Monday, July 26, 2010

CRN Power100 Women in IT

CRN released their list of the 100 most powerful women in IT. I am unsure of their criteria, but there are three that definitely belong on that list from HTS/HTG. I have been privileged to work with all of them closely and have experienced their excellence and solid leadership.

A month or so ago, HTG hosted our second CEO Forum in Denver and had Colleen Abdullah who is CEO of WOW as our speaker. She was dynamic and extremly engaging. One thing she said I have not forgotten was this: "If you want to succeed in the business world today, you need to have some strong women on the management team". May be paraphrased a bit, but the message was clear. The days are over of male dominance in the board room. It is time to leverage the current generation of female leaders and leverage their skills as part of a successful management team. I can validate that statement completely.

Connie Arentson has worked at HTS for some 15 years now. She began as a field engineer, quickly moved up to become service manager and held that role until June 2009 when she was elevated to the position of president at HTS. That is one of the best decisions I have ever made in running the company. Her passion to succeed and attention to detail has propelled us to growth even when the economy was down. We had to make some tough decisions last year, but it was done with grace and consideration for all our team, and no one lost their job as we consolidated some offices. I can honestly say that had a guy been sitting in that seat it probably would have looked different. Connie is a humble, steady leader who just gets it done but never forgets about the people and relationships that make HTS a success.

Jane Cage is the ultimate partner. She came to HTS as part of a merger back in late 2002 when her Connecting Point store joined SCCI to form HTS. There is no person I know on this planet who can do magic with data like she can. Our back office has been revolutionized by her ability to make numbers talk and sing together. She is the cautious part of our leadership team, and always asks the pesky questions like "why are we doing that"? But over the years (and I am not really saying this out loud) I have come to appreciate her caution and discipline even when it slows things down some. Jane has a heart of gold and knows most of the known world, and her experience and relationships have been a blessing to our company over the years.

Christy Sacco came to HTG to help us get events right. It didn't take long with me trying to manage details that I knew we had to have help and fast. (For some reason her picture is not in the slide show, but if you go to the entire list she shows up on the list on page 15). Christy is like a never ending bundle of energy. She makes me tired just watching her, and I am usually considered the maniac of getting things done. There isn't a detail she hasn't conquered and no problem that causes her to lose too much sleep. But her biggest attribute is she is an event planner extrordinaire because she understand the channel and partners very well. She is a relationship person who knows that first and foremost it is about people. Her experience and expertise have caused HTG to have awesome events ever since she came to us. And the real challenge is how to make it better in the future when she has already produced near perfection. Of course that is me speaking - she has a whole list of details to take us to the next level.

Bottom line is that HTS/HTG has three of the Power100 women in this industry. We are in pretty good company when you look at the list for other companies that can say that. Am I proud of these women? You bet I am, and blessed to work beside them every day. It takes fantastic people in the seats on the bus if you want to really hit it out of the park. We are blessed with these three, and a whole lot more on our team. You can only expect bigger and better things from HTS and HTG as we experience the power of teamwork. The best is yet to come because our management team (which also has some amazing men) is hitting on all cylinders.

Thanks to all who allow us to serve you or call you friends. It has been a great ride for the first 25 years, and we are just getting started. Connie, Jane and Christy - I am proud of all three of you and look forward to being kept in line for some time to come. When my bride enters this mix I am surrounded on every side with no where to run or hide. Guess I will just get back to work......

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

CEO and Entrepreneurship

This blog post is based on some great information shared on Harvard Business Review written by Stever Robbins. You can find the original post here. Mr. Robbins gives some great thoughts on the role of a CEO and particularly on success in that role as it relates to entrepreneurship. He focuses on the reality that most CEO's likely began their journey as an entrepreneur, and as such, need to do some things differently as they grow in their leadership responsibilities. Here are some of his thoughts:

"The CEO entrepreneur sets a company's vision and strategy. The vision is why the company exists in the first place. The strategy is how the company plans to do that, given the reality of the marketplace, the competitors, regulation, technology trends, etc. Strategy includes everything from designing the organizational structure to defining the business model to choosing partners for the venture.

