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Staff post about: Michael Dell Become an Author

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Dell believes in the power of deriving strength from change. When speaking on the issue, he often makes a link between change and “the Chinese character for crisis which represents both danger and opportunity.” The success of his company has come about in large part due to Dell’s ability to not only withstand change, but also to take advantage of new opportunities.

“The good thing about our model and our culture at Dell is that both are optimized for change,” says Dell. “In fact, both thrive on change.” If his company were unable to cope with the changing times, Dell knows he would have gone under long ago. “We dive headfirst into change,” he says. “Part of that is because it's all we’ve ever known, but it's also because today, it's a must…To thrive on change, you must understand how to give in to it, flow with it, and derive strength from it. There's no other way.”

In 1994, Dell had already established himself as a major player in the computer industry. His company was doing well and its reputation was quickly spreading. But, Dell knew something big was about to shock the game. He knew that in little time, the Internet would soon be revolutionizing the entire industry. Instead of sitting back and trying to ignore what was coming, Dell decided to join the revolution. “The Internet is going to be mainstream and we need to be all over it,” Dell said.

His company launched its website, which today represents one of the highest volume Internet commerce sites in the world. Dell.com accounts for almost 50% of the company’s overall revenue and is accessible in 18 languages throughout 42 countries. By not only being aware of the change that was going to take place but also by being willing to adapt to it and ride the wave, Dell was able to come out on top.

“You have to use intuition,” he says. “Our business has so many variables that are changing so quickly. If you wait for all the right information and data, you’re too late.” Dell is willing to play it by ear and take what he sees as the necessary risks in order to make the best of the ever-changing situation in which he finds himself. “Some of these decisions you just have to go with limited information, decide what you think is right, and then make adjustments along the way,” he says. “It’s really a combination of data, intuition and monitoring the competitive landscape.”

Dell has become a master at doing things ahead of the curve. He likens his ability to stay on top of change to that of the great hockey player Wayne Gretzky, “who once explained his success by saying that he didn’t skate to where the puck was, he skated to where the puck was going to be,” says Dell. “By the time our competitors have moved to where we were, we’re already somewhere else”.

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