Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, review Chapters 5 and 6 in the Dhandho Investor; review the Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 in the Outsiders text; and watch the video interview with Cathy Bessant, Bank of America’s Secret Technology WeaponLinks to an external site..
Cathy Bessant is an American businesswoman. She is the Chief Operations and Technology Officer at Bank of America Corporation. Bessant began her career as a corporate banker at Bank of America Corporation in 1982. Sixteen years later she was appointed President of Community Development Banking at the same corporation and held the position until 2000. In 1999, Bessant became the President of Consumer Real Estate Banking at Bank of America Corporation. Also, she took the same position of the Florida market at that corporation from 2000 to 2001. Bessant is ranked number 1 among the “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking” on American Banker’s 2017 ranking on Institutional Investor magazine’s Tech 50 list of financial technology leaders. She also appears on Working Mother magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Working Moms” list of 2018. Bessant received the 2019 Women in Technology and Data Trailblazer (Lifetime Achievement) Award from Waters Technology. (Praybook, n.d., paras. 1–5)
Please watch the interview with Cathy Bessant, COO and CTO of Bank of America and answer the following questions:
In the interview with Cathy Bessant there was a point shared by Satya Nadella which stated, “I’ve seen five years of digital transformation in the last six months.” Listen to how Cathy Bessant responded to the question and then address how you would respond based on the industry you work in:
- What did Cathy Bessant mean by saying “always up or never down”? How could this relate to other businesses?
- The concept of the “war on talent versus the war on skills” is one that many companies face. Listen to how Cathy Bessant identifies the difference between talent and skills. How do you think companies take the workforce of today and make it into the workforce of tomorrow, despite the pandemic?
- In the interview, Cathy Bessant speaks about diversity and equity and the importance of seizing the moment. What is the best way for companies to seize the moment of discussing the importance of equity and diversity today?
- Reflect on the textbook chapter readings for the week:
- What common traits does Cathy Bessant share with leaders who follow the Dhandho Framework or are Outsider CEOs?
- Does she use any of the nine principles that constitute the Dhandho framework?
- Give an example and explain why you made the connection.
Guided Response: Your initial response should be a minimum of 200 words. Graduate school students learn to assess the perspectives of several scholars. Support your response with at least two scholarly or credible resources in addition to the text. The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. Use at least one outside article on the featured CEO in addition to the provided material.
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