Twins Talk Tech Leadership

Episode 87: Architect the Vision of a Great Channel

The combination of having to navigate the ever-changing tech landscape with buying behavior preferences is transforming how organizations go to market. Trends reveal the importance of being able to engage your channel partners and develop a thriving channel community.Jeffrey Taylor, Channel Strategy Leader at Lenovo lends his experience with building and supporting an innovative channel strategy and global partner ecosystem. Highlights include:Over 80% of Lenovo’s revenue globally goes through the channel.A focus on developing the Channel led to Lenovo 360, a framework built around the 3 Pillars of ‘Enable, Connect, & Grow.’Creation of learning paths and certifications, with 38,000 new certifications in 2023.Soon to launch their Lenovo 360 for MSPs and the importance of Lenovo TruScale.Listening to the partner and adapting to support their journey.Importance of storytelling and crafting the right narrative to create personal connection.Jeffrey’s book, ‘Bigger Than The Widget: Building Meaningful Customer Relationships By Going Beyond Your Product’ and the connection to the V Foundation.To learn more about Jeffrey, connect with him on LinkedIn or grab him at an upcoming Conference. Also visit lenovo.com to learn more about the partner community. Don’t forget to pick up his book on Amazon and other book distributors.

Episode 86: Building the Community

No matter where you are on your growth journey, you can benefit from a community with like minded leaders and organizations. Specialized communities can help accelerate growth and increase networking and educational opportunities. Nancy Henriquez, Head of US Community with SuperOps speaks to the benefits for leaders and organizations who align themselves with a growing community. SuperOps is an AI-powered unified PSA-RMM platform for MSPs.Highlights include:Highs and lows of her leadership journey, including how being in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program fueled her growth.A success story about consolidation, savings and being in a better position to serve clients.Partnership with Pax8.Community resources including podcasts, forums and summits to provide education and networking.Importance of personal development as a leader. Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn and visit superops.com/ and superops.com/demo?src=appmeetup for a free demo.

Episode 85: Insights and Stories Within the Data

When you think about the future and growth of technology, start by looking at the numbers. The data reflects a more agile, faster and consumer centric approach to winning. What do the latest trends and data say about your business? What does it mean for how you should approach the market? We are thrilled to highlight our partnership with lenovo with a special series, beginning with our friend Jay McBain, Chief Analyst for global channels at Canalys, a leading global technology market analyst firm with a distinct focus on channels, partnerships, alliances, and ecosystems. Highlights include:Data and more data, reflecting the growth of technology.The global economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $105 trillion with Tech and Telco making up 5%.Cyber Security and Managed Services growing at 12%, with Managed Security at 15%.Gen AI $158 Billion."One thing has always been constant. Where there's mystery, there's margin"Lenovo awarded ‘Champion’ Status in Canalys Global Sustainable Ecosystems Leadership Matrix. Importance of exposing the world to his children and juggling travel schedules with Michelle.Stay tuned for more content around our new partnership with Lenovo and make sure you are connected with Jay for his blogs and insights surrounding the IT industry, channel management, and some of his own life. Visit canalys.com/insights and jaymcbain.com/

Episode 84: Project the Right Image

When was the last time you thought about the impact of your organization’s brand? What about your own image? A strong brand and image builds trust and can leave a memorable impression; an impression that lends to what can be expected. This type of reputation translates into value. Lisa Shorr shares why it is important within the tech sector to know the strength of your brand. Lisa is a Speaker, Corporate Brand & Image Consultant and Owner of Secure Future Tech Solutions. Highlights include:Her journey into technology and becoming an image consultant.Shorr to Shine System as a framework.B.R.A.N.D. Method which led to her soon to be released book, Your B.R.A.N.D; Unleashed. B.R.A.N.D stands for:B – Professional BehaviorsR – Respect yourself, your corporate brand and your client’s brandA – The Power of your Appearance N – Effective Networking D – Dynamic Dialogue Consistency is key and you have to set yourself apart from the “sea of sameness.”The need for more female role models and allies. "It's important to have that empathetic view of what it means to be a woman in tech."Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn and visit shorrsuccess.com to stay connected with her work and to sign up for information about her book release. For our listening audience, Lisa is offering a free report on how your company image could be costing your MSP money (shorrsuccess.com/msp-free-report/)

Episode 83: Inspire Your Team to Exceed Goals

What's the recipe for building a winning team? As a leader, how can you inspire and bring the very best out of your team? We’re not talking about just hitting goals, but surpassing them.No one wants to believe that their contributions are not being noticed or appreciated. They want to know that their knowledge, experience and skills are relevant, valued and necessary to the overall success of the organization. They want to be engaged, motivated and inspired!Whether you're a seasoned manager, executive or relatively new to leadership, here are Five Ways you can engage and inspire your team:1. Set Clear Goals2. Encourage Autonomy3. Provide Learning Opportunities4. Reward System5. Share Positive FeedbackGoals not only need to be set, they must also be clear and understood by every team member. Autonomy fosters the spirit of ownership & responsibilityWhen the budget gets tight, avoid the temptation to cut training and learning programsNot all want to receive recognition the same way. Learn what motivates and encourages them. Reward system helps them to feel appreciated, work harder and strive for excellenceFeedback Loop with constructive feedbackAsk about how we can support your learning and growth initiatives with our resources and Mercury Platform.

