Newsletter 1.3 — The Importance of Leadership in Your MSP

Welcome to issue #3 of my MSP newsletter. I’ve been thinking about the format of the newsletter and have realized that it’s a bit more like a blog post emailed out than a “true” newsletter. That said, I think the content so far has been valuable, so I plan to keep the format similar moving forward. If you have ideas or requests please let me know. Otherwise, I’m trusting my gut.

I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership recently and have recorded a few leadership related videos in the previous few months. Leadership is one of those things that requires consistent attention because learning to be a good leader is never “done.” So, today we’re talking about leadership AND don’t miss the opportunity to hop on a free webinar about leading remote teams later in April.

As an MSP business owner, you’re likely a skilled technician who started your business to do your own thing. But leading a team? That’s a whole different ballgame. Many MSP owners struggle with this because they don’t have prior experience managing people. The truth is, leadership is vital to your organization’s success. Without it, you’ll face an uphill battle.

Here’s the thing: just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you’re a good leader. Leadership is a skill that requires continuous learning and effort.

What if you’re not an owner, but are a manager or leader within your MSP? If you don’t have leadership experience AND if the owner of your MSP isn’t a strong leader what do you do?

Let’s break down some key areas to focus on to build a cohesive, high-performing team.

Why Leadership Matters

When you have a good leader you know it, and when you have a bad leader you REALLY know it. Good leadership builds good culture and good culture creates longevity with your employees and clients.

At the core, good leadership leads to happy employees. Happy employees lead to happy clients. Happy clients leads to healthy profits for the MSP.

Core Processes to Master

To manage your team effectively, you need solid processes in place. Here are three critical ones:

1. One-on-One Meetings: Regular one-on-ones are essential. They should be frequent (weekly or biweekly) and focused on the employee’s needs. This is not your opportunity to hop on a soapbox and dominate the meeting. Use these meetings to listen, understand challenges, and provide support. Avoid making them a formality or a platform to dictate tasks.
2. Employee Reviews: Establish a clear review schedule. Annual/Semi-Annual/Quarterly reviews are important, but they shouldn’t be the only time you provide feedback. Reviews should be constructive, not a surprise attack. The rule of thumb should be “nothing new in a review.” Unless of course, the surprise is GOOD (e.g. A bonus, a raise, or a pat on the back.). Use the review as a time to reflect on the past and build a plan with your employee for the upcoming period.
3. Constructive Feedback: When a mistake or something bad happens it’s important to address as close to the incident as possible. That said, my preference has always been to understand what happened, and why it happened. Then lean into what everyone learned from the situation. Unless the issue is egregious, caused by laziness/incompetence, or repeated I’d focus on the lessons learned over placing blame or “punishment.” The two keys here are doing this as close to the incident and learning from it. This isn’t something to “hold on to” until your next one-on-one or review.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Expecting employees to think like owners. They’re not owners. They don’t have the same risks or rewards. Frankly, if you are asking your employees to think like owners you probably are the problem.
• Neglecting emotional intelligence (EQ). Many MSP owners have high IQs but lower EQs. Developing empathy and patience is crucial. If empathy is not your strong suit you may want to work on it. You don’t have to become a super empathetic leader, but having some empathy is vital for your team’s health.
• Leadership is a continuum, not a destination. Many leaders assume that when they become the “boss” either by promotion or by starting their own company that they are good with a little bit of learning and that they’re good to go. Becoming and staying a great leader requires consistent effort to grow and improve your leadership skills.

Building a Strong Leadership Culture

• Align Culture with Core Values. If your core values don’t align with your leadership style you have some work to do.
• Align with your managers. Ensure you’re on the same page with those leading your teams. Regular communication is key.
• Invest in team-building tools. Use tools like DISC, StrengthsFinder, or Working Genius to understand your team better. I recently became Working Genius certified. Expect to hear more about this in the coming months.
• Share your learning. Show your team that you’re committed to growth by sharing what you’re learning from books, podcasts, or courses. If you are a leader and are not continually building your own skills how can you hold others accountable to level up their skills?

Measuring Success

The impact of good leadership is measurable:

• Team longevity. Happy, supported employees stay longer.
• Client satisfaction. A well-managed team delivers better service, leading to happier clients.
• Business growth. A cohesive team drives profitability and long-term success.

Moving Forward

Leadership isn’t a one-time effort—it’s a continuous journey. If you’re serious about growing your MSP into a thriving, multi-million-dollar business, you need to invest in your leadership skills. Start wherever you are, and dedicate time each week to learning and improving.

Consider joining a Peer Group. Take some online courses, listen to other leaders you trust, or check out some leadership books. If you’re looking for some books here’s a quick list: The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, The Ideal Team Player, Leaders Eat Last, and Strengths Based Leadership. There are TONS of leadership books out there, and I’ll definitely revisit this topic and will also build a book list one of these days.

Upcoming Leadership Webinar

Join us on April 30th for a webinar about leading remote teams. I will be joined by the two principals at a company called Scaled (scaleyourmsp.com) and we will talk about leading remote teams. They’re experts at it and leading remote teams is something I’ve got quite a lot of experience in as well.

• Click here to register for the webinar – April 30th, 2025 – 11AM-Noon Central Time

Recent Videos

I have spent quite a bit of time talking about leadership in some of my videos. Here are some of from the library:

• Upgrade your One-on-One process
• Make Your MSP a Good Place to Work
• Service Managers: Owner Version | Service Managers: Service Manager Version
• Fix Your MSP Employee Onboarding
• Managing Difficult Techs

Connect With Me

• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ahannemann
• YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@adam-rambles

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Adam