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NOW, HERE’S STEVE’S STORY

In Part I we followed Steve as he achieved his career goal: the top communications job at a Fortune 500. Now he was about to "jump off the diving board." (Part I is posted at http://www.jc-a.com/News/0999news.htm.)

Taking a risk – Getting ready to go

Steve told me he asked for a meeting with the Chairman. Sitting in his office, Steve says he changed the topic four times before he could screw up the courage to tell his boss he planned to explore a new direction - not knowing where it might take him. The response was gratifying and immediate. The Chairman said (I am paraphrasing here) your personal vision fits our broader business concept of how the Internet can empower our customers and revolutionize communication. Go to school, work for the company on a reduced schedule and when you finish the degree, let’s decide what you can do for us next.

I can only imagine how Steve felt when he left that meeting. It must have been one of the most exhilarating moments in his career. He had put his future on the line and won it all. He had the courage do what he had to do – to be true to his values. In that meeting he was given an overwhelming endorsement of his worth both to the company and the Chairman. The Chairman felt that Steve’s talents should not be lost to the organization and was willing to create a solution that met Steve’s needs, and the corporation’s objectives.

Going back to school for a year (1997) was a huge challenge. The academic demands were daunting, especially the technical aspects. However, Steve completed the program and returned to fulltime work in the fall of 1998. He was offered two jobs and which choice he made would set his future career direction. Just at that time, we had breakfast to catch up and look at what those choices meant in terms of personal growth and challenge.

New choices, new risks

Steve could become the Chief of Staff for the Chairman, the right hand to implement everything that the Chairman might require. Or, he could assume management responsibility for a new internet operation responsible for the customer/company interface. We agreed that the first choice was simply an extension of everything he had done before. It was a job he would succeed in - without a doubt - and without significant growth. On the plus side, it was a path with no financial risk

The second choice was far more intriguing and difficult to define. No one had done this job before and the few businesses outside the company that had similar functions were so new that there were no models to copy.

The new path

For Steve, the upside of this new operation were: personal growth, an opportunity to shape a significant new business for the organization and carte blanche to try anything that might work to enhance customer communication. The converse was that he could fail as a line manager and drag himself back to the Chairman, hat in hand, and hope there was a job for him. He certainly would have tarnished his reputation and he might never be able to overcome that.

Challenges: Both for him and for the company

Steve chose the high-risk, high-reward option and hasn’t looked back since. As I was writing this essay, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL in its "Managing your Career Column," dated August 24th did a story about, "Getting a Starring Role in a Big Company’s Bid to Enter the New Media." The generic problem says TWSJ is, "nudging employers into the Internet whirl, which many old-line bosses see as a threat to existing businesses. When a new medium is introduced, everyone says, ‘What does this mean for me and my kingdom.’"

Steve had a clear sense of the personal challenge. He also felt he was given this opportunity because at the time, no one had any idea of how important the Internet would be to customer communication and sales. He took what was perceived as a "second tier" opportunity and turned it into a top tier business, integral to the growth of the company. Initially, the decision to create a competitive presence on the Internet meant prices across the board had to be cut and hope that increased volume would offset reduced profit margins. It was a risky decision but one that worked. The generic question raised in The WSJ article about cannibalizing business from existing operations was raised here.

Steve’s instinctive ability to put himself in his client’s shoes led to the right decisions. He realized that giving customers more than one way to connect with the company and their account was synergistic—the more choices, the greater the activity. It was expanding the pie -- not re-dividing the pieces. Customers regarded the ease of use as a reason for conducting more business with them. It engendered loyalty.

His model worked

Within the organization, he determined that he must link this new service to the other bushiness units, not isolate it. He established a board, with the goal of integration, comprised of various business unit managers. The issue of internal competition went away. The evolution of their Internet business model is exciting and its own success story.

The reason’s for success

Here’s Steve’s analysis of how this happened. He said he applied all the principles that led to his success in the communications function—leadership through participation, consensus building and, ultimately, buy-in. After all, he did not have the authority to demand change. He also commented, that, "I seized the opportunity aggressively and made it important. Initially, no one knew how far this would go, but since I’d been around a while, everyone gave me the benefit of the doubt. I can’t claim to be a brilliant visionary, understanding that the net would be the communications ‘enabler’ to connect people." But, he had all the right instincts and knowledge.

