A successful Annual Meeting of the Membership was held on April 23. A major focus of my report was culture, which is such an important part of who we are as an organization and why we strive to be better every day for our customers, and also to enjoy where we work. “The Nex-Tech Way” was developed to wrap our core values together and define our culture. Guest speaker Mike Brigman, President of the Kansas Fiber Network, shared how his organization is growing and evolving to serve its membership of 29 independent telcos in Kansas. Then, Jacque Beckman spoke about a new program under Nex-Generation Round-Up For Youth called Young AmeriTowne. This program teaches youth how to manage finances and how the economy of a town runs. After completing a classroom curriculum, the young people run a "life-like Towne" for a day.  Jacque shared the AmeriTowne construction at the former Lenora High School building, and an Open House was held after the meeting. 

This year, the summer school break is noticeably different in my home as my oldest daughter graduated from high school. The next step in her life is filled with excitement and maybe a little bit of anxiety. In many ways, I see this same dynamic in play with any significant change. Earlier, I reflected on culture, which I feel is so important to help mitigate the anxiety in change. Our organization, like many other companies, is in a time of great change. As customer demands change and technology evolves, we must make changes to assist the evolution of our business to meet customer needs. If your organization has a weak culture, changes can be extremely destructive, but if you have a strong culture, with trust as the primary foundation, the changes aren’t nearly so scary.

Interestingly enough, this dynamic of excitement and anxiety recently came into play at Nex-Tech.  Utilizing new technology, we upgraded some systems, which I admit caused me some anxiety. (I believe I was not alone.) Prior to the transition, I had to have faith in my team that they worked through the processes to ensure the change was necessary and would positively impact our operations. Then, on transition day, I held my breath and dove into the new “normal”… Was it completely smooth? Well, I had to re-adjust how I had done some things in the past and ask some questions, but, in a short time, the anxiety washed away, and I was able to fully embrace the change.

I am fortunate to have a great team at Nex-Tech to help me through transitions. You, also, have the Nex-Tech Team to help you navigate technology changes. Check out our website or give us a call. One of our great team members will be happy to assist you!

Warmest regards,