>>Yeah, >>from the Cube Studios in Palo Alto and Boston. It's the Cube covering IBM. Think brought to you by IBM. >>Welcome back, everybody. This is Dave Volante of the Cube. You're watching our continuous coverage of IBM stink 2020. The digital version of it. De Bug is here. She's the HR VP and Chief leadership learning and inclusion officer at IBM. Good to see you. >>Great to see you as well. Thanks for having me. >>You're very welcome. While we're in the same region of New England, you know which we're face to face at Mosconi. But, you know, we're doing the best we can, right? Absolutely. So I got to ask you So one of your roles is you're responsible for executive leadership succession. So I remember I was in ah, lobby hotel in Barcelona when I heard that Arvind Krishna was taking over, is the CEO of IBM and I have sat there and wrote a blogger tapped out of log on my mobile phone, but a little did you know. And, you know, at that time we had a glimpse of what was coming, but I don't think we really fully understood. Ah, and and So I'm wondering, how do you prepare for that type of succession? >>Well, you know, I think our leaders now are all encountering unexpected circumstances where we have big plans and big actions. We plan. But the front contact is asking us to rethink them in all kinds of ways. So, of course, IBM is the kind of company who had a very well thought through kind of world class succession process. But none of us thought that we would be integrating Arvind and launching him into his new role as the CEO working from home. So we had to do what every leader at IBM is doing right now, which is starting from a position of resilience, taking a deep breath, thinking through what's really happening to me, to my work, to my situation right now. Um, a lot of us are working from home. A lot of us are adjusting to physical distancing. There are many leaders here who are deeply worried about their families, their their lives, their situation. And so you're starting from a position of personal resilience, making sure we put our own oxygen mask ons. We can, I think clearly and make decisions was an important first step. Second, focus on empathy. Leaders across IBM right now are really focused on making sure they understand the situation people are in, that they understand the physical, emotional, mental health and needs and requirements of every IBM are, uh, so that they can make really good decisions about priorities. And then it's time to focus on what's mission critical. What's urgent to compartmentalize and relentlessly prioritize. So we can all be successful. All of those lessons of by two succession, like they do to every other work and let us Teoh reimagine and create really interesting digital intimacy opportunities to connect Arvin with every IBM around the world through new kinds of social channels. And overall, I think it's been a really incredible experience. >>Yeah, yoga breaths are a good thing that this is his time, aren't they? Oh, >>I want to ask. Depressed for sure, >>right? No doubt. Um, so and you know, you guys probably had a little bit of ah, canary in a coal mine leading sort of visibility on this cause you've obviously got a presence in China and throughout the world, and so you probably a little bit ahead of of other U S. Based Is that fair? >>Well, we certainly are a global company. And so you know the idea that everyone is going through this in the same way? Same time? It's just not accurate. We have people all over the world, and I think we did have our, you know, early lessons from our colleagues in China who are incredibly resilient, who showed us the way with great social distancing discipline and really working hard together to help each other be successful in challenging times. And we've learned that in every community around the world that's been impacted, and I think that's been one of the most surprising and amazing things about the school experience is the way we've been able to leverage digital technologies at scale, to connect with one another, learn from one another and support each other through a very, very challenging experience. >>So, Deb, you've got inclusion in your title. Um, and so that z relatively new thing. Um, I wonder if you could address sort of what that means you to IBM And why is it so important right now? >>Inclusion is, you know, sort of the core of what makes it possible for us to benefit from each other's incredible talents. I like to say, you know, diversity is important to make sure you have the right people the table. But inclusion is how you turn that talent that's at the table into magic. Inclusion is what allows every one of us bring our uniqueness to the tip. Want to contribute, And it couldn't be more important than right now. Inclusion is the most important ingredient to helping people thrive and difficult times. It allows team members to quickly orient to new ways of being together on an inclusive leader, is able to manage it in a digitally distributed environment and create a new context for people to connect with one another. Ask the right questions to allow team members to manage the competing priorities of homeschooling working, living all in the same environment. Eso inclusive leaders really create a context for each other's contribution and success. You'll hear again and again in the description of how IBM leaders are thriving in this time. How we're stepping up and stepping in Where are the embers, our communities and our clients on finding ways to include, learn, take the best insights and accelerate productivity and the right solutions in this challenging environment. Inclusion is one of IBM's biggest assets right now. >>Well, you mentioned that you kind of connecting Arvin digitally with, you know, the broader IBM community. So that's kind of interesting, right? I mean, leading digitally. He has no choice, you know, other than he is not the only leader at IBM, obviously is the top leader, but there are many, many leaders at IBM. So how is this sort of we're talking today through the Cube's digital? How is this digital revolution really affecting people's ability to lead? How are they stepping up to that challenge? >>Sure. Well, IBM, like all our clients, have been on a journey of digital transformation for the last several years that this is really putting it to test in it a very different way. You know, it's presenting new challenges and new opportunities. The opportunities are incredible. New tools like we're using, you know, WebEx and Trillo and slack and your role and your all based in