See you later, IBM. Hello World!

I decided I needed to write this so that every one of my people heard me. I want all of you to know that I care deeply about every one of you and have always been invested in your success. IBM is a fantastic company, and I know I have left my mark on this incredible organic ecosystem that contains multitudes. So, I thought I would share a story instead of the usual "see you later" blog.

A couple of years ago in Chicago, I had gotten in very late. I was still in the stage where I was prioritizing my time with my children over my health. I woke up to a phone call from my sister saying my father was in the hospital. I called my friend and mentor Rhonda Childress first, and she told me to drop everything, get a flight to FL to get to my dad, and she would cover my keynote for me. So she got on a flight from Austin, and I booked my flight to FL. I went through my slides in the back of a Lyft on my way to the airport. Rhonda recently reminded me that covering my keynotes is not easy as I don't have words on slides and rarely script what I will say.

I will never forget those frantic moments and sheer relief that I have a supreme goddess (this is her actual slack handle and the title is well earned) in my life who could cover for me. My father did recover, but as always, not entirely; we all only get a single body in a lifetime.

I knew I belonged to IBM because I had a Rhonda. I also know that a dedicated group of women allows IBM to run smoothly. You all know who you are, and I hope many continue this tradition and pay it forward. The reality is that I have hundreds of these stories. IBM is where I grew up, and the people make it a home. I was not good at following my advice and getting a variety of corporate experiences. I am not good at disconnecting my relationships. As I tell my people, I have no models for disconnect, so they will have to beat me off with a stick. I am far better at making the place I am the best it can be, or the company or team, a company or team I am proud to work for.

I was good at making IBM the company I wanted to work for because that's what I have done for 18 years. I became an IBMer officially when I was pregnant with my son 18 years ago, and I am leaving IBM as he is now 18 and moves on in his journey. There is always beauty in synergy - rationalized or manifested :)

I started writing this "see you later" email/blog/letter in the hospital where my sister was sleeping with her ocean sounds filling the room. I resigned from IBM a couple of weeks ago for many reasons, but the largest one was that it was time. It was time for me to help care for a sibling, meditate, dream, read, listen and write. I have plans, but those are for later after I have mourned and let my grief soak into my mental model. We are permanently changed by what we love. So here I am. I am looking to learn new things about myself and my family. So I will rest and try my best to be still.