Five, Four, Three, Two, One… IBM Corporate Service Corps

“What is she talking about?”

I am so excited to share my journey with you! But I can hear more than a few of my family and friends asking, “what journey?”

Why? Because I told only a few people. It's not because I wasn’t excited, but because I harbored a secret fear that maybe it wouldn’t really happen – that it would all fall through.

Now that I am fewer than two weeks until departure, let me virtually shout it to the world:

I WAS ACCEPTED INTO IBM’S

CORPORATE SERVICE CORPS!

#ibmcsc

This is a competitive program and, after several failed applications, I was notified in October 2017 that I was finally accepted. With the full support of my department and project leaders, I whole-heartedly accepted my assignment to Gurugram (Gurgaon) India, in March 2018! (And to those leaders who supported me in this process, I can only say, thank you!)

What is IBM’s Corporate Service Corps?

To use corporate-speak that you can Google, it is IBM’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) forum. More plainly, IBM donates the time and skills of teams of experienced professionals to work full-time for four weeks in-country with some of the region's top government, business, and civic leaders to address high-priority issues such as education, women’s empowerment, health, and economic development.

As a CSC member, I will work with an organization to help it make improvements that will increase its ability to serve its community. Though I will not work with the community members they serve directly, the organization I will work with has the capacity to help far more people than I could alone as one person donating time, say serving food or delivering goods. (These roles are very important too – just not the remit of IBM’s mission!) Imagine you are a business owner. You have ideas for how you want to improve your business or simplify your processes, but you’re too busy serving your customers to make time to do these things. This is the situation these non-profits sometimes have as well. IBM’s consultants will join forces with them to help address the challenges that keep them from taking their organizations to the next level!

Why does #IBM do this?

In exchange, IBM gets employees who are better equipped for the challenges of working and leading in a truly global organization. Think of it as the world’s most hands-on leadership development training! IBM also increases its visibility and standing in the countries and communities served by the CSC.

The CSC is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Since its launch in 2008, the program has engaged over 3000 participants on over 275 teams to nearly 40 countries around the world, delivering over $70 million in market value consulting on over 1000 projects.

And what about me? Why was CSC so important to me?

Though the reasons behind my desire to join the CSC will likely take another blog post to explain, I will summarize with one thought:

For all of the typical ups and downs that any company of IBM’s size goes through as it repeatedly transforms itself for the future, there is nowhere else I would find the talent, passion, and dedication that exists here with my IBM family. To have the opportunity to dedicate my time and experience to help others – with the full support and scale of IBM – is a chance of a lifetime.

Want to know more?

Click here to learn more about IBM’s Corporate Service Corps.