When I joined IBM in April 1993, my mandate from shareholders, the board of directors, and, yes, many employees was all about change. IBM had just reported one of the largest losses in the history of corporate America, and I was soon to learn that we were in danger of running out of cash by the end of the year. Therefore, many things had to change. We sold off underperforming businesses; we strove to reconnect with our customers; and, most urgently, we had to reduce expenses.

However, having been a great admirer of IBM during its many decades of undisputed leadership among large multinational corporations, I knew that there were pillars of strength that should be maintained and, if possible, reinforced. One of those was investments in research and development, and I made certain we protected this extraordinary resource.

Another great strength of IBM was its decades-long commitment to corporate responsibility, whether it was in civil rights, leadership in providing opportunities to women and people of color, or advances in workplace and family benefits. This, too, was an area I wanted to protect.

However, I quickly discovered that one area of corporate responsibility, namely corporate philanthropy, had, like many parts of IBM, become bogged down in bureaucracy and history. It seriously needed new leadership.

Not seeing an internal candidate, I began to search for someone to come in from outside. It didn’t take long for Stan Litow to stand out as an excellent choice. He was a risk taker—a trait not found often in the philanthropic world. Moreover, he shared my personal passion for the importance of reforming K–12 education in America. I had worked for more than 30 years prior to coming to IBM on many efforts aimed at trying to fix our public schools, and I knew I wanted the new IBM to throw its many resources behind this important effort.

Stan turned out to be everything I needed to reinvigorate IBM’s long-standing commitment to public service. For a decade, we worked side by side on a very active corporate responsibility agenda. And much of it focused on K–12 reform.

Stan then supported my successor, Sam Palmisano, for another decade as IBM further expanded its philanthropic work. Finally, the indefatigable man, Stan went on to serve so well Sam’s successor, Ginni Rometty.

This book discusses many of the activities that Stan led so successfully at IBM. This focus is understandable since he had a distinguished 25-year career at the company. However, Stan also draws on many examples from other companies, and as a result this book should be helpful to all those businessmen and -women who believe strongly in the importance of corporate philanthropy.

On a personal note, I am unabashedly a proponent of active corporate citizenship. I know there are some in the business community who do not share this view. When our communities are healthy and, hopefully, thriving, the companies in these communities enjoy many levels of support. Conversely, operating a business in a declining, negative environment only adds to the challenge of corporate leadership. Effective public-private partnerships almost always benefit both participants.

The business community is under considerable pressure today. Whether it is income inequity, jobs lost to Asia or Mexico, stagnant wages, or tax avoidance, citizens as well as politicians are pointing fingers at the business community. Responding to these criticisms will require far more than good corporate citizenship. Nevertheless, greater attention to all the ways businesses can support our communities will be a very important ingredient in any significant repositioning of American business in the eyes of America’s politicians, media, and academics, as well as its employees and ordinary citizens.

Lou Gerstner

December 14, 2017