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Humanize IT

Humanize IT

By Adam Walter

Bridge the gap between business and technology with Humanize IT — a fun, educational podcast that will keep you relevant, maximize your value and help your clients see you as a trusted partner. In each episode, hosts Adam Walter, Skip Ziegler and other industry experts will show business owners, technology professionals and problem-solvers how to excel their careers with a new, more conversation-based approach to IT!
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147 - The Seasons of IT

Humanize ITApr 05, 2021

00:00
24:00
291 - Finding Solutions

291 - Finding Solutions

How do you find solutions for customers? Is it just a matter of specing out a laptop or PC with some network items and calling it good?

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through what it means to find solutions to customer problems and align to help their business grow using your engineering skillset.

Mar 25, 202427:36
Best Fit, Worst Fit, First Fit

Best Fit, Worst Fit, First Fit

How do you deal with new prospects? Do you accept anyone or do you find the best fit for both you and the client?

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through how to define great relationships and what it means to properly communicate your client fit.

Mar 18, 202427:19
189 - Beware the Ides of March

189 - Beware the Ides of March

The Ides of March used to be a time of celebration and new year celebration. However thanks to a certain playwright we now see it as a time of bad omens.

The question is, "Is March a time of celebration for your team or is it a reminder of how much you haven't gotten done?"

In this episode Skip and Adam talk through how preparation and execution can turn the Ides into a time of celebration.

Mar 11, 202422:30
288 - MSP Advice: Netwerks

288 - MSP Advice: Netwerks

What does 2024 have in store for MSPs? In our First MSP Advice podcast of the year we bring in Mike Giovaninni of Netwerks to discuss what 2024 has in store and advice of how to prepare your business for success.

Mar 04, 202430:40
287 - Handling Interruptions

287 - Handling Interruptions

Interruptions are a way of life in engineering. However you also need to manage your time and projects. So how do you keep on track while managing triage?

It is not an easy answer that is for sure!

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through the tips and tricks on how they have dealt with balance in their engineering lives.

Feb 28, 202423:06
286 - Proper Accountability

286 - Proper Accountability

Many leaders think accountability is all about having a stick to keep employees in line. However, accountability is more about measuring perceived value. Different people hold you accountable in different ways and if you are not aware of how they are measuring you, then you can work yourself to the bone without any appreciation.In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through what accountability actually means and how to use it to generate revenue and increase perceived value. As an added bonus your employees will become more loyal and customers will be much stickier!

Feb 19, 202425:21
285 - Setting Business Pace

285 - Setting Business Pace

"If you always do what you have always done you will always get what you always have got" In the past few episodes we talked through QBRs and having a plan. Today Skip and Adam talk through the importance of pacing. Having scheduled checkpoints throughout the year that follow up on the plan you create today. This means no procrastinating, that if you want to change and grow you need to make the change today.


Feb 12, 202424:59
284 - A QBR's True Purpose (Part 4)

284 - A QBR's True Purpose (Part 4)

Real world examples of what the results of a proper QBR are. In this episode Skip and Adam tell tales of how they were able to drive businesses forward with a proper QBR. Often helping businesses identify solutions to problems they did not know they had!

Feb 05, 202424:03
283 - QBR's True Purpose (Part 3)

283 - QBR's True Purpose (Part 3)

In part 3 of this series, we walk through a pragmatic approach to QBRs. What should we actually talk about during a QBR, specifically what topics and tools can you use to drive a truly strategic conversation with your clients, even if you are not a business strategy expert.

Jan 29, 202424:30
282 - QBR's True Purpose (Part 2)

282 - QBR's True Purpose (Part 2)

In Part 2 Skip and Adam talk in depth about how you can tell if you are actively listening to your client.

This is important because many people think they are listening to their clients when, in actuality, they are railroading the conversation. So what are the indicators that you are all on the same page and making money by working together?

Jan 22, 202427:01
281 - QBR's True Purpose (Part 1)

281 - QBR's True Purpose (Part 1)

If car salespeople treated their customers the way MSPs did...they would never sell anything.

No moment in a MSP's cycle shows this problem more than the QBR. So people are always hitting our site and material to learn "How do I run a QBR?"

Today we are still seeing people miss the point of QBRs and today we talk through one of the biggest issues that technical people have when doing QBRs.

Jan 15, 202424:46
280 - A Bad Plan is Better Than No Plan

280 - A Bad Plan is Better Than No Plan

Sometimes we think if we just work hard good things will happed. However, if you do not put order into a system it will just become more disordered. This is why many of you are stuck in firefighting mode. In this Episode Skip and Adam talk through how to find a plan, any plan and iterate to make it better over time. It doesn't have to be perfect today, it just needs to be SOMETHING.

