Fifty years ago , America had General Motors and Alfred P. Sloan. One CEO—one decision-maker. “If you do it right 51 percent of the time you, will end up a hero.”
Today , America has Zappos and Tony Hsieh. One CEO—millions of decision makers. “Customer service shouldn’t be just a department, it should be the entire company.”

Forty years ago , news seekers had Walter Cronkite.
Today , they have more than 100 million independent blogs.

Thirty years ago , potential customers had interruptive TV and radio commercials.
Today, they have brands competing to deliver free trials and no-strings-attached value.

Twenty years ago , leaders couldn’t communicate with audiences after leaving the podium.
Today, they can use social networks and blogs to stay completely connected.

Ten years ago , customers had toll-free, voice-automated complaint departments.
Today, they have live-chat and real-time access to companies on Twitter.

Yesterday , the old ways of doing things were going away.
Today , they’re gone.

2010 is more than the first year in a new decade. It marks the end...