Ginni and Me

Many were surprised to see the news yesterday that Ginni Rometty decided to step down from her role as CEO of IBM. Given Ginni's prominence and the iconic nature of IBM, this will surely be a decision that is analyzed by many. 

Ginni and I stepped into our CEO roles at essentially the same time eight years ago. Due to the strong history between IBM and Marriott, we knew each other in our prior roles which made us fast friends as we undertook our new positions.  

As Ginni’s move is dissected in the weeks ahead, there will certainly be focus on IBM’s performance during her tenure. There will be second guessing. There always is. While I have no insight into how Ginni and her team looked back on their decisions, nor what the discussion was in the IBM board room, I know that Ginni was powerfully driven to have IBM succeed and she was unwavering in her commitment to achieve that.

In fact, my observations of her leadership at IBM can best be described in one word – passionate. Virtually every time I saw her, she was poised to talk in detail about any Marriott IT project that IBM was bidding on or had just won. Heaven forbid, if they had lost an opportunity, Ginni would be all over me trying to understand why and, if possible, she would attempt to turn the decision around. With her competitive spirit, Ginni is brilliant at sales.

While tireless and persistent in her efforts for IBM, Ginni has also been a thoughtful friend for years, always interested in how things were going for me. During my health battle of the last year, she has been particularly attentive and supportive.  

Many will point out that Ginni’s decision means the loss of another great woman CEO. I have never defined Ginni first and foremost as a woman CEO, but simply as a great CEO.

Nevertheless, her departure will further reduce the statistics. That is disappointing. I remain an optimist that we’ll see many more women take the CEO title at companies around the world in the months and years ahead. 

While I and so many others will miss Ginni in the role of IBM’s CEO, I know she has many more years of contributions ahead of her. Whatever path she takes, I know our friendship will be a part of it. Best wishes to her.