Episode 82: Innovation, Integration & Automation

Does your organization have a strategy for technology integration and how can this be integral to achieving superior productivity goals? What should you know before adoption and how can these tools help to optimize operations, enhance decision-making, and personalize customer experiences?David Wright, Covenant Global’s SVP of Global Strategy shares his thoughts on the importance of developing an AI and Data Governance Strategy. Covenant Global is a woman-owned technology consulting firm that empowers organizations to excel in the digital age with comprehensive cloud technology, cybersecurity, and compliance solutions.Some of the highlights include:Leveraging AI Tools like Microsoft CoPilot can become a force multiplier, automating repetitive tasks and facilitating smoother workflows.Developing an AI Strategy considering factors including desired outcomes, current skill level, necessary training and data readiness.How he presents his company, 'It’s all about value.'Interesting places he has lived.Lessons learned from leaders including Barbara CorcoranConnect with David on LinkedIn and visit covenant.global/ to learn more about how Covenant Global can become a great partner in your integration and adoption strategy. David is also sharing a free Copilot Readiness Assessment for our listening audience: covenant.global/services/copilot/

Episode 81: Foundational Impact

A strong foundation sets the stage for sustainable growth. Paramount to building a successful organization also requires perspective, grit and being able to align with the right partnerships. Lucas Diaz, CEO of Ludia Consulting shares how clarity of purpose, market and partnerships can lead to incredible results. Ludia Consulting is a minority-owned Microsoft Dynamics partner serving clients in industries including oil & gas energy, manufacturing, and professional services.Highlights include:Building upon a family heritage.Impact of AI and technology, technical debt and elevating underserved communities.Partnerships with AppMeetup and Microsoft helped to bring clarity, including their ICP. 'Have a 100% reference ability rate' as a result of their focus on 'value, trust and communication.'Upcoming special announcement with Microsoft and the launch of Ludia TV.Connect with Lucas on LinkedIn and visit ludiaconsulting.com/

Episode 80: Securing and Assuring with Compliance

A major component and factor to successfully work with the government lies with ensuring that you are compliant with the latest regulations and requirements. Why is this verification component so important? John Igbokwe, CEO of TechAxia, a cybersecurity compliance services firm, talks about the value of being a specialist; able to fully assess your cybersecurity posture, implementing best practices, and providing ongoing support and maintenance.Highlights include:Having a partner you can trust to ensure you are CMMC compliant, achieving your CMMC certification.Challenges that they faced as an organization; and being able to make the transition from working in the business to working on the business.Testimonials that help validate the importance of their work.Their commitment to providing resources for the sector, including a free mini course, which is a part of their CMC Learning Series.Their experience with AppMeetup and the Microsoft BPGI Program: 'Transformational'Working with his spouse.Recent launch of their 'Microsoft 365 Fast Track' programConnect with John on LinkedIn and visit techaxia.com/ to learn more and to gain access to resources as well as their 'Microsoft Exchange Best Practice Checklist.'

Episode 79: Building From the Clients’ Perspective

What does it mean to build with the client in mind? You can always do more discovery, be more customer-centric, and learn from those who are integrating and using your solution set. Greg Celmainis, COO & VP of Corporate Development with MSP Process shares about their success from understanding the needs of their clients; the needs of the MSPs that they support. MSP Process partners with the best-of-breed MSP industry tools to provide leading service desk automation tools.Highlights include:Greg’s leadership journey and the beginning of MSP Process.Recognition for the impact MSP Process is having within the community.Expectations from being at IT Nation Secure and this equating to 'touchpoints.'Importance of truly understanding your clients.Authentication and potential vocal and facial recognition threats.His hobbies and love for British Columbia, Canada.Connect with Greg on LinkedIn and visit mspprocess.com/ to schedule your demo.

Episode 78: A Strategic Marketing Partner

Having a strategic partner who understands your industry can be a true game changer; especially if your sector is all that they focus on. Brian Kensky, Growth Consultant with Marketopia shares how having tech channel expertise can factor into a successful marketing strategy. Marketopia is driven to help MSPs and vendors grow with branding awareness and marketing strategy, lead generation services and sales enablement solutions.Some of the key takeaways:What led Brian to the tech sector.What sets Marketopia apart - they are focused only on MSPs.Providing resources for the community, including their ‘Tech Trends Video Library.’What he hopes to gain from the IT Nation Secure Conference.Importance of family and his hobby of 'retro video game collecting'Connect with Brian on LinkedIn and book a free growth consultation by visiting marketopia.com/