Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty believes practical skills are more useful than expensive degrees when it comes to getting people to work.
In an interview with Fortune’s Elle Austin at the Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, California, Rometty explained why companies should hire based on skills, not degrees.
“Opportunity and ability are never equal,” Rometty said. “Where you start should not determine where you end.”
This pursuit of economic opportunity and education had a significant impact on Rometty’s career.
When she became CEO of IBM, she recognized the need to not only drive innovation and growth within the company, but also ensure that opportunities were extended to a broad and diverse talent pool.
Her commitment to this approach was demonstrated when IBM achieved breakthrough results. “New Collar” Initiativewhich seeks to hire and train employees (regardless of education) who want to change careers.
“Sixty-five percent don’t have a college education like most of us do. 80 percent of black Americans don’t have a college education. There’s not time for them all to pass, but they have valuable skills,” she said, adding, She believed that if those without a college education had a chance, “the country would come alive again.” “What everyone wants is a better future for their families, their children.”
The 65-year-old former CEO was appointed as one of wealth#1 “The Most Powerful Woman” for many yearsthanks in large part to her 40-year career at IBM.
The importance of vulnerability
Rometty’s biggest regret isn’t missed innovation or unrealized profits.
“I’ve never talked about personal things in my life. I think vulnerability can be one of the most powerful tools for change you have,” Rometty said. “I would go back earlier, I would have been more vulnerable decades ago.”
Rometty reflects on her life in her latest book, “The Power of Good: From Humble Beginnings to Groundbreaking Success as a Fortune 500 CEO.” She comes from a family of strong women who have faced significant adversity. After her father left home, her grandmother lost both husbands, leaving her mother to raise a family on her own. This formative experience instilled in her the belief that one is never a victim, even in the face of difficult circumstances.
“The idea is that you are never a victim, and when you have nothing, you have power,” Rometty said. “This idea has always stuck with me, no matter how bad the situation is. There is always a way forward. That’s how I see it. Don’t complain. We all face our own situations.”
“I was handed IBM at the height of its transformation, and I knew how serious it would be to have to change it,” Rometty said. “So I think that’s what I learned. I learned that there’s always a way forward. That’s what we’re here to do.”
In 2019, during Rometty’s tenure, IBM acquired enterprise software company Red Hat for a whopping $34 billion, its largest acquisition to date, helping her rank fourth on that year’s list of most powerful women. .
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