Jan 08, 202427:28
279 - Happy New Year 2024

279 - Happy New Year 2024

2024 What is going to happen here? It is an election year, and we missed a recession, so what does this mean for consumer confidence? What about MSPs? What should we be focusing on with clients this year? In this quick episode, we forecast a little of the year as well as what we can expect out of an election year in the states as well as how to take advantage of this.

Jan 01, 202419:09
278 - Merry Christmas 2023

278 - Merry Christmas 2023

It is time for the holiday that marks the end of the year. So we keep this short and talk through the year. We salute those of you who have to work change windows during these days as well as those finally taking time to yourselves. Merry Christmas from all of us here at Humanize IT.

Dec 25, 202315:39
277 - The Importance of Impatience

277 - The Importance of Impatience

Impatience: The anger you feel when the computer is being lazy. This makes you write programs that don't just react to your needs, but actually anticipate them. Or at least pretend to.


In today's episode, Skip fights through a cold and talks with Adam about using the 3rd great virtue, which can put you in a bad spot with clients or accelerate your growth!

Dec 18, 202323:48
276 - The Virtue of Hubris

276 - The Virtue of Hubris

Hubris: The quality that makes you write (and maintain) programs that other people won't want to say bad things about.

This extends to so much of your professional life, Do things well for your clients that they brag about what you do.

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk about how having excessive pride has helped the engineering world evolve and how it can help your clients succeed.

Dec 11, 202326:31
275 - The Value of Laziness

275 - The Value of Laziness

Laziness: The quality that makes you go to great effort to reduce overall energy expenditure. In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through the value of being lazy and how it can drive your success. We talk in-depth about how to work smarter rather than harder as well as tips on how to gain that focus you so desperately want.

Dec 04, 202324:34
274 - Blind Spots and How to Find Them

274 - Blind Spots and How to Find Them

Everyone has blind spots, do you know yours? How can you find out and what is the cost of having blind spots?

In this episode seasoned veterans Adam and Skip talk through blindspots and how egos get in the way as well as how to sort them out so you can continuously grow.

Dec 01, 202328:12
273 - Turkey Day 2023

273 - Turkey Day 2023

This coming week marks the beginning of the end of the year. Since it is a 2-day holiday it kills the week and bleeds into the Christmas season. So what can you do with this knowledge?

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through the opportunities that the holiday season brings and some tips and tricks on how to make the most of the chaos through the end of the year!

Nov 20, 202325:43
272 - The Importance of Culture

272 - The Importance of Culture

Culture is often ignored when it comes to tech companies. What kind of culture are you creating? What kind of culture to you want to foster among your staff? If you are not deliberate you are leaving one of the most important aspects of your company up to fate.

Find out how to set culture and what the advantages are in this insightful episode!

Nov 13, 202327:49
271 - Using SWOT for Risk Analysis

271 - Using SWOT for Risk Analysis

Mike Giovaninni and Adam Walter will be giving a talk at 4:00 Friday November 10th at IT Nation connect. This podcast is a preview of that talk and how you can effectively step into a CIO or CISO role to do a risk assessment with a versitile tool...the SWOT.

Nov 06, 202331:20
270 - How to Listen

270 - How to Listen

Have you been told you need to be a better listener? Well so have we, well 'We' actually means Adam. So, how do you listen better, what does it look like to listen well and what are the results of those 'conversations'. In this episode, Adam and Skip talk through how to recognize when you are being a bad listener vs a good one.

Oct 30, 202332:48
269 - The Chaos of October

269 - The Chaos of October

October is an odd month, it seems so simple and easy, just one holiday at the end of the month. So why is it always so chaotic?

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through the reasons why Octobers are so chaotic and how we can avoid it.

Oct 23, 202325:59
268 - The Price of Perfection

268 - The Price of Perfection

Do you ever wonder if there is a cost to being perfect? In this episode, we talk about how to become better rather than perfect. How you can stall your company by aiming for perfection rather than good.

Oct 16, 202333:04
267 - Dungeons, Dragons, Halos & Ninjas

267 - Dungeons, Dragons, Halos & Ninjas

At Build IT Live 2023, we met great people and had great conversations. We recorded this conversation with Jonathan Crowe about community building. Check out this great episode as we discuss how we build our respective communities and attempt to steal Halo's McLaren...

Oct 09, 202314:38
266 - Overcoming Analysis Paralysis

266 - Overcoming Analysis Paralysis

Some MSPs call it firefighting mode, some just are feeling overwhelmed. Whatever you call it, you are overwhelmed by the amount of data and items coming at you every day. We have sen quite a few MSPs who have been in this mode for YEARS.

