Transitions and a Solid Base
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I spent the morning on the campus of Grand Valley State University today with my daughter, Amanda, since that is where she's off to this fall. I had been to the campus a few times, but never had received the tour. Not only that, the college is constantly changing and growing since it is the fastest growing public university in Michigan, with some 25,000 students enrolled this year.
As a teen, Amanda is in a constant state of transition, of course. She's continually growing and expanding her horizons, and I'm excited for her and all the things she has yet to experience. It's also scary, since there are many unknowns as well. But I am confident in her and for her because of the solid base she already has in terms of her maturity, her relationships, and her faith. She has plenty of growth ahead of her, and I hope that GVSU is a great place for her to realize her full potential.
While driving back from the campus, we talked about what she'd like to do. As I've mentioned before, she's considering communications as a career and that's pretty much the only brochure she picked up on the way out of the Student Services building. That said, she's going in "undecided," as I think she should, because until she is on campus and in classes and expanding her horizons a little, she won't know what she doesn't know. But when she does find something that excites her, watch out world!
Our business is in transformation, as has been blogged about countless times already. The reality is that our business has always been transitioning since it started, whether that be through new products or new people or new markets or new processes or new business systems and tools. I guess it would be more accurate to say that we are trying to create a broader business transformation that results in more people making more money sooner in our business. That transformation should not affect the solid base we're built upon. That base has been articulated over the years as the "Founders' Fundamentals." The way Amway does business was defined from the beginning by its founders, Rich DeVos and the late Jay Van Andel, and those ethical and operational standards continue to guide the second-generation of the Van Andel and DeVos families as they lead the business today.
If you ever visit us in Ada, Mich., you would see the founding principles carved in stone outside Amway's World Headquarters. They say: Amway will always support the fundamental FREEDOM of people to determine their own future, allowing them the time and resources to protect and nurture their FAMILY. In addition, Amway will always offer HOPE to individuals and the opportunity to receive REWARD in proportion to their efforts.
Freedom, family, hope and reward are words that have been bandied about this company for decades. For some they have more meaning than others. They should be reviewed by all in our business on a fairly regular basis so that we can be reminded of what we're truly all about.