Dean of the Mccormick School of engineering and behalf of my colleagues at northwestern, it is myte absolute pleasure to introduce to you today my friend ginni rometty. Before we get started i wanted to thank steve and bill white as well as many members of the northwestern organization to an estimate so i met ginny for the first time when she got the alumni award in 2010. By then she was in the list of the 50 most powerful women in business. And i visited her later that year in 2010, and had a conversation with her that adopted us to create a master of science in analytics, which started 40 students and 1000 applications and is now ellipsis ever since so thank you for proposing that. And then we had with the ibm anniversary was coming, ginni, one of the first stops was here, not in this building but in the center for the centennial lectures and ibm. That was in march 2011 part and then she invited me to an absolutely amazing event coinciding with a United Nations meeting in new york for the ibm anniversary. And shortly thereafter she became the ceo of ibm and that was a transformational period for the company, i dont know if the question will be about that, probably not, but she got into cloud computing, quantum computing and ai wait, wait before these e these things were fashionable, as they are today. At then 2015, she received an order particularly important to me, she was elected to the National Academy of engineering i was able to meet her husband mark, her sister and that, and had a formidable mother marlene. And jeannie stepped out from ibm in 2020. Now, its not easy to find a second career, especially after having a successful one, but things become easy when what one does is an extension on how youve always lived your life before and i think what you will see now is a consequence of the book and thinks that she did prior to that, she became involved in things like skill first and 110, trying to promote education for people without quality. So to say that ginni has made us proud is an understatement. She has given back to her alma mater as a member of the board of trustees, and currently serve as the vice chair, and she received an honorary doctorate in 2015. Welcome help me or join me in welcoming jeannie rometty as well as president mike seattle, who will lead the conversation. Well. You go ahead. Thank you. For. Welcome everybody. This is a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. Ginni has always been a hero of mine and now i get to work for her the so. So they say you never want to meet heroes. Is that all right . Thats very true, i think. Oh, well, youre every bit as good as the heroics that i ive imagined in this book. All of you pick up copies. This is a wonderful book, really interesting, and actually showed me, lots of dimensions of, ginni as well as some really important lessons that were going to talk about the book let me first as president the university, i would be remiss not to ask you questions. Northwestern first and tell me a little bit. You arrived in northwestern in 1975 and you wanted be a doctor at that time. Oh what brought you here . Northwestern and how did you why you make the switch from wanting to be premed to being an engineer . Was it organic chemistry or Something Else . Yeah, my inability to do organic chemistry was it . Yeah. So ill answer your question, mike. But first i want to thank pouliot for that kind introduction. I have to tell you guys that. Who leo did come when i was inducted into the national of engineering, i thought it was one of the kindest things i know he was attending. And i just there he was, the audience. And so he made a trip to d. C. And i always remember who leo for that. That really meant a lot to me. So thank you for that. So what does my memory for some of you, you were obviously not born in 1970. How many were born in . 19. Maryland. Dont raise your hand. Were born in 1975. Okay. That only the front row. Okay. So then youre all thinking like, what does she have to say we would care about . But i went to northwestern. I had two choices. I could really only to apply to two schools. So i applied university of illinois. I thought that was maybe safe. And then northwestern and that would be my stretch and i couldnt afford school. So the only in one of the only things about northwestern was close enough to home. I didnt have to get on a plane, only been on a plane. One time. And this i could take a train. And as northwestern as to this day financial, aid is if you can get in academically, then help you with your Financial Aid. Because i had no money so it was one of two so you might. Right. Okay so i pleasant and you know got in why so i started as a doctor wanting to be a doctor because you know i would love to tell you it was a more sophisticated reason other than a very noble thing. And mike is right i really struggled in organic chemistry. I know if they you know, they still do the thing with all those little looks like, a little toy thing. You build your models and your molecules. But the thing i really struggle with which you are going to laugh at is i took a in human reproduction and i struggled it was the only course in four years at northwestern i ever had to pass fail. I thought this either going to kill my grade point if i do not do this. And so with that i thought this is a good future and i was already in the school of engineering, though, because it was biomedical engineering. I thought i would i would major. And so i over i was i always loved math and will come back to i mean i was love math because i never to memorize anything in my view on math was you could always you could understand root of things and rebuild everything there. And so i didnt have to memorize could always reconstruct and thats how i ended up with engineering. We might have been a great. But we know that you were amazing. No, an amazing leader. I was very happy. My niece became doctor and went to northwestern medical school. So that was about that. Now that urge, it all revolves. Yes. The job of a memorable experience from when you were a student here. Oh, i am many memorable ones. Not that anyone here cares about them, though, but do you . Yeah, actually. What are my memory . My memories are like my. First year was in Sergeant Hall and dont ask