4 Takeaways for Building Leadership from IT Nation Evolve
Last week, Axcient took part in the first quarterly IT Nation Evolve meeting of 2020 as a Diamond sponsor. I had the pleasure of participating in the Solutions Partner Peer Group. This vendor-specific peer group is designed to emulate the groups our MSP partners regularly engage with. The focus of last week’s meetings was building leadership, both personally and professionally. Here are my 4 takeaways for MSPs:
1. Find your why
Why are you in business? What inspires you to build your business? What is your ultimate goal? What is important in your life? These questions may be deep, but asking yourself to find the answers will clarify your motivation. Once you discover why you’re a business owner and a technology service provider, you can better develop your goals. Use this as a way to align those goals with your business vision and growth potential.
2. Build relationships
One of the biggest benefits of a peer group is the peer component. Develop meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with your peers by allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Many areas of professional and personal life are discussed openly in these meetings, so you’ll get the most out of it when you let your guard down. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone where reflection and true growth are possible.
3. Accountability
One of the central pillars of the Evolve community, and an essential part of building leadership, is accountability. Hold yourself and your teammates responsible for actionable items as well as goals. As a business owner, your time is valuable and it’s hard to move your business forward when you’re constantly putting out fires. Utilize planning techniques and regularly check-in with yourself to both highlight successes, and to identify things you can improve. You can even lean on those peer relationships you develop for another layer of reciprocal accountability.
4. Ask for help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your peers and your vendors. A large part of these meeting are dedicated to talking about things you might need help with, or that are weighing on your mind. Take advantage of this time. Another great way to get help is by leveraging your relationship with your vendors. For example, build a relationship with your partner success manager and call them when you need sales and marketing ideas or want to discuss growth plans. Vendors typically have the advantage of experience with established corporate cultures. They might have some insider tricks or a unique perspective that could help your business tremendously.
Networking and getting involved with the channel community is one of the best ways to learn and grow your business. Hold yourself accountable for actionable items and build strong relationships with your fellow MSPs. Asking yourself the tough, deep questions and reaching out for help from vendors and your network can have a big impact on the growth of your business. I hope you find these takeaways useful and valuable to your MSP!
About the Author:
Kaitlyn Langer // Community Marketing Manager
Kaitlyn Langer began her career in technology with Axcient (then eFolder) in 2014. As the Community Marketing Manager, Kaitlyn has been instrumental in building the Axcient partner community and contributing directly to sales pipeline. She is responsible for strategically planning and executing all channel field and community marketing initiatives that drive direct interaction and engagement with the partner community. When not traveling, Kaitlyn enjoys hiking, cooking and a glass of good wine.