31.12.2024 Today’s Inspiration and Insights from Michael Dell, in the Wall Street Journal
Dear Students,
What might you think of when hearing the name “Michael Dell?”
One thing’s for sure – few of you are likely to realize that the not-yet 60-year-old, worth $130B+, originally started college as a pre-med student. Still, some of you might have heard the lore about Dell’s launching his business in a University of Texas dorm room, eventually moving his fledging venture into a condominium, and, subsequently, dropping out of college at age 19. (Flashback: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg).
Dell, who was ambitious from youth (and only went pre-med due to parental influence), “…became the youngest CEO of a company ranked in Fortune magazine’s list of the top 500 corporations ..in 1992, at age 27.” (according to Wikipedia). The rest is history, with Dell’s expansion into a nearly $25B international company operating in 180 countries, with 120K employees to date.
There are many “secrets” to Dell’s success as a company and to Michael Dell as an individual (besides the entrepreneurial spirit he demonstrated in becoming a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant at the age of 12). Wall Street Journal Tech columnist Chris Mims highlights just a few in the wonderful piece below.
Selected power skills demonstrated within the article:
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Agility, flexibility and adaptability, evident by “pivoting” the company’s focus when markets shifted over time
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Passion (“Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff quoted Dell as saying ‘he’ll even care about Dell when he’s dead,’ and I believe him”), exceeding mere “motivation”
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Strong communication skills, including sensitivity to the longer-term implications of what to say or not to say, and to whom
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Taking a continuous learning approach throughout life, as shown through Dell’s evolving from disassembling his first computer at age 15, to investing, to selling Houston Post subscriptions, to actually building computers
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Persistence, influence and negotiation skills (exhibited through Dell’s shifting his resistant parents’ views to eventually support his young enterprise)
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Willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes
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Openness to taking the “long view” through strategic planning, rather than succumbing to the enticement of potential short-term payoffs
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Demonstrated powerful written communication skills (through composing two books about his Dell’s journey)
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The man who founded Dell in a Texas dorm room has transformed his company. It’s not just about PCs anymore.
www.wsj.com
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And, while there have been ups and downs in Dell’s journey (both for the individual and the company), Michael Dell has always prioritized enabling others and “giving back” through philanthropy, establishing the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation 25+ years ago, and distinguishing the couple (who have been married 35+ years) as the 3rd largest givers in America in 2023, with total donations of $975M.
One humorous “moral” of this story?: Don’t discount Chinese restaurants as a unique springboard to your career, even as an ambitious international student, (even though the competencies each one of you develops, and the skills that each of you deploys thereafter are what really fosters your impact and success).
Best,
Amy-Louise