Week 2 - Discussion 2

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Ashford University - California *

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BUS608

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Management

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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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 Weapon Links 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? Bessant using the term "always up or never down" relates to the attitude of always seeing the brighter side. She pointed out that reliability, and ultimately security, of technology for banks is vital. As a leader at B of A, she is responsible for ensuring customers have access to consistently reliable information. This relates to all businesses in one way or another. In the sector I work, always up or never down can be translated into membership. We should strive to always see increases in membership and never see losses. How do you think companies take the workforce of today and make it into the workforce of tomorrow, despite the pandemic?
First, the pandemic is officially over so people are striving for some semblance of normalcy. Many companies have initiated a return to the office policy and are trying to get back to at least some face-to-face interactions. My company has implemented a return to the office initiative and managers and below are required to go to the office twice a month while directors and above must go in weekly. This means that the war on talent versus the war on skills is on. Leaders are now faced with balancing the desires of current workers to work from home full time and finding an agreeable balance for new hires and those promoted to new positions. Bassant believes that companies can turn the workforce of today into the workforce of tomorrow. They can do this by training and developing teams. What is the best way for companies to seize the moment of discussing the importance of equity and diversity today? To seize the moment regarding the importance of equity and diversity, companies need to make this issue visible at all levels. A perfect example of this is the company I work for, Blue Shield of California, where there is annual training offered on our learning platform. According to Shield Central (n.d.) the “90-minute Foundations of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training is available to all employees on-demand. The training is intended to create a workplace where employees can bring their whole, authentic selves to work, experience belonging, receive equal opportunities for growth and development, and reach their full potential.” 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? The Dhando Framework shares about Papa Patel and his family. He worked on his motel business and worked in many departments, from janitor to manager. Bessant mirrored this in her career with Bank of America. Additionally, Bessant references acquiring fintech startups. This aligns with the principle of buying existing businesses (Pabrai, 2007). Karlgaard, R. (Host). (2021b, April 21).   Bank of America’s secret technology weapon Links to an external site.   [Series video]. In   Innovation rules: Talking with tech leaders . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/video/6249520437001/bank-of-americas-secret-technology-weapon/? sh=4ac29bc17e25 Pabrai, M. (2007).   The Dhandho investor: The low-risk value method to high returns . Wiley .
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