I think it was 1996 and I was invited to a Venture Capital conference in Silicon Valley. The first morning keynote speaker was Larry Ellison, the chairman and CEO of Oracle Corporation. Today I can’t recall much about the conference or most of the people I met, but, I will never forget the first four words of Mr. Ellison’s morning speech.
When Mr. Ellison was introduced, he strode to the podium, thanked the host who introduced him, welcomed the assembled audience and opened his speech with the four words, “The Internet changes everything.”
As I said above, I can’t remember too many details of that conference fifteen years ago, but, I will never forget those four words as I recall them every time I hear of a new online business, or see how the Internet is disrupting old business models.
I cannot know with certainty if Larry Ellison was the first to gain that insight or coin that phrase or even if he knew at the time he shared it how truly profound it would be fifteen years hence.
But, to this day, that phrase informs my thinking across all aspects of my life and work, especially my work with faith-based nonprofit fund raising organizations.
These words need to inform your thinking as well.
For the balance of your career or term of leadership, in all issues that are raised, remember to look at them through the prism of "The Internet changes everything."
-Mike
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