Great entrepreneurs make strategic opportunities. Great entrepreneurs use research, prediction, and detailed plans. But rather than hope to discover an opportunity, they make their opportunities. They build an ecosystem of customers, employees, suppliers, and partners who all have a vested interest in the company doing well. They experiment and learn, continuously altering their strategy — and indeed, their entire vision — as needed for success.

CEOs need to spend regular time on strategy. Furthermore, great entrepreneurs regularly assess their resources, relationships, and partnerships. Rather than simply trying to align around a single long-term opportunity, they should think in terms of creating a market and altering their vision with them to build an ecosystem that's greater than the sum of its parts".

So boiling it all down I see it this way. Many of us began our companies as entrepreneurs. We went to market with a product or service. We built an ecosystem of customers, suppliers, employees etc. We started without a lot of planning in many cases. We have built something based on hard work and pure will power. But that only goes so far. It runs out of steam and we have to move to the next level as leaders - to become CEO's that focus on strategy and planning. We have to focus on relationships and the people so our ecosystem takes us to the next level. We basically have to grow up in our leadership style. How much time have you spent being CEO this week? It is important work. Are you making and taking time to fill that role?

Friday, July 16, 2010

WPC Day Four

What a week - and a very well done one at that. My hats off to the team that made this week possible - Pam, Julia, Deanna and all the rest. Been attending this event now for 8 years and this was hands down the best one ever. Hard to imagine it continuing to get better each year - but somehow it has and I am very thankful for the many hours and days and months that are put in to making the experience so valuable and enjoyable.

That really is a trick - making it valuable - but also keeping it enjoyable. There was lots of content this week - maybe a bit too much as there was really no way to figure out which of the hundreds of sessions to attend. I was involved in presenting in three, and the crowds were a bit light considering how many folks were in attendance. But having lots of choice was obvious and there was something available for everyone. If you didn't get value from the content - it was definitely your fault.

For me - the week is all about relationships. And it really is based around community. My week started actually ahead of the official open of WPC - with the SMB IPAB - a partner advisory board made up of folks worldwide who are focused on serving small business. We had a great day together tackling issues that are specific to our businesses. Danielle, Mark, Turi and team have given us a great community to be part of as we carry the torch for the SMB partners. I have grown to appreciate the partners in our group very much - and appreciate that community.

Each morning I had devotions with a group of partners and took some time to get out of the chaos to get grounded and focused on what matters. We have been doing devotions daily for the last three years, and while a small group of 10-12 show up, that community is critical to keeping me focused and on track all week. We shouldn't turn off our spiritual walk just because we leave the office. Besides - a 7AM devotional time keeps people from staying out too late!

Of course attending any conference is more fun when you know folks and are part of community together. I can honestly say that part of the reason I enjoy WPC so much is that I get to meet with fellow members of HTG who are all over the place. Our orange and green shirts make it pretty easy to find one another (except for the folks from the Netherlands who seem to like orange too). Had a couple great dinners with the HTG folks and enjoyed every interaction. But it is very different going to WPC today compared to 8 years ago when I knew no one. Those were some lonely days - but motivated me to become involved in community.

SBSC may not have been center stage this year - but definitely had a presence with the yellow lounge and other places. Lots of relationships from that community which are valuable and makes it easier to feel part of this mass of people moving around WPC. Those friendships may only be renewed once a year, but it is awesome to be part of that community. Hats off to those who helped keep SBSC through the MPN transistion. Community matters, and SBSC really has an important mission. Probably does need a bit of a facelift - but there is a passionate set of partners on that advisory council that are committed to help drive it to the next level.

