On Tuesday I had the privilege of taking part in a panel discussion on the topic “Business as a platform for change”. It was chaired by Tony Prophet, Chief Equality Officer of Salesforce and included Deborah Dugan, CEO of (RED) and Juergen Pinkl, Managing Director of Accenture.
The tone for the session was set by Tony when he made the bold statement that the fourth industrial revolution, the era in which we are living today, has the potential to allow humankind to realise its full potential. By this he meant that the combination of technology, augmented intelligence and the human brain gives us the possibility to make huge advances in many different fields – in medicine, in exploration, in how things operate, in how we live our lives.
During the panel discussion we covered so many different topics. Juergen made an excellent point that we should talk about inclusion rather than diversity. Diversity, he said, felt more like a numbers exercise. Inclusion was what we are all striving for.
I’m proud of the fact that IBM has a rich history of inclusion and equality. The Company made a commitment to equal pay for equal work in 1935, long before any legislation was in place. Furthermore in a letter to all managers in 1953 IBM President Thomas Watson jr wrote “It is the policy of this organization to hire people who have the personality, talent and background necessary to fill a given job, regardless of race, color or creed.”
Such sentiments and attitudes remain just as integral to the IBM of 2018.
Tony closed the discussion with a very intriguing question: What advice would you give to your younger self? You can imagine this prompted a few perplexed looks from the panel!
So, what would I say to the Martina of 198?, fresh out of university and with all the ideals and aspirations of a young graduate looking for her first step on the career ladder?
The first thing I would tell her is to stay curious. Life is a continuous learning experience so grasp it and keep hold of it. It is refreshing and energizing to meet individuals who have that zest for learning and growing. It’s infectious.
The second thing I would tell her is the importance of leadership and vision. Having the skills and opportunity to lead is one thing but true leadership is built on so many things. It relies on trust, it relies on honesty and it relies on having and articulating a vision that others can understand and buy in to.
I guess the big question is whether the Martina of 198? would listen to the Martina of 2018! I would like to think she would.
