[This post is a continuation of the fourth installment of a series that began with "The Internet". ]
I have been fortunate to have achieved much success in business. My guess is that most successful careers have included moments that, though brief, have had profound implications. For me, one of these moments occurred in 1995 in a conference room that was temporarily configured like a classroom, in a meeting called “The Internet”. Jim Crowe, who no doubt could have been a fine college professor, tutored his 25 senior-most MFS executives on the massive impact the Internet would have on business.
I guess the whole meeting could be considered a career moment for me. However, it was the ending of the meeting that slapped me awake. Jim was finishing his online demonstration of Yahoo, FTP file transfer, search engines and other concepts that were strange to most people in the room. He then began his closing remarks.
“I have come to believe that the Internet will fundamentally change the way people live their lives and conduct business,” Jim impressed on the group in his deep and serious voice. “I have concluded that MFS Communications will shape its business plan, and everything we do, around the Internet.”
And that is when he said it: “I’ve called each of you to this room to offer you up a choice. One choice is to leave this meeting as a skeptic. You can view the Internet as a trend, or as a fad, or as a toy. You can be slow to understand the Internet. You can be an old dog that is not ready to learn a new trick. If this is your choice, you will need to find an employer other than MFS Communications.
Then he offered an alternative, though not necessarily a reassuring one. “Your other choice is to embrace the Internet. Learn what it is and how it works. Use it frequently and leverage it to make our business better. Understand how others are using it, and use this knowledge to guide our sales, marketing, and investment decisions. If you do this–if you embrace the Internet–I can offer you only one thing: You will have met the minimum qualification for being an executive at MFS Communications.”
Yep. No special bonuses. No promotions. In fact, not even assurance of continued employment. Embrace the Internet and perhaps you will keep your job. Shun it and don’t let the door hit you in the rear on the way out.
Being a smart guy, I picked door number two. I embraced the Internet. Jim Crowe-thank you for leading this charge.
Leave a response (0 so far)
Subscribe via RSS
