It is virtually impossible to read a newspaper or watch television and not come away thinking...what next? It seems like things are out of control, and in some regards this is probably true. Gordon Moore, one of Intel’s Co-Founders, developed an idea that came to be known as Moore’s Law. Moore theorized that the power of the microchip would double every 18 months, thereby exponentially increasing the power of computers. From a computer-user’s perspective, Moore’s Law has translated into unbelievable benefits. ComNet has also been a direct beneficiary of Moore’s Law. Much of ComNet’s work involves upgrading infrastructure and equipment that have been rendered obsolete by changes in technology. If Moore’s Law wasn’t in effect, ComNet would be a much smaller company. Unfortunately, there is another side to change and that is the stress that it puts on people and organizations. For every benefit derived from Moore’s Law, there will be an equivalent sacrifice. We see it every day by way of shortened project timelines and immediate bid requests. At times, I find myself thinking that customers simply haven’t done their job when we get urgent requests for bids or service. In some instances this may be true. The reality is that the customer is usually stuck on the same treadmill that we are and Moore’s Law says that the treadmill won’t slow down. It is encouraging to remember that ComNet is an organization that is built to adapt. Twenty years ago, ComNet did virtually no inside-plant cabling. Today, the majority of our revenues come from inside-plant cabling. Five years ago, ComNet wasn’t involved with point-of-sale equipment or networking equipment or wireless networks. Today, these are significant areas of growth. Four years ago, ComNet did $36 million in revenues. We project that 2008 revenues will be approximately $55 million. ComNet has been in business for 24 years and during that time we have seen at least 3 economic recessions, several wars and 9/11. We didn’t hang around by accident. We survived and excelled because we welcome change and adapt to new circumstances.
The following are some basic principles regarding change that I try to remember.
- In today’s business environment, a company must be willing to accept chaos or at least "bounded instability" in its industry and its own marketplace as part of the reality of doing business.
- Focus on creating an organization that’s built for speed and for customers.
- Business is shifting from being about "transactions" to being about "value-added" interactions with customers.
- In a world where most products and services ultimately become commodities, customer care becomes the only true and lasting differentiator.
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