In this episode Skip and Adam talk through different techniques to help you get out of analysis paralysis and get some traction so you can move forward with confidence!

Oct 02, 202328:50
265 - The Future of IT (ITBD Part 2)

265 - The Future of IT (ITBD Part 2)

Ever wonder what the future of MSPs look like? In this episode get practical advice as to what the next 5-10 years look like for IT Service Providers. Learn from Sunny Kaila and Bill Smeizer as they talk through what they are preparing for and what the future looks like for forward-thinking MSPs.

Sep 18, 202329:30
264 - How to Build IT (Part 1)

264 - How to Build IT (Part 1)

How do you build a successful MSP? In this episode, Sunny Kaila and Bill Smelzer talk about the experience and give advice. What is important? What should be a priority? As well as advice for MSPs just starting out.

Sep 11, 202333:41
263 - Business vs Engineering

263 - Business vs Engineering

Engineers are nerds and business analysis are beer drinking flunkies right? Many people have this view of us vs them when it comes to engineering. Heck we even have a joke "My tech would work great if it werent for all the users".In this episode Skip and Adam talk through the importance of joining forces with business minds to create a better world. That business is just as complex if not more so than advanced engineering designs. It is just a different set of knowledge completely.

Sep 04, 202329:48
262 - Proper QBRs

262 - Proper QBRs

One of our favorite topics revisited. In February we talked about putting the B back in QBR. This time we talk through HOW to accomplish a proper QBR as we walk through a meeting agenda for a QBR as well as WHY it is important to run your meetings this way. It will free up 6 hours of your time as well as provide more value for your client and increase buyin.

Aug 28, 202334:39
261 - Finding Clients

261 - Finding Clients

We often get asked how to find clients as an MSP. In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through lessons learned on how to find clients that fit your culture. There are critical mistakes we make when finding clients such as looking too broad or assuming every client is going to be a culture match. Tune in to help define who your clients are so you can find them where they are.

Aug 21, 202329:29
260 - Toxic MSPs

260 - Toxic MSPs

A certainty in life is that we can unknowingly be toxic while having great intentions. In the case of MSPs we can set up client relationships for failure unknowingly with great intentions. One of these is not trusting our clients in ways that matter. In this episode, Skip and Adam talk through a hard topic regarding admin access and who really owns technical assets at a business. A simple mentality shift will reduce risk, build relationships and help reduce toxicity.

Aug 14, 202337:38
259 - The Last Half of the Year

259 - The Last Half of the Year

We tend to push our to-do list off until later or sometime thinking we will get to it then. However, when it comes to annual planning the year is deceptive since the last 2 months of every year are full of holidays, weather, and other people waiting until last minute to get their stuff done.

This makes things stressful and there is a better way that you have to do now. Tune in to this episode to find out what you need to do to avoid the trap of the last half of the year.

Aug 07, 202333:14
258 - Redefine Client Expectations

258 - Redefine Client Expectations

Many MSPs are simply seen as a reseller of technology and a service/maintenance organization. You need to re-define how your clients see you so that they can include you on the right conversations. Then when they have a business problem they will bring in their favorite advisors and ask their opinion on how to solve the problem.

In this episode Richard Bauer talks with Adam Walter about how he redefined client expectations in a simple way to make a larger impact.

Jul 31, 202333:34
257 - Things We Used to Know

257 - Things We Used to Know

As professionals, there are things you know in certain contexts. A desktop admin may be able to patch a cable in seconds from memory while a Server admin may have to look up the wire mapping. We tend to forget skills to make room for new skills This is not a bad thing, and is to be embraced. In this episode, Richard Skip and Adam discuss the necessity of losing some knowledge to gain relevant knowledge...even when it was hard-earned.

Jul 24, 202336:01
256 - Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

256 - Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Too often we get lost in good intentions. We fail not because we are being lazy, rather that we are not focusing on the right areas. You can spend a hundred hours working on the right thing when 1 hour on the right thing will bring improved client relationships.

In this episode, Skip and Adam talk about how to keep the focus on the Main Thing.

Jul 17, 202333:20
255 - Wrong Kind of Engineer

255 - Wrong Kind of Engineer

As IT engineers we constantly have to step outside our box, whether it is trying to understand structural engineering while pulling wires or building stable data centers. In this episode, Adam and Skip talk through how to deal with being the wrong kind of engineer as well as how to work together with different experts to become something greater.

Jul 10, 202329:21
254 - MSP Personas: The CIO

254 - MSP Personas: The CIO

CIOs can be a tricky position to define for MSPs as in some sense many MSP leaders have always been in a CIO role, however what that role meant has changed as their MSP evolves. Yes there is a CIO and what does it mean to act solely in a CIO role?

