IBM 2000 Annual Report Download - page 12

page no.
ten
chairman’s foreword
created a network of Business Innovation Centers,
offering customers everything from front-end Web
design to the heavy lifting at the back end. And just
as important, we have built a field force that includes
thousands of experienced industry specialists — many
of them former professionals in their respective
domains, from manufacturing to consumer prod-
ucts, from health care to government.
* * *
When I look back on the past five years, I think
that, for a lot of people, the “e” in e-business came
to mean “easy” or “escape” — e-business represented
a kind of magical way of avoiding everything tradi-
tionally associated with “business.” All the planning.
All the process. All the relationship building. All
the checks and cross-checks and safeguards. Boring
stuff like accounting. Gut-wrenching stuff like
accountability and responsible public policy. The
magic “e” seemed to offer the prospect of leapfrog-
ging right over all that, achieving wealth overnight —
in a sprint, rather than a marathon.
Some of us, though, actually enjoy business. We
enjoy the competition. Our adrenaline kicks in at
the prospect of a long-distance race. We accept —
we relish — the pragmatic, tactical, roll-up-your-
sleeves-and-dive-in aspects of planning, and
process creation, and management systems. It
doesn’t feel boring. It feels like building some-
thing important and significant.
The soaring fantasies of the era we’re now leaving
were, perhaps, inevitable — and, in their own way,
inspiring. Big shifts in history usually begin with a
romantic revolution. Whenever people set out for
the unknown, they do so in a spirit of adventure.
But, when they arrive there, they put down roots.
They build something that lasts.
So arguably, the most striking thing about this
moment in e-business’s short, eventful life is the
people who are now at the front of the march. The
era we’re now entering calls for a new breed of
adventurer. The veterans have joined the crusade —
with vigor. Indeed, we’ve never felt so energized. In
the pages that follow, we hope to communicate our
excitement about what we are doing.
For me personally, I experience this time with a
mixture of satisfaction, confidence and hope.
Satisfaction at IBM having stuck to its guns — and
gotten things pretty much right. Confidence in
our ability going forward to deliver on our promise,
and to deliver on our customers’ needs. And hope
about the genuinely transformative future that is
opening up before all of us — businesses, schools,
governments, entire societies.
And there’s something else, too. This is fun. I find
myself relishing this work as never before. There’s
simply nothing like working as hard as you can with
an extraordinary group of people to hit your targets,
to prove yourself against tough odds, to build some-
thing entirely new, even to change the world. For
me, it’s the most satisfying feeling there is.
We’d better not blink. These next couple of
years are going to go by in a flash.
* * *
I want to introduce two people to you who are
very important to the future of IBM.
•Sam Palmisano was named president, chief
operating officer and a director of IBM in
September. He has a stellar record of achievement
in the 27 years he has worked at IBM, including
stints as head of our services, PC and server busi-
nesses. His primary responsibility is making sure
that we execute well and that all our business units
work as one team. Our fourth quarter results are,
in part, evidence of Sam’s expertise.
•John Thompson, elected vice chairman and a
director in September, is responsible for research,
new business opportunities, new technology, new
directions. While everyone’s focused on the ball,
John is focused on the fences.
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer