons that shape authentic leadership. Behind-the-scenes stories and practical guidance offer us a blueprint for how we can all use good power to advance our careers, inspire our teams, improve our companies, and create healthier societies.
The book begins with raw, vivid memories from Rometty's youth and early professional years as she recalls the trauma and the role models that formed her belief that how we lead is as important as what we achieve. She learns early on that good power is a choice available to everyone, even to those without money, status, or impressive titles.
Rometty then shows us how her concept of good power evolved as she grew from a first-time manager to a transformative CEO. Stories told through the lens of five principles--be in service of others; build belief; know what must change and what must endure; steward good tech; be resilient--reveal tools that anyone can apply to achieve real change at any stage of their life and work.
Rometty also encourages us to use good power at scale to bring about urgent societal change. She shares insights from her own journey to create a more equitable world by leading the SkillsFirst movement, which connects underserved populations with family-sustaining jobs by transforming hiring, education, and training.
With heart, humility, and conviction, Good Power offers an inspiring, compelling guide to creating meaningful change in our lives.
Book Details
- Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
- Publish Date: Mar 7th, 2023
- Pages: 272
- Language: English
- Dimensions: 9.30in - 6.30in - 1.10in - 1.05lb
- EAN: 9781647823221
- Categories: • Leadership• Women in Business• Business
About the Author
Ginni Rometty was the ninth Chairman, President, and CEO of IBM. Under her leadership, the 100-year-old company reinvented 50 percent of its portfolio, built a $25 billion hybrid cloud business, and established leadership in AI and quantum computing. Rometty also drove record results in diversity and inclusion and supported the explosive growth of an innovative high school program to prepare the workforce of the future in more than twenty-eight countries. Through her work with the Business Roundtable, Rometty helped redefine the purpose of the corporation. She has been named Fortune's #1 Most Powerful Woman three years in a row, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and was honored with the designation of Officier in the French Légion d'Honneur. Today Rometty serves on multiple boards and cochairs OneTen, a coalition committed to upskilling, hiring, and promoting one million Black Americans by 2030 into family-sustaining jobs and careers. She is married to Mark Rometty.
Connect with Ginni Rometty at twitter.com/GinniRometty and instagram.com/ginnirometty/.
Praise for this book
Named one of the best management books of 2023 by Børsen.
"By using a purposeful, practical approach to problem-solving, Rometty demonstrates how to blend authenticity, relationships, and curiosity with vision, rigor, and conviction as she did during her time as the first female CEO of an iconic global company." -- INC magazine
Named one of "7 Books by Women Leaders That Will Accelerate Your Success" by CHIEF
"An emotive journey of overcoming adversity in life and the exercising of ethical power in managing change." -- Irish Tech News
Named one of "4 of the Most Anticipated Business Books You Need to Read in 2023" by Inc. magazine
Advance Praise for Good Power:
"Rometty's practical wisdom is refreshingly honest and inspiring. Her book will change your definition of power, your relationship to it, and the path you take to earn and deploy it." -- Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, General Motors
"Ginni Rometty championed stakeholder capitalism, ethical tech, and inclusion years before they were movements. What will you champion? This book will inspire you to find out and act." -- will.i.am, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and artist
"Good Power is a wonderful read, revealing Rometty's personal journey and outlining a movement to reinvent education and create more inclusive and equitable economies." -- Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
"Ginni Rometty is an inspiring leader who knows that you have what it takes to succeed and improve the world. Her story can be your playbook." -- Ray Dalio, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Principles; founder, Bridgewater Associates
"An insightful read that I recommend to anyone interested in how an individual can come to influence the world." -- Walter Isaacson, author, Steve Jobs and The Code Breaker
"In Good Power, one of the world's most admired leaders reveals pivotal principles that propelled her success. It's a refreshingly personal, resoundingly practical read on gaining power and using it to empower." -- Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Think Again
"Ginni Rometty made bold changes to reposition IBM for the future, reinventing 50 percent of the company's portfolio. She knows how to build, transform, and lead a successful life and a successful organization. In Good Power she provides the principles for doing just that." -- Hank Paulson, 74th US Treasury Secretary; Chairman, the Paulson Institute
"A fascinating book about overcoming disadvantage and claiming one's own potential. What makes Rometty a truly exceptional leader is her commitment to using her power to make a positive and lasting difference in others' lives." -- Ken Frazier, former Chairman and CEO, Merck
"A humble, authentic book about how to discover and expand the leader within yourself. Rometty's unforgettable story and her book's three-part structure are both a guide for emerging leaders and a call to action for CEOs and government leaders." -- Marillyn Hewson, former Chairman, President, and CEO, Lockheed Martin