Storage Executive Commentary
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Ask The Consultant: How To Have One-To-One Meetings That Matter To Your IT Solutions Provider Team
7/30/2015
In business, we often talk about mission, vision, and values to our teams and the importance of ongoing discussions and communications around those major themes.
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Just Own It: Can Self-Leadership Work In Your IT Solutions Provider?
7/28/2015
In the ultimate move toward self-leadership in the workplace, Zappos (among others) recently announced they were eliminating managers in an effort to keep things less corporate. In a movement called holacracy, teams are expected to know what needs to get done and do it, focusing on the relationships rather than the individual to meet objectives.
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3 Things Small Businesses Want From Their IT Providers
7/28/2015
The IT services market is a unique one, and the SMB niche within it is even further refined. Small and medium-sized businesses have far fewer resources (and minimal manpower) when compared to their enterprise counterparts — and traditionally, these restrictions have prevented smaller organizations from gaining access to emerging technologies and infrastructure solutions.
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Disaster Strikes: 3 Critical Factors That Should Be A Part Of A Recovery Plan
7/27/2015
In the darkest days after a tornado in early May damaged 30 percent of Van, Texas, (a city outside of Dallas) residents were provided some relief when the Van High School “Vandals” baseball team beat North Lamar High School to go on to the state semifinals for the first time in program history.
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What IT Solutions Providers Need To Know About Bitcoins And Cryptocurrency
7/24/2015
Bitcoins are a form of cryptocurrency, meaning they do not have a physical representation. Instead they are stored in an online exchange in anonymous wallets. They can be transferred anywhere in the world via the Internet. They can be paid from anywhere, to anywhere with total anonymity. The long and short of it is: They are the ideal form of payment for illicit activities and hackers.
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What To Consider When Planning Your Business Exit Strategy, Part I
7/24/2015
One of the areas I spend considerable time on is helping business owners prepare for and then complete an exit from the business they often founded and have worked in for decades. Let’s get one thing straight: It is a big deal for an entrepreneurial owner to exit his or her business. In fact, it is a very big deal. The saddest call I receive comes from a small business owner that has worked in their company for decades. It was their creation, and they have poured sweat and blood into building it to where it is today.
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Leadership Lessons Learned By A Systems Integrator On A 7,500-Mile Rally To Mongolia
7/22/2015
The most important leadership lessons come from the least likely scenarios. I’ve found this to be true throughout my career as an entrepreneur and executive, and it’s part of the reason I’ll spend a few weeks this summer driving thousands of miles across Europe in a tiny car I rescued from the scrap heap.
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The Best Business Advice: Don’t Worry About What Other People Think
7/15/2015
I grew up in a family where advice was flowing most of the time, whether solicited or not. My dad was always providing his perspective on life and all things happening around us. For a lot of years, I really didn’t appreciate it so much. But as I grew older and actually began to listen to what he said, it suddenly became a lot more relevant. Now that he’s gone especially, I recognize the brilliance of much of what he shared and wish he were still here as I know I have more to learn.
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The Transition From Entrepreneur To Leader (Part 2): Multiply Influence by Maximizing Engagement
7/13/2015
In a previous blog post entitled “The Transition from Entrepreneur to Leader,” I wrote that without a doubt the biggest challenges most small businesses face revolve around people in the key areas of leadership (the people at the top) and employees (the people who do the work). In this installment I want to write about people and what we as leaders need to do to ensure we maximize engagement for the people on our teams.
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IT Solutions Providers: Shhh, Here’s The Secret Behind Every Great Social Media Strategy
7/10/2015
Somewhere along the line, someone in your organization probably said, “Hey, we need to get on social media!” So maybe someone set up a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and LinkedIn profile.