Many times, the change that really rocks a company and possibly threatens its existence is change that comes from without, from the world beyond your company. This is the kind of change that happened when cars displaced the horse and buggy, when television hit and killed small town theaters,when word processors killed the typewriter, then computers pounded word processors. The Internet , like television , has accelerated change, so it's vital to keep up with the larger world. Keeping up with local, national and international news and thinking through how they impact your field and your particular business and profit relationships will help. Staying on top of news from your professional journals and organizations is a must.

Networking, however, may be the most efficient way to really understand the impact of events happening in business because you receive and share the distilled expertise of someone knowledgable in her field. Your networking should include not only your own field, but related fields which have an impact on yours: buyers, suppliers, advertisers, bankers.

And , if you are a proficient Networker you will have sufficient information, resources and contacts to constantly re-invent yourself and your company according to what the world needs today. Large city cinema theaters reinvented themselves by showing a type of product television didn't offer and realizing they could establish a strong profit center selling popcorn and candy.

Yesterday the world wanted buggy whips, today it's microchips, but we all need to keep an eye on tomorrow.