Such a vulnerable and thoughtful read. I loved the three part structure of this book - the power of me, we, and us. So much resonated with me as a consultant and as a woman professionally and with a plethora of practical lessons to take away.

This book is a triumph as a “memoir with purpose” because it captures Ginni at her core, an authentic, purposeful leader who continues to work tirelessly to leave the world better than she found it.

This memoir shows that you don't get to the top by sitting around waiting for it to happen. Ms. Rometty lead by doing and by showing others that a team follows what the leader does. This was a very good book, and I appreciated the opportunity to review Good Power.
Thank you to Harvard Business Review Press, Net Galley and the author for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to #netgalley and publisher for an advanced copy. Business leadership with a focus on the technology sector is the key strength of this book. Honest sharing of her CEO and leadership journey with its ups and downs makes this an interesting read. For anyone with an interest in developing their leadership skills and learning from others.

Ginni’s memoir is personal, candid, and showcases what drove her success—her discipline, relentless drive, and focus on being in service of others. The book is teeming with lessons on her principled and values-based leadership approach. It tracks her strong need to educate others that was seeded early in life and followed her throughout her career at IBM and beyond.

Former IBM Chief Executive Gianni Rometty wants us all to own our power…whether we work in the corporate world or from home. She writes. “We can either feel helpless, or we can discover good power within ourselves and exercise it in ways large and small to drive meaningful change. It’s a choice available to all of us, because good power isn’t reserved for people with big titles, money, or the loudest voice in the room.” This book is a terrific resource for anyone wanting to affect change and needing a roadmap to make it happen. Inspiring and provocative read.

As a woman who has worked at IBM for more than 30 years, I am thrilled to be able to receive an advance copy of this book for my honest review.

This was a very interesting book, having seen Gianni’s policies form from an employee perspective, but to learn what led her to make the decisions she did. From her childhood as one of 4 siblings whose father left, she and all her siblings were driven to work hard, all became influential members of their chosen companies. What I didn’t realize was that she has a passion for finding talented people regardless of their background or education. From starting the P-Tech program to her involvement in the OneTen group now, she continues to drive progress in Black and underserved communities for employment opportunities in tech.

It was also enjoyable reading anecdotal stories about IBMers past and present (including one unnamed individual), bringing back memories. It is what I would call a business biography, and worth the read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

With "Good Power," former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty weaves together a tapestry of memoir and call to responsible leadership utilizing her long career at the tech giant that ultimately led to her being named the company's first female CEO.

For Rometty, "Good Power" is a purposeful, practical approach to problem-solving, available to anyone, at any time.

"Good Power" kicks off with Rometty's relentlessly honest yet positive reflections on her childhood with an emphasis on a father who was for the most part absent until the day when he finally left Rometty's mother as a single mother with no income and no real job skills. It was during this hardship that Rometty began to learn many of the life lessons that would serve as the foundation of "Good Power" - be in service, build belief among skeptics, make touch choices, champion ethics and inclusion, and be resilient. While as a youth, these weren't necessarily placed within the business model, as a leader who moved from an entry-level engineer to CEO in her 40-year career at IBM these foundational principles became essential ingredients into how Rometty grew professionally, personally, and up the corporate ladder.

Largely divided into three sections, "Good Power" first delves into Rometty's life before transitioning into her career in the second section. Finally, Rometty moves toward making the two intertwine and applying the lessons that she has learned over the years to a wider audience to impact social change.

Rometty has long been one to gather at a diverse corporate table. She's worked with every presidential administration throughout her career up to and including President Trump. She acknowledges having gotten some grief for the latter, however, she has no regrets as she feels diverse collaborations are essential for the greater good. Indeed, in "Good Power" we can spend a few moments talking about presidential encounters and the next moments exploring making great efforts to become more inclusive organizations to the point of discomfort.

It's clear that Rometty is comfortable with being uncomfortable.

While the early chapters of "Good Power" are universally relatable, the book is likely to resonate most completely with those in leadership positions and/or those rising the corporate ladder. There's hardly a time when Rometty isn't referencing her own climb up the IBM ladder, and there are only brief moments when "Good Power" is turned inward. In those moments, especially when Rometty references with great affection her marriage, "Good Power" gets an emotional resonance that gives it tremendous appeal as Rometty undeniably writes and speaks like a leader and it's in those times when she's talking about marriage, family, and the friends who were there before she had any power that we get a real sense of the soul of Rometty's leadership.

Rometty was CEO of IBM at a difficult time as the tech world was changing and IBM's business model was also necessarily changing. There were risks galore. Rather matter-of-factly, Rometty shares these times with great candor and really brings to light how she made vital decisions and how she built a network to bring those decisions to life. While reading "Good Power," you may not always think to yourself "this is making a difference," but Rometty's vision and person-centered leadership undoubtedly empowered many voices not always invited to the table while also ensuring fiscal responsibility and data-driven results.

A relatively quick and inspiring read, "Good Power" delivers a meaningful memoir that shows how we can use even our most traumatic life experiences to forge ahead and move into our highest potential to improve our lives, the lives of those around us, and the community at large.