In this wrap-up episode, Skip and Adam talk through what the main thing is that many people miss when it comes to acting in a CIO role.

Jul 03, 202336:42
253 - CFO Persona

253 - CFO Persona

This week we want to talk through what a CFO persona looks like within an organization. What do they care about...where are they at mentally? Spoiler, it has very little to do with accounting and everything to do with risk management. If you want to talk with CFOs or if you need to act in a CFO role, this podcast is for you to help understand how to relate to the CFO. If you are stuck in a leadership role with many hats...this is the series for you!

Jun 26, 202329:31
252 - MSP Personas: The CISO

252 - MSP Personas: The CISO

Part 2 of our series on MSP personas. We have the CISO which is a role that intertwines everything, we break down this role and what it is as well as what it is not.

Jun 05, 202329:55
251 - MSP Personas: The CEO

251 - MSP Personas: The CEO

In the last episode we talked through how MSPs have so many personas and hats to wear. This week we break down the CEO role and how to focus. What some of the distractions can be to working on your company as well as how to delegate the right activities to different personas.

If you are stuck in a leadership role with many hats...this is the series for you!


May 22, 202329:46
250 - MSP Personas

250 - MSP Personas

MSPs owners wear many hats, somedays you are a CFO making sure to collect payments and ensure bills are covered. Other days you are a CEO planning the direction of the company, or maybe you are a COO managing the security stack and maintaining clients. Whatever the case, we can order our thinking by considering each of these hats a persona so we don't get our conversations with clients and staff mixed up. In this pocast learn how to keep your personas in order and what they mean, in this series we will talk about each persona and how it is used towards your success.

May 15, 202331:57
249 - The Power of Simplification

249 - The Power of Simplification

We often create a heap in front of us of work and say "I will just chip away at it". In reality, we just always have pressure on us to perform and then we never feel like we are getting anything done. We are working hard and what are we accomplishing?

This episode is built for people who are working so hard and feel like they are getting nowhere.

May 08, 202331:03
248 - The Goal of Business

248 - The Goal of Business

So many MSPs seem to think they know exactly what their client's goals are and what they need. This is a key indicator that they are on the left side of the dunning-kruger effect graph.

The goal of business is the topic of this insigtful podcast that aims to help you get a grip on what your client's needs are and how to help them with their challenges.

May 01, 202332:45
247 - The Care and Feeding of Meat Computers (Part 2)

247 - The Care and Feeding of Meat Computers (Part 2)

Last episode we really boiled the conversation down to: The care and feeding of others and the care and feeding of ourselves. In this episode, Elizabeth talks about how to hold each other with curiosity. Don't assume you know what the person across the table; or even you need. We need to ask more human questions and understand the person across the table as well as ourselves.

Apr 24, 202337:13
246 - Care and Feeding of Meat Computers (Part 1)

246 - Care and Feeding of Meat Computers (Part 1)

We are great at updating computers and maintaining them. So you would think it would be easy enough to apply maintenance to ourselves. In this insightful episode, Elizabeth Copland discusses how we tend to neglect ourselves and how to be just as mindful about our meat computers as we are about silicon computers.

Apr 17, 202327:55
245 - Thought Leadership 2023

245 - Thought Leadership 2023

Identifying Thought Leaders is hard. Sometimes it is easy to get swept up listening to a great speaker and confuse them for a thought leader. For reference see the TED talk on voice inflection.

In this episode Skip and Adam talk though what it means to be a thought leader, how to identify them in the tech space and how to leverage them to build your company and personal mindset.

Apr 10, 202333:60
244 - State of the Union 2023

244 - State of the Union 2023

In 2021 we began the merger process between Virtual C, Manged Services Platform and the birth of HumanizeIT. How is that going? What are the ups and downs of a merger and where do we go from here? All these things are discussed in our State of the union address!

Mar 27, 202328:10
243 - Automation is the Frenemy

243 - Automation is the Frenemy

Automation can be your best friend and save you hundred of hours. It can also be your worst enemy when overused and customer service takes a turn for the worse as you disengage with clients. How do you find the balance we talk about how to find the balance and use the right tool for the right job.

Mar 20, 202330:21
242 - The Power of Validation

242 - The Power of Validation

It is great when you drink your own kool-aid and have a lot of confidence in your own ideas, however, it is also hazardous.  To honestly know if your ideas are good we need to hear from outsiders.  This is the power of validation,  listen to this podcast to ground yourself and gain insight as to whether you are talking into an echo chamber or understanding whether your product and services provide actual value.

Mar 13, 202330:51