me why. The only thing i can remember is that even though i came from very poor family, id never seen a smaller closet and i dont know if theyve remodeled those rooms, i want to say is about like that. And i can remember i just asked julie if it was still there. I hadnt paid attention. I can remember vogel back was a computing center. None of you. Its not anymore. So you wouldnt remember it. One or two. And because i can remember Walking Around with boxes of punch cards, right . Carrying them under my arms to. Go. I actually remember by the the greek system here and i know thats maybe somewhat of a controversial subject in some ways. To me, it wasnt a statement of exclusion was more of a way to be included in things. So i have a very positive of it. Well, if you go to Sergeant Hall, i think youll find it. It looked just like it did when were here from the outside. It does. Yeah. So your book, it starts off with when you were 16 years old, youre dead before you get there. What . She warned me that she was going to. So what attracted to northwestern . This was your memories of virginia, ginny ramadi was of the trust. I dont think the as she was writing great book. No but what attracted me was we are a fabulous we we are so deep as well as broad we do we mix the creative with the Hard Sciences and our our faculty are so so great and. The universitys trajectory over the past 1015 years has been so that any person with a right mind when they were called by a trustee and you were on the committee, the, you know, you were called both trustee and you were asked would you like to be interviewed for the presidency of this Great University . Theyd be crazy to say yes. Its funny you say because i, i my memory for, all of you, some of you graduating or been here a while, i always say, why did i go here and i say, i felt what northwestern did was teach me how to think. And i said it was that right brain left brain. It was it was exactly as you described it which i really think is the future of how youre going to have to teach. So i say if it did nothing else, i learned how to solve problems. Right. And how to think creatively as well as critically. So back to the book. So back to the book. In your starts with a story of how when you were 16, your father left your family, your mother and your three siblings, one of whom in here, and is also a trustee he left before thanksgiving. How did that experience change you . How did that experience shaped the rest your life . Well, itll its very personal story to start on which people find it shocking me too by the way that i started there on the book and will back maybe later too. Why did i even write a book . It was never anything in my my wish list of things do. But what mike is referring to i grew up in a low income but normal very you know sort of low income family and lived in a suburb of chicago when you dont know any better you dont miss anything and but when i was my father you say left he abandoned our family and back. My mother was only 32 years old and she had kids. And i happened to walk into the garage and i heard him say to her, i really dont care whatever happens to you or that all of you and, for all i care, you can work on the street and in that instance i stood there he didnt. He turned around and he left and i watched my mom and i start there not to pull on peoples heartstrings. Its more defining what i learned from how my mother reacted to the situation. So it is not about being a victim. Its a celebration and it it is, i think, the biggest lesson of the book. So my mother, who had no education past high school, never worked a day outside the home, and now we found ourself on food stamps with no money. But she was so determined that this isnt this story would end for the of us and herself. So she got a little bit of education. She could work nights a little bit more education. She work days. I would watch my brothers and sisters a little bit more education. And eventually she ends up running sleep clinic for one of the big hospitals in chicago as administrator leading the administration. So in my siblings turn out even better i but what my mom taught us all and this is to sort of the greatest lesson ill get to why and wrote a book it was never let someone else define who you are only define who you are. And that when my mom had nothing. If she had power. The title of the book good power you know she had the power to change a circumstance and that idea only you defy i will find it to be true as life would go on that if i didnt define ibm somebody else would i would find it true for countries when you just let a president of a country of the fringe edges define the country. I mean it would always be true. I also learned and ill ill story i wont give a speech but i the other thing i learned two other things because i was not just by my mom, it was other strong women. My great grandma would be the last person alive in her family. War one come here, speak russian work third shift cleaning bathrooms. The Wrigley Building her whole life saved every dime in savings bonds that would eventually be what could buy us a car. Never complained my. Grandma was a widow twice by her 30th, she made handmade lampshade. So all three women. What i learned was. Hey, dont complain. Theres always way forward hard work, make Something Better and. Thats simple. And i you hard work is better and then with my mom the third lesson was look i came to watch my mom was actually pretty smart but she just didnt have any opportunity. Back to how northwestern offering Financial Aid and it was a really eye opening for me and i ive now this is what i spend my post career on that aptitude to spread pretty widely evenly in this world opportunity access or not and so what we can do that aptitude and access not equal always remember that when you hire and that would be a really a silver thread through my whole life and change my life of what i would focus on to get more People Better opportunities. So theres a long answer mike, but thats where it starts there. It starts a sad story, but its meant to be a celebration of never be a victim and, also an exemplar of good. It is is the exemplar of good power. Okay. So now tell us, your book is entitled so why would i do this . But no, no, no, i well, you