Marne Martin

Quotes from three highly admirable people come to my mind:

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling but rising when we fall.” – Nelson Mandela.

“If life were predictable, it would cease to be life (and be without flavour).” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney.

I have lost my passion for playing the piano. I used to love doing that in my childhood.

I will never let go of my passion for riding horses.

I would like to be the leader of the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) or USEF (United States Equestrian Federation).

First of all, I would make sure that every single girl born in this world has complete access to healthcare and optimum high school education (ideally, some technical, college, or vocational schooling as well). This is a big challenge at the global level, but we can definitely start making changes here in the US.

I would also like to ride more, train horses, and help more junior and young riders become top professionals. I believe that the US has the potential to develop a pipeline in dressage as strong as Germany’s if only we could address some of our issues in organisations and resources.

I am motivated by the desire to get results for companies and make a difference in the lives of the people I serve.

There are always limitations to being a woman. However, the real obstacle centres around finding the right opportunities and managing stakeholders in the executive, shareholder and board ranks effectively to constantly stay in the CEO position. It also gets difficult to find meaningful opportunities to be on boards as an independent board member. That takes a lot of networking and performance.

Most industries are male-dominated. However, this discrepancy is not what bothers me. In fact, I have more experience in international exposure than most men in the industry. I’ve driven a lot of transformation campaigns personally.

The task of helping companies and people become more effective and bringing innovation and change into their daily routines can often become quite a steep climb, especially given all the competition that companies and individuals often face. It requires the ability to see the forest through the trees, focus on the opportunities and have the right influence, leadership and management skills to bring about transformation.

I’ve been known for finding solutions and being fearless in facing difficulties.

The right combination of leadership, management and problem-solving skills is crucial for success in our field. Besides, one must also possess the courage to charge forward as well as the experience and willingness to listen to the needs of the day that demand attention. Rome was neither built nor fallen in a day.

In a nutshell, people need to be in the ‘business of learning’ to accelerate their growth. There are many things to learn, not only in technology and business but also in history, strategy, science, and philosophy.

I’m often asked about strategies for change management. Understandably so.

I enjoy seeing people grow and helping my clients achieve outcomes they could not reach before. But the negative side is the frustration that comes with the converse of digital transformation and the stagnation and lack of advancement accompanying such events.

My first role model was Madeleine Albright. She was a highly influential personality during my undergraduate years. She was the first woman to become Secretary of State despite being an immigrant who came to the US after the communist coup. Her family had settled in Denver, Colorado.

I was brought up in Montana and Wyoming. The moment I realised that I wanted an international career, I chose to go to Georgetown University, the School of Foreign Service. Then, I moved on to the London School of Economics. Madeleine was always an incredible personality and a great inspiration.

My mom, too, positively influenced my inspiration and confidence, being a teacher and an athletic coach herself. However, being under the guidance of Albright at Georgetown was huge for me. She was such a shining light of a woman; so strong, intelligent and internationally-travelled.

Other role models include secretary/ambassador Mike Mansfield, a family friend, Senator Wallop, and others who helped me in DC. But I was always impressed by the pragmatism of that entire generation. Admiral Bill Crowe also comes to mind. He was one of our boards and had been incredibly influential during my 20s.

Of course, the quotes I mentioned earlier would help any young woman starting out. It is also crucial to change your mindset and start thinking in terms of how to get things done, leading by example and not just focusing on your success but seeking to make everyone's lives better than before.

My leadership style is more or less inspirational, but it also depends on other factors like teams, companies and the situation in context. Of course, there are times when a more how-to or practical approach is also required in leadership.

My abilities to build relationships, trust and respect have helped me a lot as a leader.

Every member of my team knows that I care for them, and I have always got their back in tough situations. I’m the first person they can rely on when the going gets tough.

When you’re dealing with a customer's emotional needs and balancing very complex stakeholder groups simultaneously, mistakes are bound to happen. But the bottom line remains that we must find value and results for businesses. I have learned to completely put aside the customer’s communication style and just focus on the targets we are trying to achieve together.

I have had the experience of implementing large-scale technology projects from scratch. The highs and the lows that have been involved in the process always stand me in good stead.

My current business revolves around software coding and ease of implementation alongside the adoption of the finished product. Product development never really stops with a good software company and product management function. It is always an ongoing process.

Technology is anything that pushes human beings beyond the pre-Neanderthal stage, say, fire and wheel to start it off. But jokes apart, people like to define it in terms of the application of scientific knowledge. I don't agree with this definition since ancient societies with elaborate structures of astronomy and construction were also applying science.

I also don’t like to define it in terms of achieving practical rules in a reproducible way, as the Mesopotamian society did exactly that. Practically speaking, technology in our generation requires machinery and equipment, whether it is a computer chip, computer or database. Looking at technology in terms of this definition, nearly covers all of its aspects.

I think that all the technological changes that have been occurring over the last 100 years would still be incomparable to the advancements that we are going to see in the next 10 to 20 years. We can attribute this to the incredible increase in affordable computing power and progress in data science, automation and AI.

The answer depends on the context in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Technological advancements in food production, sanitation, vaccination and clean water have saved lives on this planet. At the same time, cell phones, computers, cars and planes have eased our lifestyle for the better.

Technology has always been and will continue to be good for society. People need to remember that they are primarily a consumer. However, they should always be aware of their consumption patterns and the importance of keeping it ethical.

I stay up-to-date with emerging technology trends. I also remain constantly in touch with geeks and young people and do a lot of reading to ensure I am socially aware. I also like keeping a keen eye on how technology is being constantly adopted and watching the ebbs and flows concerned with financing technological innovation.

I like the Economist, Reuters, FT, BBC, Bloomberg and NYTimes for getting my news updates. Besides those, I have my favourite business and equestrian websites, too.

My favourite product is the iPhone. My least favourite is the oven or vacuum cleaner as I don’t like cooking or cleaning much. This is probably why we have a permanent cleaner in the house, and nearly all the cooking is done by my husband. Haha!

Each human has their own unique personality and data set of experiences.

There is no question of compensation at all. In fact, it is hard to be truly successful for decades without delivering value and having some sense of morality, especially in times of such great transparency.

There is, obviously, a symbiotic relationship at play here. However, you can also see brilliant performers based on their body talents who are not that mindful as well as brilliant minds who may be quadriplegic. The mind-body connection has a lot of intricacies and nuances that need to be explored, probably at the cellular level. There are also other factors at work like the emotions of health or their lack, that play a critical part.