Last but not least for me - is the Microsoft employee community. I am blessed to know literally hundreds of folks who go to work every day for Microsoft. And they are just plain good people. We talk some business - but in most of my conversations - we also talk some life. Often we partners forget that folks who work for Microsoft or any vendor for that matter - are not the enemy - they are folks just like us that are trying to make ends meet at the end of the month. They have personal struggles and fight the same battles we do. Rather than spend time beating on them for a few bucks or trying to drive a point of margin out of the deal - how about asking them how they and their family are doing? How about treating them like the real partner they are? We lose sight of why we are in business some days. For me anyway, it is not just about making another buck. It is about living life with folks in a way that adds value to their life. It is about understanding their problems and struggles and offering any help I can give. It is about being a go giver rather than a taker. All in all I find the Microsoft people to be wonderful folks that want the same things we all do - life, love and happiness. They aren't out to take advantage of anyone - they just want to do their job and pay their mortgage like you and me.

So WPC has been a wonderful week. It doesn't just happen and serving on the WPC PEB has been an eye opener for me this year. I have been blessed to be part of a community of partners and a Microsoft team that are passionate about delivering unbelievable value to all attendees. That really is the bottom line. This event - all 14,000 plus - is all about people. The WPC team gets that and works hard to meet every one of those attendee needs. But as attendees, we need to also be part of serving one another and making sure that everyone who attends is not alone, left out, or lost in the chaos. It is all about people and relationships. I hope everyone has made some new friends this week. I sure have, and look forward to connecting and then coming next year to participate in LA as part of an even bigger community! Thanks Microsoft - for an awesome week!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

WPC Day Three

The highlight of day three might surprise you - but it had nothing to do with former President Clinton speaking at the Verizon Center. In fact, I have to confess I didn't even go hear him. It happened between 7 and 8 AM at the Partners in Christ Prayer Breakfast where Amy Lucia, former Microsoft marketing guru for the US shared her life story with the room. Amy didn't share her story to tell all of us to quit what we are doing and find a new place to go to work. In fact, she was very clear that leaving Microsoft had nothing to do with Microsoft at all actually. It was all about God's call on her life, and her desire to walk in obedience to His leading.

God is in the business of calling and leading each of us. That is how He works. Through prayer, His Holy Scriptures in the Bible, and equally importantly - solitude with Him. We need to learn to slow down, stop and listen. In this rat race chaotic industry we are part of, solitude is a rare commodity. Many would say it doesn't even exist. But it does if we make it priority. If we put the need to seek God's voice ahead of rushing around - it can happen. That means no computer, no PDA, no email, no phone, no nothing - except quiet. Do you even know what that looks like? Many of us have never experienced it. We just rush through life and find out that we missed a turn somewhere back a ways. It doesn't have to be that way.

Amy talked about the need for life/work balance and how that wasn't happening at Microsoft. It is difficult in the business culture of the day. We are always pressing toward the next thing. We are always trying to climb the next step of the ladder or close that last deal. And as a result of our unwillingness (yes it is a choice we make) people around us suffer as do we ourselves. Families are in shambles because we make the wrong choice. We can justify it all day long - making more money to give you more stuff you really don't need - but doing it for you. Ever said that one? It is BS and we need to call it what it is - self centered driven behavior.

The reason this breakfast and the morning devotions we hold each day at WPC are so important is that it gives a break from the high speed full intensity experience of the week. There is no solitude anywhere in the WPC schedule. So we have to choose to make some. There is no solitude built into anyone's schedule unless we put it there. And that is key to our ability to discover what God's plan is for our lives. We will never stumble upon it. We have to seek it so we can find it. We have to make prayer and bible study part of our daily routine. It won't just fit in - we have to choose it over other things we could be doing. But when we do, God shows up. When we put Him first - great things happen.

Do you know what the purpose of your life is? Do you have a life plan? Or are you just running til you drop and hoping it all matters somehow? The odds are much higher if you put your focus on discovering the Master's plan and aligning with that. It takes work - hard work - to seek God and find out how your story fits into His Story. But it can be done, and I encourage you to make time to do it.

The IT industry has far too long been consumed with the activity of the technology. It is time to balance that with the meaningful things - the activity of life. Life has to trump work and business even though that is against everything we are taught and told. We can't check our faith at the door. It has to be core to who we are and how we live moment by moment. I know - I tried the other way for years and was frustrated and ineffective. Let God have control of your life. Put some balance back in place, and see where He leads you.

