For over three decades at IBM, one word never changed: THINK. It wasn’t a motivational banner or corporate slogan. It was a responsibility — introduced in 1914 by Thomas J. Watson Sr. to unify a struggling organization. Think before acting. Think about the consequences. Think long term.
Over time, that word stopped being corporate and started becoming personal.
In this episode, I share a defining moment when I faced subtle pressure while reporting business results. I could have framed the numbers strategically — technically accurate but selectively presented. No one told me to adjust them. No one would likely have stopped me. But in that quiet space, one word came back: THINK.
This conversation explores the quiet erosion of misalignment, why success without integrity feels hollow, and how to discover the one word we protect. Perhaps our defining word isn’t the one we announce — it’s the one that would wound us most if someone said we lacked it.
Thinking is the beginning.
Living it — especially when it costs us something — is the work.