Practice Leading: for emerging and curious leaders of Microsoft partner practices – Details, episodes & analysis

#14. This is - probably - the final episode of Practice Leading. I created the podcast to chart my journey growing Superware, the Microsoft partner business I founded in 2020.

But my time at Superware has come to an unexpected end.

A huge thanks to all the guests who joined me for the lessons they shared: Mohamed Mostafa, Joel Lindstrom, Ben Vollmer, Areti Iles, Bob Bell, Edit Kapcari, Kathrine Hogseth, Chris McNulty, Nancie Calder, Lucy Bourne and Ole Gjerde.

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦 Follow on LinkedIn

🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn

🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky

🧪 PRACTICE LEADING LAB FOR EMERGING LEADERS

Apply to join Practice Leading Lab

⭐ RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW

Rate Practice Leading

#13. Ole Gjerde, CEO of TruNorth Dynamics, Ole built a custom software business, before running a managed services business, before running a business applications business so he’s seen run the full gamut of business models.

Ole shared lessons from years of building, merging, and separating MSPs, and why focus and clear division of teams are crucial for success.

We discussed when it’s smart to outsource your own internal technology support for any Microsoft partner, and if you’re going to launch an application support practice or MSP business, how to structure pricing for real client value, and why it’s more important than ever to prioritise transparency and partnership.

KEY LESSONS

1. Focus is everything: Ole stressed the importance of keeping business lines like managed IT services and business app development truly separate—unless you’re large enough to support dedicated teams and leadership. Otherwise, you risk operational headaches and stunted growth.
2. Onboarding customers (and their baggage) is tough: Inheriting support for systems built by someone else is inherently challenging. A strong onboarding process is a must to manage the friction and uncover those “skeletons in the closet”.
3. Designing win-win support models matters: There’s no universal delivery or pricing model. Empower your customers with options, but be wary of making your operations too complex in the process. Striking the right balance can help foster healthier, longer-term partnerships.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Security concerns of a fully remote business

00:29 Neil Benson introduces Practice Leading and today’s themes

02:32 Ole Gjerde’s journey from IT services through MSPs to business applications

04:18 Is it a bad idea to combine managed services and a business apps practice?

06:20 Deciding what should be covered by your MSP offering

09:56 Signals that it’s time to outsource your internal technology support

13:08 How to choose the right MSP partner for your organization

15:49 Security, compliance, and working in a remote or hostile environment

17:43 Aligning your MSP’s compliance to your client’s industry standards

20:17 Key considerations when adding managed services to a business apps practice

26:35 Pricing models and structuring value for managed application support

33:08 Balancing resource allocation between support, consulting, and product teams

36:07 Handling customer requests for 24/7 support with a smaller team

39:46 Final advice, summary, and episode wrap-up

RESOURCES

• TruNorth Dynamics website
• TruNorth Dynamics on LinkedIn
• Ole Gjerde on LinkedIn

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦 Follow on LinkedIn

🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn

🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky

🧪 PRACTICE LEADING LAB FOR EMERGING LEADERS

#4. Today I'm learning from Areti Iles. She's the Head of Professional Services for Enterprise Applications at Telefonica Tech in the UK. Having started in technology with end-user organisations transitioned into consulting in 2016 and joined Telefonica Tech in 2021. She's active in her local user group community, and committed to helping others advance their career, especially women and people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Areti shares her unique perspective on leadership, broadening it beyond traditional constraints and emphasizing its multifaceted nature beyond just dealing with people. Her insights challenge conventional leadership notions, encouraging a broader understanding of what it truly means to lead.