to tell us why you would the book but also tell us what is good power and how is it a a theme that should help guide us so i when i retired and was retiring, you know, everything had been very well planned and it was actually hank paulson, who convinced me the most to, write a book. And he would say it. We would talk about the definition of power. So if i you how many people want to be powerful, raise your hand. Okay. Half the group and president. So im already not power. You are ready, everybody. You know your spot in that power . Yeah, yeah. Students so a little bit of mix, right . And i would find people that say some yes, some would say no. And im. Well, the irony is and theres lots of bad examples of power out in the world right now any given day and i started getting this view that hey but to solve a lot of these big problems you to have power so this is we were i had this and here ive had this kind very unique journey in that i have learned so many lessons a hard way. What got me was could i share that others would benefit from because this is not a vanity project. I had no desire to two years of my life i mean which i then found out what it took to write a book two years and so heres a simple definition its how to do hard things, but do them a positive way. If that matters to you and in posit if way meant in this day and age. If youre going to get anything done, you light conflict but you have to address conflict and division with respect and you have to be willing to settle for progress, not perfection in the answer. And if you do that kind of im. Youll make progress. And so that was the definition good power. So you have in front of you leaders of tomorrow and maybe Business Leaders of today as well some faculty. What advice would you give them for finding in themselves . Good power. And then being able to exercise it in a way that is influence and positive. You know, i so the book is complete revisionist history, if you understand what i mean. So this isnt like, you know, boy, was i smart. I led with good power. No no, no, no, no. And its written in a reflection of the power of me. We in us. And so my it my advice its you learn Different Things at different stages of your life so i hope thats part of what it teaches you and the first part is i would tell everyone you know it is worth close your eyes and who do you see when you think of your your very beginnings and what did you learn . Because thats probably pretty much the foundation of who you are. And just like i said about my mom, but would my advice probably my one if i could just give one piece the whole middle. Theres these five principles, but at the root of them is ask, ask more questions than you. Hmm. Could have been a law professor. Well. Well, lawyers get paid to just ask questions, right . Thats right. Yes, thats different. But that that idea what want to call it lifelong learning, curiosity. But its like this willingness to listen with an intent to something. I really felt that was at the root of being able bridge those tensions and divides. If i would listen to the other side and try to learn something i could make progress. We at one point in the book you talk about how you would one of your management styles was to get people to want to do something without you telling them to it and asking questions is one way to do that, right . Because not saying anything declarative, youre letting them lead themselves towards it. Can you give some examples of that . Yeah. You know, guys, i think again, many of you have worked many places, right . So everybody ive got people of different backgrounds in the room. To me, this idea at some point in your life, you start to care about people more than yourself and theres a transition and what mikes referring to, the first thing i think you have to sort get straight in your own head is if youre going to solve a big problem, you know, are you doing it in i call that being in service of something dont serve it and i felt i got taught that really early in life to be in service of something and if i was in service of something by you know just like if you go and have dinner if they just bring you your food it doesnt make it a nice night if the person kind of goes out of their way you have a nice evening theyre doing that theyre serving you first with the hope theyll get a tip asynchronous its not agreed up front and that to me makes a big difference in in Business Life of what you do and then this follows that is i found in some of the hardest things i did building belief is getting people to do something that they dont really believe is an alternate reality that you know so youve voluntarily got go somewhere i hadnt exactly thought about and so an example would be and i had to do this so many times first off, its better if you cocreate the answer with them if you know it, thats one. The second thing would be be very personal about. It the third thing would be is very authentic and honest about it. And i remember some of the hardest things i had to it. It is not about rah rah. Let me tell you all the reasons should do something. I had done the integration of two big companies, very Large Companies and they were humans, to me, how you get people to believe is you have to appeal to their head and their heart at the same time and i used to work a lot with ken chennault, who ran american express. And ken would, always quote a quote, he said, the job a leader is to paint reality, but then give hope and the reality was the honest, authentic part. You know, i cant sugarcoat it. And then the give hope part is, you know, there is a companion piece to this and its a bit of head and heart if you think that that just got. No, i used to always ken with it. And so one day i dont know why i couldnt remember. It was a give her paint job. I couldnt remember. I order. I was like, google it and like, well, napoleon said it, you know. So i call ken about you got to quit this. I mean, it is really napoleon when you talk in the book a little bit, its quite a bit about him. Yeah. And about how important is being a mentor okay to you . What do you answer that first . You what is your view . But then ill give my answer on mentorship. But i want so, you know, i think that i a mentor who was my thesis in college and i wanted