He says the company is just beginning to scratch the surface of their e-commerce model, that the customer interface must be improved. In the meantime the company is doubling its capacity to conduct online business every three months. He adds, "We’re in the second inning of the e-commerce game and I want to be around for the ninth. Where I am appeals to every one of my interests with no limits on where I can take it."

The new Steve

I’ve watched Steve mature into his managerial role. He is comfortable and self-assured with the power he now holds as Senior Vice President and head of an organization. He no longer behaves as a chief of staff—deferential and supportive. He earned the right to be in this position—and I believe he knows that. He remains as gracious and down to earth as ever.

What’s next

As is inevitable when we have these conversations, I ask, what could possibly be the next strategic move? At this moment, Steve doesn’t have a sense of that. In a market where you are an expert if you have two years more e-commerce experience then the rest of the pack, there are opportunities of every shape and size.

No one knows

Because Steve is an articulate spokesperson and highly visible, he regularly receives all sorts of calls from start-ups and headhunters. He is too busy keeping up with his work (and having too much fun) to pause and seriously reflect about what it would take to make a change. If he doesn’t know where "down the road" is, he can’t figure out how to get there. He would be foolish to give up what he has built and the resources he now orchestrates--unless he had a clear sense of how he would benefit significantly both in the near and long term.

Steve’s potential

I would speculate that in this Internet space, Steve’s potential is to run a company, based on a consensual (not a hierarchical) structure. He should only consider opportunities either where the company has broad consumer lifestyle impact or is on the verge of introducing a breakthrough product or service. He should not be in a small start-up with a chance to "strike it rich," - that would be squandering his career achievements. And, by the way, he is already well off. Given his age, there is time to make the leap into a high visibility role - a role with the potential to influence the shape of e-commerce. The next career move is critical and will, if properly chosen, place him within a small group of industry leaders of the e-commerce revolution.

As we reach the end of this story and reflect on how quickly and how far Steve has come, we begin to understand how talent, passion, timing and luck all played into his success.

He was gifted with the innate talents and fundamental understandings about trust and loyalty that endeared him to senior executives. He "connected" with the Chairman on a personal and values level. They have a unique relationship. Steve has superb listening skills and marketing instincts that put him inside his customer’s head. For him communications and business decisions start from a customer perspective—always. His passion has been media and technology.

Why has Steve been so successful?

He paid his dues in the company, building trust and credibility. He also had the courage to put everything on the line to achieve a goal that he knew at a very deep level was right for him. When it was time for his corporation to create an e-commerce business and integrate it into company operations, he was knowledgeable, experienced and educated. In short, the timing was perfect and Steve was prepared. Also, his company and its leadership had a history of innovation. He happened to be in the right organization when the bullet train left the station. We can’t all be that lucky.

Reaching higher

As he chose a management career path with all its risks, Steve knew he could loose all that he had built. Yet, he was willing to gamble and find out if he had the talent to succeed. How many would make that decision? At all of these critical junctures, he reached for the brass ring. He has yet to lose his balance.

* * *

Steve read this story and he added the latest developments in an e-mail. This is what he wrote.

"There is another chapter emerging. I've been turning down offers at pre-IPO startups, but I've found another way to help them. I've joined several boards. I bought a major stake in a private tech company that's been in business for a dozen years. It's interesting to be sitting at the table with 30-something CEOs. (I've not been doing the 20-something Gen X, no revenue sort of thing.) We'll see where this goes.

"I think the next big revolution underway on the internet is that established brand retail companies are rushing to create not just a web-site but an actual e-commerce offering that is fully connected with their stores. Toys ‘R’ Us is taking a beating from toys.com. Ford is taking a beating from CarsDirect.com. I'm connecting the two worlds -- online and on-land -- in one powerful offering for the customer. When the retail companies figure that out, then a lot of the pure dot com companies will be destroyed or merged. It would be fun to help one of these big brands learn how to do that.

"Final thought: All PR folks need to consider how to participate in this revolution. It won't be 'safe' at companies that just have one or the other. Sure, Amazon will do okay purely online (also Jeff Bezos is now talking about adding some stores!) and McDonald's will do great with stores because there are no virtual burgers. But just about every other company must change and have both. The successful communicators of the future will have no choice but to speak both languages. Within 5 years, it will be one language. In many respects, it's already one...it's the customer."

These comments are consistent with Steve’s vision and instinct. He knows how the customer thinks and what she wants (in the retail world "she" does 80% of buying). Merging the selling environments and keeping it simple is what success is all about.

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