🔑 KEY LESSONS

1. Broadened leadership definition: Leadership isn't just about managing a team—it's about influencing and inspiring, often without a formal title. Whether you're steering projects or guiding personal growth, leadership starts with yourself.
2. Empathy as a core characteristic: While managers might focus on task completion, true leaders invest in creating a supportive, nurturing environment. Empathy plays a crucial role in understanding your team's goals and helping them achieve them.
3. Diversity drives innovation: Surrounding yourself with diverse talents addresses potential blind spots, fostering better decision-making and innovation. This isn't just a buzzword—it's a strategic advantage.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The challenge of uncommunicated expectations in promotions

00:38 Welcome to Practice Leading with Neil Benson

02:27 Definition of leadership beyond traditional roles

04:28 Differences between leaders and managers

07:06 The importance of empathy in leadership

13:49 Can missing leadership traits be complemented?

17:08 The role of diversity and inclusion in leadership

19:44 The adaptability of leaders to different personalities

21:58 Characteristics of a great leader

27:15 Remembering impactful leaders in personal life

31:46 Empowering employees to express career goals

34:29 Providing support for leaders and their wellbeing

🗺️ RESOURCES

• Areti Iles on LinkedIn
• Telefonica Tech on LinkedIn
• The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too) by Gretchen Rubin

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦 Follow on LinkedIn

🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn

🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky

🧪 PRACTICE LEADING LAB FOR EMERGING LEADERS

#3. Ben Vollmer is a Senior Vice President at RSM US responsible for growing their Power Factory offering. He is probably best known in the Microsoft community as the former global director of Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Field Service business. Ben’s a prolific presenter at Microsoft conferences with a reputation for helping partners level up their pricing and delivery models.

Ben and I have a fascinating discussion about the evolution of pricing and how Microsoft partners and customers might exchange value. Traditionally, partners have delivered services and charged based a timesheet and a rate card. How is that model changing?

One option we discuss is outcome-based pricing, but do customers really want outcome-based pricing? There are challenges here too.

We also pull apart the user-story point estimation and pricing approach that Superware uses.

And, we ask whether blended teams are necessary for success and how customers should eventually assume full ownership of the applications partners build.

KEY LESSONS

1. The Evolution of Pricing Models. The conversation delves into the shift from traditional time-based pricing to outcome-based pricing and other innovative pricing models. Ben offers a deep dive into how pricing can both reflect and drive a company's culture and strategy. While value-based pricing presents opportunities, implementing it successfully remains a challenge.
2. Empowering Customers. Ben emphasizes the importance of customer empowerment and enablement. He suggests that partners need to focus on training and ensuring clients have the knowledge to manage applications independently post-deployment. As Neil Benson notes, building empowerment capabilities could be a key area of growth for Superware, aligning with the need for blended teams and client self-sufficiency.
3. Focusing on Micro Verticals. Ben advises honing in on micro vertical segments — niche markets where tailored solutions can bring significant value. This focus allows for streamlined implementations, enhancing client satisfaction and business predictability.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The end of traditional agile waterfall methodologies

00:33 Introduction to Practice Leading and Ben Vollmer

02:25 Evolution of pricing models in Microsoft partnerships

02:43 How pricing drives a Microsoft partner's culture

05:07 Pricing strategy for ISVs and services

06:32 The shift from implementation to enablement and managed services

08:05 Challenges with outcome-based pricing

11:48 Discussing pricing methods tied to customer value

15:48 Importance of blended teams and customer ownership

18:16 Micro vertical expertise and predictable revenue for partners

24:17 Necessity of enablement and training in service models

30:35 Final thoughts on pricing and practice growth strategies

RESOURCES

• Ben Vollmer on LinkedIn
• RSM US on LinkedIn

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦 Follow on LinkedIn

🟦 Neil Benson on...

#02. Today I'm learning from Joel Lindstrom. Joel is a senior director at Hitachi Solutions America, where he oversees the Power Platform, Low-Code and Automation team. Before joining the Microsoft channel as a solution architect with Customer Effective, Joel sold office equipment. Customer Effective was acquired by Hitachi Solutions seven years later, and Joel has been building his career there for over a decade. Joel has a long history with the Microsoft MVP program and he also played a pivotal role in giving Neil a break in podcasting back in 2017.

