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Essay
Molehills Out of Mountains
The autonomy granted to IBMers
IBM was known for having mottos — slogans to work by, but also, slogans to live by.
You knew you were an IBMer when you really believed in the motto.
Sure, the company had a mission statement, but it’s not the thing I remember about the company — it’s not what was infused into the culture.
No — the mission statement was for the higher-ups. The motto though — it was like a furry mascot — stronger than a brand — it was the thing you could rally around that most reflected what was important to the culture, to the employees.
When I joined in 1982, the slogan you would see on most every employee’s desk, in either a wood or plastic pyramid, was THINK.
And it was an imbedded practice. Since 1911, IBMers were known for being thinkers. That appealed to me. I had always been serious about my introspection. It made me feel as if I found a home — a place that valued my seemingly limitless capacity for problem solving. And not just a…