the in the IBM Cloud, really enabling full digital collaboration at a whole different scale than ever before and leveraging new kinds of leadership insights and new kinds of leadership mindsets. To benefit from all that great ability to collaborate, a synchronously Teoh create digitally distributed creative conversations and then as leaders, knowing how to harness all that creativity and provide the right context for people to share, to move product quickly, be more agile in our production of outcomes and solutions. That's right at home. In my group, for example, we're creating new digital communities and coming up with new solutions with our, you know, includes inclusion communities, new solutions with our teams to help enable leadership and new learning solutions all over the company. It also working digitally presents a new challenge. Is trying to figure out, um, how to help people balance the challenges of being at home and things that we might have relied on face to face contact for, to create different levels of trust and interactivity. Learn new skills, etcetera. Some leaders have recognizing some of those challenges gotten together and, you know, taking a work from home pledge, helping each other figure out and co create with parents were working at home. How Teoh navigate this new digital, totally distributed remote work situation we're in or, um, you know, figuring out how to teach each other how to use new tools. So I think, uh, you know, if I were going to give advice to any leader now, I would say it's a good time to assess your digital presence in your digital savviness and then think about how you're showing up in these digital forums. Are you trying to do things in the same way you were doing them just doing them online? Or have you really rethought your digital present? And are you really using that environment to create the maximum context of creativity and inclusion? >>You have your theme. >>You know, Dave, I was having a conversation earlier with an IBM executive and a Cisco executive, and I kind of joke that you know what people need right now. They don't need people selling them Stuff II D practitioners. They're putting out fires and, you know, changes in some industries where you're just trying to keep the company's alive. And I joked, That's kind of what they need is some adult supervision. And what do you see as IBM is role in this sort of during this crisis and maybe even post this prices? How would you define that. >>Absolutely so look. IBM is a trusted partner to the companies of the world who are facing the same challenge we're facing and trying to digitally transform themselves and thrive as the world continues to grow and change. And certainly this current context. What's the whole thing in a different, different relief? But fundamentally, IBM is the most important technology company in the world because we have the technology that industry expertise and the position of trust with our clients they don't need. What they need from IBM is not selling them something. But they need our partnership to imagine themselves in the future, reinvent themselves toward that future, too, to thrive during this incredible challenge and maintain business continuity while they become who they're going to be in the next terrorist. So, you know, it's a challenge for all of us. We are a huge global company and 173 countries and, you know, 350,000 people uniquely positioned to help. We have, you know, incredible technology. We have, you know, the call for code with our developers all over the world helping to solve these issues, we have, you know, many ways in which IBM is positioned socially to make a difference in helping with skill, acquisition, super compute capacity in many, many ways that we can help as a business. But closer to home, we're also able to help companies imagine how they can emerge stronger by re inventing their digitally reinventing their business processes and their leadership and talent cultures for how they can thrive in that in the New America. >>Rob Thomas and I were talking about how you know things most coveted. Maybe maybe they change. Maybe they don't, but but that's certainly is gonna be an acceleration. Ah t some things you're mentioning, you know, digital transformation. Um, certainly people are more willing to look at the cloud. You know, this whole work from home infrastructure seems to be some thing that has legs. Do you think inclusion is going to be one of these things that gets accelerated as a result of this pandemic? >>Absolutely. Do I mean, I think we have lived in an era where this kind of concept was sort of nice, tohave or viewed as a Z important, but maybe not essential. I think that's really being transformed by the current environment, and people are expecting their companies to provide a context that is psychologically safe, inclusive and on helps them do their best work when it matters most. Those are the companies that are going to emerge from this challenge stronger. And so IBM is culturally. Last year we talked a lot at think about the compelling call to action. To be equal that comes from IBM is deep commitment to diversity and inclusion and in every era challenging ourselves to doom or to create a context of full inclusion and equality. Well, this year we're expanding that concept to include all forms of equality. We started with gender equality. Now we're looking at full inclusion for all, and in this circumstance it could not be more important. And so I do think, you know, you said it well, you know, there are all kinds of capabilities that will be transformed and scaled. As a result of this. Our technology environment will be different or commitment to infrastructure working from home. Lots of things will be different. I think one of them is a call to action for leaders to be more inclusive and to to create the context where everyone can be. >>Well, I think it's important that companies like IBM lead in this regard. Sometimes, you know, it's harder for smaller companies they may not have. The resource is they've been out of the network. Uh, and so, you know, setting the example as IBM is very important. But thank you so much for coming on the Cube and sharing your philosophy IBM philosophy in your best practice, etcetera with us on the Cube. Appreciate it. >>Thanks so much for having me be safe and be Well, >>yeah, back at you. You too. And thank you for watching everybody. This is Dave Volante for the Cube's continuous coverage of IBM. Think 2020 The digital thing. Keep right there. Right back. >>Yeah, yeah, yeah.