KEY LESSONS

1. Defining Leadership Goals: Joel emphasizes the importance of understanding why you want to be a leader. It's not just about the impressive title or the increased salary; it's about embracing the additional responsibilities and making a positive impact on your team.
2. Managing Yourself First: Before taking on a leadership role, Joel advises assessing your personal habits and time management skills. Can you manage your own mindset and health effectively? These are crucial skills for managing a team.
3. Empowering Your Team: One of Joel's greatest joys in leadership is seeing his team members succeed. He believes in the power of nurturing talent and celebrating the achievements of others, even if it means they surpass him in rank.
4. Monday Morning Updates: Joel shares a practice of sending out Monday morning messages to his team, acknowledging successes and setting priorities for the week. It's a simple yet effective way to maintain team cohesion and focus.
5. Continuous Learning: While Joel values keeping technical certifications current, he acknowledges that every leader can show commitment to continuous learning in their own way. It's about setting a strong example for your team.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Joel on managing a project vs. a team

00:46 Introduction to Practice Leading and guest Joel Lindstrom

01:46 Joel Lindstrom's career journey

03:22 Finding your 'why' in leadership

06:57 Challenges in transitioning to leadership

07:21 The joys of leadership

10:07 Recognizing team achievements

14:03 Managing yourself before managing others

18:13 Handling an unpredictable schedule as a leader

22:50 Strategies for balancing meetings and deep work

26:41 The importance of self-management

28:23 The role of certifications for leaders

RESOURCES

• Joel Lindstrom on LinkedIn
• Hitachi Solutions America on LinkedIn
• Punish By Rewards by Alfie Kohn
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦

#1. Mohamed Mostafa is the founder and managing director of TechLabs London, the company behind iProperty Cloud, the housing management platform build on the Microsoft cloud. He has been recognised as a Microsoft MVP since 2016, a Microsoft FastTrack Solution Architect, and holds an MBA from Henley Business School.

KEY LESSONS

Join the Practice Leading mailing list to get sent a PDF summary of the key insights and lessons from every episode. Visit practiceleading.com and enter your first name and email on the homepage.

In our discussion, Mohamed shared some invaluable insights and strategies on building a successful team and a thriving business culture. Here are three key takeaways:

1. Embrace Diversity in Hiring: Mohamed emphasized the importance of moving beyond hiring clones. A rich mix of backgrounds, experiences, and skills not only enriches the workplace but also significantly improves business delivery. He advocates for a hiring process blind to ethnicity, religion, and personal background, focusing instead on cultural fit and qualification.
2. Invest in Apprenticeships: TechLabs London places high value on apprenticeships, bringing in young recruits and training them in technology and consultancy. This approach not only nurtures talent but provides fresh perspectives. While apprentices often move on to other Microsoft partners, their contribution during their tenure is invaluable.
3. Foster a Dynamic Work Culture: TechLabs London has done away with strict hierarchies and promotes a fluid structure where employees can engage in multiple roles and projects. This "holacracy" structure, along with cross-departmental collaboration, ensures a vibrant work environment where innovation thrives.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 How hiring similar backgrounds limits diversity

00:31 Introduction to Practice Leading Podcast

03:24 Importance of people in consulting businesses

05:01 Creating a positive work environment

08:40 Implementing holacracy at TechLabs London

11:49 Benefits of diverse roles in teams

14:48 Innovative hiring strategies

17:15 Hiring industry experts and apprentices

20:23 Challenges and benefits of hiring apprentices

23:06 Strategies for unbiased recruitment

30:23 Gathering industry expertise for product development

36:19 Mohamed's key interview question for cultural fit

RESOURCES

• TechLabs London website
• TechLabs London on LinkedIn
• iProperty Cloud website
• Mohamed Mostafa on LinkedIn
• Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace by Ricardo Semler
• Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson

Welcome to Practice Leading, the show for emerging and curious practice leaders of Microsoft partner businesses.

I’m Neil Benson and, if you’re anything like me with an unquenchable curiosity and zero tolerance for BS, you’ve come to the right place.

