I met with an old co-worker for lunch the other day. I won’t say his name out of respect but if he’s reading this he’ll know who he is. The long and short of the discussion came down to my new “strategy” as a solution architect and he integration of information systems strategy and technology into the nuts-and-bolts of the business.
He told me I was nuts. He said people don’t want the kind of advice I am offering. They hate change. This idea would never work. He offered so many reasons why I should stick to just being a programming and IT services firm that simply does what they are told that I almost gave into it.
After lunch, on the drive home I got to thinking.. Maybe it’s just him that hates change. The reason that I have made this change in my business model is because it DOES work. I didn’t wake up one day and decide that everything was broken and I had to fix it… Mosier Information Services has evolved, and will continue to do so… Exactly like my clients do. The fact that over the last couple of years my clients have allowed me to grow in the role of a trusted partner says it all.
No one ever gets successful making problems into excuses. Colonel Sanders was “too old” to start a business. The Wright Brothers knew that no-one had ever flown. Henry Ford faced a “lack of demand” for his automobiles. David was too young, too unskilled and too poorly equipped to face Goliath. They didn’t let these things stop them from being successful. Neither will I.
Plus, I forgot to mention one thing at lunch. My success is measured by the success of my clients, not by my annual sales or profits. You will never convince me that aligning my interests with that of my customer is wrong. It’s the strategy that has made several of my clients successful already and it’s the one that got Mosier Information Services where it is today.
In closing, to Mr. X – If you’re reading this – I will leave you with a quote from George Bernard Shaw: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” I appreciate your opinion and hope that your upcoming venture is successful. As for me, I will keep evolving with my clients.