Henry Blackaby puts it this way in his book - "Experiencing God". "What our world often is seeing in our day is a devoted, committed Christian serving God. But, they are not seeing God. They comment on what we are doing, however they do not see anything happening that only can be explained in terms of the activity of God.

The world comes to know God when they see God’s nature expressed through His activity. When God starts to work, He accomplishes something that only He can do. If you or your church are not responding to God and attempting things that only He can accomplish, then you are not exercising faith.When you start to do what He tells you to do, He brings to pass what He has purposed
".



Does God see the world in the way you live? Do you see God at work? If not, time to start paying attention. He is at work. He wants us to join Him. Thanks Amy, for helping us see how that looks in real life!

WPC Day Two

So a bit of a departure on the topic today as I normally don't write about technology and certainly not products, but this one is really worth discussing. Change is coming to a small business near you - and we need to get ready and prepare for our entry into this brave new world of on premise and cloud services. Microsoft has built a product just for us - so here are some thoughts....

This week marks a transition for SMB partners with the announcement of Microsoft Small Business Server "Aurora." Aurora is targeting companies on the smaller end of SMB, while the regular Small Business Server product will grow beyond the limitation of 25 users. Aurora does not come with Exchange Server and SharePoint but serves as a basic domain controller giving small businesses a stable and reliable internal on premise networking environment. Key workloads like e-mail and document management can then be handled through the use of cloud services making the maintenance and administrative overhead that's a feature of the normal Small Business Server product go away. The result is a greatly simplified product that's ideal for organizations with little or no IT expertise.

One thing that cloud doesn't do so well is file serving or backup provisioning so Aurora includes extra features to help in this area: it includes the flexible, replicated storage capabilities and remote backup features found in Windows Home Server, which are fantastic. I personally use these in our home network and love the ability to automatically backup devices with no human interaction beyond setup. This will be the first time that Microsoft takes these features out of the home and puts them in the workplace.

Beta is only a little ways down the road, so be watching for the opportunity to check this product out. It is refreshing to see Microsoft bring a very targeted solution to the SMB channel. SBS is still a fantastic product, but doesn’t give as many options for this rapidly changing technology environment that now includes the cloud, which was but a dream when SBS was designed many years ago. Having a couple options in the under 25 user space gives partners the opportunity to do what we do best – to assess the client needs and then recommend the right solution to achieve the client goals.

There is no doubt that the cloud is going to move into the SMB space – it already has in a lot of instances - and this product gives partners a great entry point into that environment. The discussions among partners have been mixed but mostly positive. The fear is that we are introducing a low cost solution that will mean a lot less revenue to the partner. That is a fact – but the same fact that cloud in general will be bringing to a corner near each of us very soon. So we can’t dwell on that – we have to dwell on the new opportunities it brings along. Aurora will definitely allow us to place servers into clients that today can’t or won’t justify spending the money. It will be very cost effective and allow us to really penetrate a bigger target audience. That is very good.

Aurora will allow us to put our toe in the cloud water – not necessarily cannibalizing our current SBS customer base – but adding more clients to support and allow us to transition our business model and learn how to leverage the cloud for the future. We have to learn this somehow – and Aurora gives us a platform to make that happen. Change is coming to the SMB partner channel. We can either embrace it and leverage a fresh and valuable new product like Aurora or stick our heads in the sand and resist hoping it all passes by as a fad. I remember when some said the Internet would be a fad………haven’t seen them around this year!

Monday, July 12, 2010

WPC Day One

I am in Washington DC to attend the most important vendor event of the year - Microsoft's WPC. The attendance is touted at 14,000, and there certainly are a lot of folks here. Not bad considering the registration fee was $1795 for the four day event plus hotel and travel. For many, who come overseas for the week, this is a pricey event to attend. But it is worth every penny from my perspective. There is no other event one can attend where you can get access to as many people in one spot with a very well designed way to connect - called ironically WPC Connect. A decent web portal to create appointments and hundreds of tables that are assigned to enable people to connect the old fashioned way - communication between four eyes. In this day of social media, email, and cell phones - talking to one another face to face is sort of a treat. And the way I spend my week here is taking advantage of that very opportunity - making as many face to face, eyeball to eyeball, connections as I can fit in.

