Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World Audiobook by Ginni Rometty

Ginni Rometty introduces her audiobook memoir 'Good Power,' recounting her childhood when her father abandoned the family, and her mother's decision to attend community college and work two jobs to support them. She explains the concept of 'good power' as power wielded with respect, navigating tensions, and striving for progress. Rometty describes the book's structure in three parts: 'me,' 'we,' and 'us,' reflecting expanding spheres of influence. She outlines five principles of good power: being in service of, building belief, knowing what must change and what must endure, stewarding good tech, and being resilient. She discusses her 'skills first' initiative to promote hiring based on skills rather than degrees. Rometty shares stories of her grandmothers, Baba and Grandma Mary, as early role models who overcame hardships, and her parents' elopement and early family life in Bellwood, Illinois.

Key takeaways

1. Rometty defines good power as power wielded with respect, navigating tensions, and striving for progress over perfection.
2. Rometty outlines five principles of good power: being in service of, building belief, knowing what must change and endure, stewarding good tech, and being resilient.
3. Rometty champions a 'skills first' approach to hiring and promotion based on skills rather than degrees.
4. Rometty credits her grandmothers and mother as early role models who embodied good power through resilience and service.

Numbers and commitments

Chapters

1. 0:00Introduction: What's possible?
2. 4:48Discovering good power
3. 8:12Writing a book in three parts
4. 9:58Five principles of good power
5. 12:27The power of us and skills first
6. 13:26Choosing our path forward
7. 15:43Part 1: The Power of Me
8. 17:26Owning my roots
9. 24:04My mother and father
10. 26:36Life in Bellwood