'Power' can be good when wielded with respect and when it's inclusive, shared, and distributed, says Rometty the former chairman and CEO of IBM, the co-chair of OneTen and author of Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World
Ginni Rometty, Former chairman and CEO of IBM, the co-chair of OneTen and author
Q. What’s the perspective you are trying to build when you use the term ‘good’ power?
Yes, power is often perceived negatively—in fact, I never really liked or used the word. But, as I reflected on my experiences, I realised that power doesn’t have to be bad to be potent. Power is actually necessary to make things better—be it for ourselves, our organisations, or for society.
I define “good power” as driving meaningful change in positive ways. A core idea of “good power” is that how we try to make things better is as important as what we strive to achieve, and in the book, I share five principal ways to lead with good power.