I have to admit I skip the keynote addresses - they are recorded and available online. Plus the bloggers, tweeters, and media do a great job letting me know what was said. I have gotten over the need to sit with 10,000 of my closest friends to watch demos and hear execs give a glimpse of the future. It is valuable information - I certainly don't ignore it - but from a time use perspective - I am going to use the time to be face to face with people.

Today's key messages can be defined in one word: CLOUD. Microsoft has been talking about the cloud for at least three or four years. It is coming, it is real, and I certainly don't believe we should stick our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist. It does and it will impact how we do business. Ballmer is quoted as saying: "We’ve been shouting about cloud for about four years but 2010 is the year when the opportunity and transition to the cloud is absolutely clear." The message has been coming for some time. Had we moved four years ago we would be doing something differently for a living right now. I agree it is slowly progressing. But it is still a very immature technology in terms of how it fits in a VAR business model.

My major question is how a partner who still makes a significant amount of margin from implementation of solutions including hardware and software sales can make the transition. I am yet to see how we can take our 16M business - about half of the margin coming from selling hardware, and half from managed and project services - and generate that on 6% BPOS margins. Do you know how many $10 per user sales at 6% margin it takes to generate the replacement margin to keep our company in business? It is millions of users. Sure in three years we are all good. I can do the math and see that there is a point at which the cloud model actually becomes more profitable. But how do I make payroll for the three year transiton? Do I just stop doing payroll while we make the change? When I checked last with my staff if they love coming to work enough to come if I stop paying them - the answer was no.

Any time there is a disruptive technology it creates opportunity. That has been the case the dozens of times we have re-engineered our companies as VAR's over the past few decades. And it has been the history of our industry - we will again find a way to make the transition and stay relevant and in business. But it isn't going to be a shift from our current state to a new world of cloud overnight. There are lots of reasons that doesn't even work technologically, let alone financially. So the hype is a bit over the top. VAR's own the last mile of the customer relationship. VAR's will decide when the transition to cloud occurs in the SMB. The real need to move this along is to create transition models that enable VAR's to create business models that enable that transition. New technical skills, a need to become sales organizations, marketing and pipeline growth, and many other areas have to be addressed for us to make that change.

So thanks for continuing to push us along Microsoft. We are moving, not at your speed probably, but the more you help us figure out how to transition successfully, the faster we will embrace the model and make cloud the thing 2o1o is remembered for.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Weekend on the Farm III

This was first sent out in the July 1 HTG newsletter - but it is such an important topic I wanted to share it broader.....

On June 25-27, Nancy and I hosted our third annual Weekend on the Farm which is a leadership training session with a spiritual bent. We do this event for people that get my daily email update each morning on life and my study of scripture. (If you want to be added to that list just send me an email requesting addition to the distribution list) Our first event focused on the book "The Go Giver" and last year we studied "Lead Like Jesus". This year – our instruction came from the pages of the Bible as we learned lessons on leadership from Nehemiah. He may have lived nearly 2500 years ago, but as is often the case, there are a lot of similarities to what he dealt with when compared to being a business leader today.

We had several HTG members who served as teachers this weekend, and we covered topics around preparing to lead, planning, motivating people, organizing a project, handling opposition, dealing with conflict, achieving and maintaining success and a few other areas. There were many gems from the weekend teaching that hit me right between the eyes, but I want to share a couple that I think really are worth considering.

Steve Bender, who runs InHouse IT in Orange County, a company of about 70 employees that delivers managed services to their clients, was the guy we had tasked with putting a bow on all the things we had heard. He shared a couple very insightful thoughts:

Lesson #1 – nothing happens until somebody steps up to lead

Think about that. It is really the way things are. A lot of people have great ideas, can dream big plans, come up with fantastic ways to do marvelous things – but until someone steps up and leads – it is just theory and empty words. It really defines our motto that "Vision without execution is hallucination". Ideas without leadership are simply that – hallucination. You see it all around your patch every day. On community boards, church committees, school events – we have lots of people with ideas and very few who step up to do something about them. And sometimes we have that disease in our own company. We attend conference after conference and feverishly take notes to bring back and simply put them in a file or maybe even talk about them with our staff, but we don't step up to lead and make sure they get done. Do you ever have that happen in your world?

