As an IBM Fellow, what do you want to be known for?
I’d like to be known as a transformation agent, as someone who does the right things for customers and for IBM, and as an inspiration to my children. I guess you could say that I was into transformation before any of us really knew what that was. My father used to run a mainframe, and I started playing green-screen games on it when I was seven or eight years old. That early exposure to computers gave me early opportunities to get involved in programming. Now, when I see my 13-year-old son and 10-year-old twins (a son and a daughter) getting involved in robotics and coding clubs, I see a bit of myself at their ages. Of course, their exposure to life at IBM is through visits on Bring Your Children to Work Day, so they don’t know yet that it’s not all about games!
What steps do you take to help your team buy into transformation?
Transformation is a team effort that requires transparency and trust. You don’t have to do it alone, but if you want your team to be effective, you have to be honest up front about the challenges ahead. Another key success factor is maintaining open communication across the team — even if that means being available at inconvenient times. As with any journey, there are constant course corrections — tweaks that have to be made to stay on plan, and adaptations when parameters change. To make that happen, you have to be able to trust your team.
“Transformation is a team effort that requires transparency and trust. If you want your team to be effective, you have to be honest up front about the challenges ahead.”
What was the best day you had with a client?
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the website for one of our clients — a community-based, not-for-profit organization — crashed. People around the country were so anxious to help in any way they could that they overloaded the site. We assembled a blended team from IBM Global Technology Services and IBM Global Business Services, and built a new donation application and infrastructure to host it in about 36 hours. It was an incredible example of IBM and IBMers coming together in service of the common good.
What do you do with your time when you’re not at work?
I’m a mother of three kids who all play soccer, so I do feel like the soccer mom in a minivan much of the time! When I’m not doing that, I enjoy hiking, fishing and biking. And I’ve volunteered for many years now at the local SPCA shelter, helping take care of dogs.