Together we’ll learn from innovators and investors, executives and entrepreneurs, and business leaders and business coaches that have already left their stamp on the world and those that are exploring new and smarter ways building their businesses. Whether it’s ground-breaking innovations, hiring high-performing teams, or the sheer force of will to disrupt our industry, each episode is a masterclass from the trailblazers who have achieved significant success.

Find Practice Leading on YouTube, or at practiceleading.com, and learn from the mentors you wish you had earlier in your career.

#12. We just wrapped up our latest round of strategic planning at Superware—and it was a game-changer using the approach outlined in Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy, Bad Strategy.

Here’s what stood out from our process and why it made such a difference for us. After landing a major consulting win, we still hadn’t cracked product market fit for our industry apps. Instead of more generic goals and vision statements, we dove into Rumelt’s practical framework and it completely reset how we tackled strategy as a team.

KEY LESSONS

1. Diagnose, don’t guess. We spent time individually reflecting and then collectively diagnosing our core business challenge—rather than just listing random goals, we drilled down to the one issue holding us back.
2. A strategy is a hypothesis. We treated our strategy as an experiment instead of a guarantee. This mindset (so familiar to us coming from agile software backgrounds!) lets us iterate, learn, and adapt much faster.
3. Coherent actions aligned around guiding policy. Instead of a to-do list, we identified focused, coherent actions that all support our guiding policy—making it clear what to prioritize and what to (confidently) leave out.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Learn how Superware used Good Strategy/Bad Strategy to reset direction

00:25 Introduction to Practice Leading and Neil Benson

01:12 Kicking off a new financial year with strategic planning

02:00 Major consulting win versus lack of product market fit

02:51 Discovering Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy/Bad Strategy framework

03:31 Defining bad strategy and pitfalls to avoid

04:21 Key elements of good strategy: Diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent actions

05:03 Tangible example of guiding policy: The local grocery store

06:00 Diagnosing Superwire’s biggest challenge using design thinking

06:57 Dot voting and achieving team alignment on strategy

07:50 Addressing industry focus concerns and building a strategic hypothesis

08:49 Aligning team around coherent actions and a six-month strategy horizon

09:28 Treating strategy as a living hypothesis, not a fixed plan

10:12 Inviting listeners to share their strategy approaches and engage with Practice Leading

RESOURCES

• Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters, Richard Rumelt

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦 Follow on LinkedIn

🟦 Neil Benson on LinkedIn

🦋 Neil Benson on BlueSky

🧪 PRACTICE LEADING LAB FOR EMERGING LEADERS

Apply to join Practice Leading Lab

⭐ RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW

Rate Practice Leading

#11. Lucy Bourne is the cofounder and director of Oaka Studio in the UK. Oaka Studio, which just celebrated its second birthday, helps Microsoft partners level up their Microsoft alliance in their marketing, sales, their Microsoft alliance and in the operation of their Microsoft practice.

Lucy is a former partner development manager from Microsoft, and she dives deep into what it takes to thrive in your alliance with Microsoft. As you’ll hear in this episode, this is an area where I’m still struggling: wrestling with Partner Center, figuring out whether a solution designation is worthwhile or missing out on recognition in deals where we weren’t the invoicing CSP.

Lucy cuts through all that and helps us focus on what matters most in our Microsoft alliance and the steps we need to take to succeed.

KEY LESSONS

🔑 1. Alliance management needs two distinct skill sets. Don’t expect a single person to handle both the operational, programmatic tasks in Partner Center and the relationship-building with Microsoft sellers. Lucy recommends splitting these responsibilities: methodical, detail-oriented team members for the admin side, and storytellers/networkers for the relationship side.

🔑 2. Focus, focus, focus. To get noticed by Microsoft and the market, don’t try to be everything to everyone. Specialise—pick an industry or two, and build a crystal-clear narrative for your expertise. You can still deliver broadly, but your outward marketing should be laser-focused for maximum impact.

