I attended a very interesting conference on Digital Transformation in San Francisco last month. During one of the sessions, a speaker made a very simple point that I jotted down and thought about on the way home later that day... and again over the next weekend. Here's what he said:

A Large Company Example of Digital Transformation

Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO of a very old established company like GE (which was founded in 1892 - 124 years ago) is leading a rapid Digital Transformation of all their businesses. Did you know that every new GE employee is now required to go through programming classes to develop the necessary job skills for the future. This is not your father's image of the old GE company.

A Small Business Example of Digital Transformation

The owner of a small retail Dry Cleaning store is digitally converting their business.  Their customers will soon have the ability to use their smartphones or the company website to schedule appointments, deliveries, pick-ups and make payments. When customers walk into the store the owners will be able to accept Apple Pay and other wireless payments from Smartphones and Smartwatches.  The customers will have the option to get their receipts by email, text or printed. 

The bottom line is simple.  

There is not one job, business or industry that is going to be the same over the next five years.  Every business executive should be thinking a lot differently about their jobs, their team, their company, their competitors and their industry. 

So keep reminding yourself... and your management team: “If you’re not figuring out how to be a digital company, someone else will be coming around to replace you.” 

You can always Contact us for more information or to help you and your team digitally transform your organization. Sometimes you just need that outside specialist to work with your team to help them "get it" - and to pick up the pace of change in your organization.