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Monday, June 04, 2007

Life Lessons from the Corporate World

Recently, Dell agreed to also sell its computers through Wal-Mart. This was quite a turn around for a company which in the past had bypassed retailers and sold its products directly to customers and businesses. For years, media had hailed Dell as a pioneer in selling its products directly to customers and businesses and doing so more efficiently than any of its competitors. On the other hand, competitors such as HP, Gateway and Compaq (which was acquired subsequently by HP) were regarded as inefficient and not able to compete effectively with Dell.

However, in the past few years, things sure have changed for Dell and some of its competitors such as HP. While Dell seems to be having all sorts of problems, including loss of market share and accounting problems, HP seems to doing every thing right.

The tale of Dell sure teaches some lessons that are valuable in personal lives.

First, just because you are currently down or at bottom doesn't mean that things have to stay that way. Dell's competitors such as HP were having a rough time and losing market share. However, a new focus under the management of its new CEO, Mark Hurd, has ignited HP's successful turnaround. Similarly, in personal lives, a person may not be achieving things to his/her potential because of bad circumstances in lives such as illness or divorce, lack of focus or simply because of lazyness. However, it doesn't have to be that way; changes can change for better provided the person is willing to work hard and takes appropriate action.

Another important lesson learnt from Dell's experience is that just because you are at the peak today doesn't mean that you will remain there for ever. Things can change quickly, and that too for worse, if one loses one's focus, takes things for granted or becomes complacent. In addition, even if you are good, competitors are always trying to become more efficient.

Therefore, it's necessary to keep on improving. Even small, baby steps can add up and have a compounding effect over time.

Last but not the least, it's OK not to be number one. Some people become so obsessed with becoming number one, that they neglect their family lives, friends, values etc. Is that worth a price? May be or may be not - only that person can tell. Personally, I believe that the main thing should be to ensure we have a balanced life and do our best to improve continuously. Everybody has a place in the universe, and whether someone's second, third, or fourth in life, they too have have a part to play in this circle of life.

For related articles, check out:

Cnet News.com: Wal-Mart to begin selling Dell PCs

MSNBC: Dell plans to sell its PCs at Wal-Mart

posted by Ruby @ 7:41 AM

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