🔑 3. Recognition for implementation partners. Business apps partners can now claim recognition for workloads they’ve implemented—even if they weren’t the ones transacting the licenses. This “dual partner recognition” can accelerate your journey toward solution designation and unlock more opportunities and funding from Microsoft.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Lucy Bourne explains the value of vendor focus for large partners

00:40 Neil Benson opens the episode and introduces Lucy Bourne and Oka Studio

03:18 Lucy shares her career background and Oka Studio’s mission

05:24 Discussion of partner types Oka works with and the evolving Microsoft partner landscape

06:11 Is it harder now to become a successful Microsoft partner?

08:16 Do partners need a dedicated alliance manager? Where do you find one?

09:36 The two key roles in alliance management—operational and relational

12:54 The most important thing successful partners do: focus, focus, focus

14:17 How to balance specialization in marketing with versatility in delivery

16:08 Common mistakes partners make—neglecting alliance program management

17:30 Can partners succeed with multiple vendor relationships?

22:07 Discrete investments partners can make—case studies, awards, and social proof

28:21 Microsoft’s new dual partner recognition and what it means for partners

RESOURCES

• Lucy Bourne on LinkedIn
• Oaka Studio on LinkedIn
• Dual revenue recognition for Microsoft business applications partners (Oaka Studio webinar recording)
• Dual recognition for Microsoft business applications partners (Microsoft blog)

RECOMMENDED EPISODES

#10. Nancie Calder is a Senior Vice President and Global Consulting Practice Lead at Avanade, based in Toronto, Canada. From her start as a freelance consultant to leading a global team of 3,000 people, Nancie brings three decades of experience driving innovation at scale.

Nancie shares her hard-won insights about what it really takes to nurture innovation and continuous learning across a 3,000+ person global practice—especially in the fast-changing Microsoft ecosystem. Her emphasis on combining practical experience with scalable programs really hit home.

KEY LESSONS

1. Innovation is for everyone. True innovation goes beyond technology. Nancie instills an innovative mindset throughout her team by hiring for passion and curiosity - not just technical skills. Encouraging everyone to leverage AI and new Microsoft tools is at the heart of their success.
2. Continuous learning is non-negotiable: Avanade dedicates specific learning hours, gamified certification paths, and peer mentoring to ensure their team is always up to speed. A growth mindset isn’t just a buzzword - it’s a requirement for staying relevant.
3. Global knowledge sharing matters: With biweekly cross-regional meetings, dynamic communities of practice, and creative use of Copilot to gather project learnings, Nancie demonstrates the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing for scaling leadership across borders.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Helping teams deliver AI assessments and using AI in practice

00:35 Introduction to Practice Leading and the focus on innovation at Avanade

02:42 Nancie Calder introduces herself and her journey in the Microsoft partner ecosystem

05:02 Scaling a global practice and building capability across regions

06:40 Defining innovation at a global systems integrator: product development and service improvement

08:26 Balancing billable work and professional development in consultancy

10:48 Instilling a culture of innovation and continuous learning at scale

13:17 Capturing and sharing project lessons learned across the organization

16:07 Incentivizing knowledge sharing and using AI to identify expertise internally

19:34 Formal innovation initiatives like hackathons, Innovation Days, and global knowledge sharing

21:11 Practice overlaps and navigating resource contention between business units

23:48 Supporting team members with different growth mindsets and learning from client attitudes toward innovation

29:36 Choosing which Microsoft innovations to invest in and building specialized practices

RESOURCES

• Nancie Calder on LinkedIn
• Avanade on LinkedIn
• Avanade website

RECOMMENDED EPISODES

#7 From Four to Forty: Building CRMK’s Team and Culture with CEO, Kathrine Hogseth

👋 LET'S CONNECT

🌐 Subscribe to Practice Leading newsletter for key lesson takeaways and special event invitations

🟥 Subscribe on YouTube

🟦 Follow on LinkedIn

🟦