IBM CEO Arvind Krishna: “Success Is Determined by Curiosity and the Ability to Learn”
Arvind Krishna has been with IBM for over 30 years and is now the tenth CEO in the company’s history. What should be the corporate culture and what qualities allow you to achieve career success - in a selection of his statements.
Arvind Krishna has always been attracted to engineering sciences, which combine mathematics and physics and at the same time find application in practice. He joined IBM in 1990 as a developer, and 30 years later, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, he became the company’s CEO. Krishna faced an ambitious task - after a period of stagnation, to return a company with more than a century of history to the growth of financial indicators.
The head of IBM believes that he got this position because he had a clear vision for the future of the company. “I was convinced that technology would completely change the customer experience. And instead of hiding, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, I decided to focus on artificial intelligence and cloud services,” says Krishna. The new approach paid off. IBM achieved the first results already in 2021, following which its net profit grew to $5.74 billion against $5.59 billion a year earlier, and revenue increased to $57.35 billion from $55.18 billion. By the end of 2022, Krishna expects growth revenue by 4–6%.
“Key to Innovation”
When asked to briefly describe his role at IBM, Krishna says, “I innovate and paint the future.” By “innovation,” the head of IBM means creating products that can change the world today and the near future for the better. It is important not only to benefit individual customers, but complex innovations that change the industry are needed.
In his first letter to employees, Krishna stated that there was a need to change the corporate culture at IBM, which used to be too much bureaucracy. According to him, the company needs people who say: “My mind is flexible, I can absorb knowledge, I can learn more.” The head of IBM highly appreciates employees who are not afraid of problems and changes and do not give up in the face of difficulties. Krishna believes that for business success it is important not only to make good products, but also to cultivate resourcefulness and a growth mindset within the company.
He borrowed this idea from Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, who argues that any skill can be developed if you try and put in the maximum effort. “You need to look through the prism of “the glass is half full or half empty.” Focus on what can be done, not on what is impossible. The ability to choose a goal and go towards it is a guiding star,” says Krishna. In his opinion, this culture is important to implement throughout the company, as it helps to grow entrepreneurial and successful employees.
According to Krishna, a leader must trust his team. The leader cannot immediately cover all the tasks that the company faces, so he should focus on three to five key issues, and entrust the rest to his subordinates. “Let them do what they do best and add value to the company,” says Krishna.
He advises managers to carefully prepare for meetings with employees. Krishna notes that the purpose of such events is not to teach something to subordinates, but to discuss the necessary issues and make decisions on them. “Before meetings, written communication can be used to set the agenda in advance and advise the team,” says the head of IBM.
Arvind Krishna is the CEO of IBM.
Born in 1962 in India. He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1985. He then went to the USA, where he graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990 with a PhD in electrical engineering.
In 1990, Krishna joined IBM as a research and development engineer. In 2015, he was named senior vice president of cloud and cognitive solutions at IBM. Under his leadership, the company entered new markets and expanded its presence in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, quantum computing and blockchain. At the end of January, 2020 the board of directors of IBM appointed Arvind Krishna to a post of the CEO of the company.
Tips for young professionals
Krishna believes that for professional growth and development you need to be curious and persistent. A curious person asks a lot of questions and tries to understand why something is important or why it works.
“An inquisitive mind allows you to see problems that need to be solved. This is a new sense of the word “discovery” that leads in all sorts of interesting ways. Ultimately, success is determined not by intelligence, not by education, and not even by experience, but by the ability to learn throughout life,” the head of IBM is sure. Curiosity, he says, drives people to learn throughout their lives, which is the key to becoming a better person, not only as a person, but also as a leader.
Krishna lists a few more skills that are critical to success in many industries. In particular, he calls time management, focus and perseverance in completing a task. In addition, he gives one more piece of advice that will help you succeed in any area. “Develop written language, learn to build coherent arguments, be numerically literate and be empathetic towards your colleagues,” advises the head of IBM.
Sources: The New York Times, CNBC, Financial Express, Time, Fortune.