LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Lead , Follow , Or Get Out Of The Way
Here ’ s a question I often get from new clients : If you had to go back and do everything all over again , what would you do differently ? Candidly , not much . Things have worked out . However , one of the most important things I willfully failed to learn that dramatically slowed down the growth of my organization and was the single source of stress was NOT knowing how to recruit , manage , and build a team of rock stars .
Roll back to 15 years ago , and my firm belief was that they “ all go lame .” When you say that to small-business owners , they all nod in agreement , sharing their tales of woe about how it ’ s so damned hard to find someone who will just “ show up and do their job .” They ALL show up late and leave early , screw things up , miss deadlines , miss goals , make HUGE , dumb mistakes , and are a general source of angst .
And because of that horrible belief , fueled by nothing but my own inadequacies around hiring , managing , and leading people , I paid for it in multiple ways . Today , I wouldn ’ t say I ’ m excellent at managing people ( it ’ s always safer to assume you suck ), but I ’ m a heck of a lot better than I used to be , and I have a much more productive and mature approach to leading a company .
That ’ s why I strongly encourage you to read this month ’ s cover story about Jeff Hoffman , serial entrepreneur , inventor , and founder of companies like Priceline . com . When he spoke to our Producers Club members this past January , his message on how to build ( and scale ) a business was mostly about this topic — hiring and leading a team of rock stars .
Now more than ever , it ’ s critical to focus time and attention on recruiting and leading the ones you ’ ve got . The “ Great Resignation ” is , I believe , a half-truth manufactured by the media . Yes , many of the low-wage workers are opting to not work . Some because they are getting government handouts . Some because they are older part-time workers truly afraid of COVID-19 . But you and I are not running a restaurant with minimum-wage people . WE are running high-margin professional services businesses . In that world , the battle for talent has always been a factor .
Jeff Hoffman , Serial Entrepreneur , Speaker , And Part Of Well-Known Successful Startups , Like Priceline . com , Presenting On Stage At Our 2022 Q1 Producers Club Meeting
Founder And CEO , Technology Marketing Toolkit , Inc .
Like it or not , your IT business IS about the people you hire — and the lack of leadership of the people in any organization is a surefire path to failure in performance and service , both for clients and for you , the owner . You cannot get inspired results from uninspired people who are allowed to show up and behave like “ free-range chickens ,” where there are no clear goals , systems , processes , or training , and no measurements and accountability for work performance .
You have to really know that truth and embrace it — yet I routinely hear from MSPs who are trying to grow through marketing who are NOT leading their organization . They have ZERO position scorecards , KPIs , quotas , and standards for work . If you are serious about growing AND delivering services you can take pride in , you must get a handle on being a REAL leader in your organization . Take ownership of the direction and goals — ownership of how people perform , ensuring you ’ ve given your team clear targets and KPIs to hit , clear standards , clear systems and processes — then INSPIRE them to perform . As part of this month ’ s issue , we ’ re posting a portion of Jeff Hoffman ’ s session so it can reawaken the entrepreneur in you . Trust me when I say leading people and growing a business are simply a set of skills that can be learned . If someone like me , who was totally and completely anti-employees , can overcome the head trash and shortcomings I had , you can , too . And surprisingly , once you learn the skills , it ’ s no longer the chore you think it to be now .
To see a valuable snippet from Jeff Hoffman ’ s talk about scaling and building a world-class team , go to MSPSuccessMagazine . com / Hoffman . n
4 | MSPSuccessMagazine . com • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3