Former IBM CEO: 3 rules for leaders | Ginni Rometty

Oct 14, 2025

Ginni Rometty, former chairman, president, and CEO of IBM, shares her insights on harnessing 'good power.' She challenges the negative views of power, emphasizing the importance of building belief to inspire voluntary commitment. Rometty illustrates her principles through personal anecdotes, like her empathetic approach during IBM's acquisition of PwC Consulting. She advocates for co-creating the future collaboratively and stresses that true leadership is about authenticity and empowering others to build a common vision.

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INSIGHT

Power Can Be Positive

Ginni Rometty reframes power as a force that can be positive rather than fear-driven and unilateral.
She calls this constructive influence “good power” and links it to doing hard, meaningful things positively.

ADVICE

Build Belief First

Build belief so people voluntarily choose to act rather than comply from fear or orders.
Make people feel motivated to use discretionary energy to increase chances of success.

ANECDOTE

Japan Visit After Fukushima

Rometty recounts visiting Japan after Fukushima and staying while others left to listen and support customers.
People remembered how she made them feel, illustrating the lasting impact of presence and empathy.

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Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty reveals the secret to “good power.” In her book "Good Power," former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty challenges the negative connotations often associated with the concept of power. She argues that power can be a force for good, and that building belief is at the heart of good power. Building belief involves creating an environment in which people voluntarily want to do something, rather than being ordered to do so out of fear. Rometty suggests that co-creating the future with others, rather than dictating it, is a key element of building belief. It is important to make the process personal by showing empathy for those involved and being authentic and honest about the challenges ahead. Rometty draws on her own experiences to illustrate these principles. For example, when IBM acquired PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, she acknowledged the risks involved and showed empathy for the changes employees would have to go through. Ultimately, Rometty believes that building belief and empowering others — rather than attempting to sway them with money — is key to being a successful leader. She urges leaders to focus on building their own power first and then using that power to influence and inspire others toward a common goal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ginni Rometty: Ginni Rometty was the ninth chairman, president, and CEO of IBM. 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. 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. ------------------------------------------------------------- -------------10:23-28

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