Today’s changes are no more or less dramatic than yesterday’s
February 13, 2013
Over the past couple of years, there has been a lot written about how the secure destruction industry has been changing, including how the market has matured, how customers’ behaviors are evolving, and how regulatory challenges and opportunities are increasing.
Often comments like these imply that before these changes happened, things were pretty static, almost as if the current market is now moving away from a status quo. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The secure destruction industry has been in a state of constant and dramatic change for a long as I can remember. Status quo has never existed. And, I seriously doubt a status quo has ever existed for any business.
As another NAID conference approaches, I remembered how every year someone on the conference committee suggests “change” as the theme for the event. Why? Because the reality is things are always changing. For those who are attentive and nimble, this is actually great news. Nowhere is the phrase “you snooze, you lose” more applicable.
So, the next time I find myself about to profoundly say “the industry is really changing,” hopefully I catch myself. Yes, it is changing, but it’s been changing all along at every point. It’s like making an observation that the sun rose this morning. Our job is to understand and get ahead of those inevitable changes.