We may go the next step and dump them on someone else's plate to do for us. Often we give them some cryptic idea we jotted down and say "just do it" without investing the time to explain the "why" to them. That creates a bit of a dilemma for our people, because they didn't hear the presentation we got the idea from so have no context. They are supposed to figure it out via some form of osmosis since we passed it to them. Leadership doesn't dump and run on anyone. It means we clearly define the "why" and then lay out the how, what, when, where and who. If you simply drop it on their laps – well no wonder they don't like you going to HTG meetings. There is no way they can succeed. That is a very good reason to bring a key leader with you – so they understand the context of the ideas and best practices before they are asked to execute.

Lesson #2 – leadership doesn't stop when we go out the door from the office

So I am about to stomp on your toes here. Mine are currently all broken after Steve jumped on them this weekend. For some strange reason we are able to lead effectively in the office but once we leave – we go on autopilot and stop providing that leadership. A leader does one thing continually – they lead. That skill is not tied to your desk at work. It is a gift that you have been wired with that needs to follow you in every interaction and relationship you have. I know all the excuses – heck I use them myself. Too tired, just want to get away from dealing with people, somebody else should do it for a change, I need some space, and my calendar is too full and on it goes. I am currently throwing the BS flag at you. Leadership does not stop at the door. In fact, there is always a need for leaders to lead.

The first place we should lead is at home. Life-work balance requires leadership. Things will take over our time and destroy our balance unless we lead. That is a fact you can see just by looking in the mirror. If you don't prepare and plan – you will be overwhelmed by work and feel like you have no options other than spending 18 hours a day doing a job you can never finish. Your spouse and kids need a leader. Families disintegrate because leaders don't lead. This isn't about being the "boss" at home. Real leadership is about serving others. Real leaders put other people's needs first. Your family needs you to be that kind of a leader. No one else is going to do it. If you don't lead, nothing happens. So start at home.

The world is filled with committees and groups that waste tens of thousands or millions of man hours floundering around because leaders are content to just sit there and watch it happen. It would be too much to take responsibility to lead this group or that committee is what we think. After all, I am worn out from my leadership at work. BS! We don't lead because we get lazy. We aren't willing to make a commitment to the mission of the project or group, but we are willing to waste our time being part of a non-functional team. C'mon – if you have time to be part of something you need to step up and lead. Nothing happens until someone provides leadership.

Churches – like many groups – today often flounder around because members aren’t willing to make commitments. Most are filled with successful people that get up Monday through Friday and go to work and lead successful businesses. But when they walk through the doors of their local church or synagogue, somehow they forgot everything they know and use all week. This is not how you make a true difference. We need to put the effort into leading at church at least equal to what we do in the workplace.

Organizations like HTG struggle with leadership too. We are comprised of 250 successful entrepreneurial leaders. You would think we would never lack for a willing leader to step up . . . but we do. Members cut corners in getting their preparations ready for the meetings and posted so the group can be effective. We struggle to get members to step up to be part of a champ program for our platinum vendors. Members cut out of their group meetings early for personal convenience leaving the rest of their group hampered by their lack of input. If there is anyplace I would expect there to be an abundance of leaders – well it would be HTG. We need to set that standard high and hold each other to it. One area all leaders need to be is accountable. That example is critical if we are going to lead effectively.

Are you really a leader – because leadership is a full time gig. Not just 8-5 Monday through Friday. Leaders lead in life and community too. Don't miss that very important lesson. There is no question that by being a leader 24/7/365 you will be part of a very elite club. Few do it that way, but it is the only way to truly be effective. People want to follow someone who leads all the time, not just when they are watching. Don't make the mistake of being a part time leader. It will only disappoint your followers, and soon you will look back and wonder where they all went!