About This Episode

A former MSP owner who successfully grew his business for over 20 years before selling it in 2018, Shawn Walsh of Encore Strategic Consulting knows a thing or two about leadership. In this episode, the guys sit down with Shawn to pick his brain about what makes a good leader and how to develop the skills and qualities needed to lead a team to profitability. 

2:17 – Shawn briefly walks us through his journey from a career as a police detective to starting and running an MSP, to ultimately becoming one of the leading consultants and leadership coaches in the MSP community. 

6:12 – Robb asks Shawn to dive further into what helped him grow. Shawn shares a particularly painful and humbling learning experience from when his MSP was just starting to expand, and how he navigated through a very bumpy part of the growth process. He talks about personality profiles and how MSPs can use programs like DISC to greatly improve communication within the company. 

12:04 – Shawn dismantles the myth of the leader who comes in, takes charge, and orders everyone around, and instead paints the picture of a leader who is humble and asks questions. Shawn gives examples of many different kinds of leaders and gives advice on how to use your personality type to become a better leader. 

18:34 – The guys ask Shawn what he’s up to now, and he goes into detail about Encore Strategic Consulting, the services they offer, and his vision for his clients. Shawn shares the Blue Ocean Strategy, pointing out that it’s easy to end up copying everyone else instead of focusing on what makes you stand out. 

25:00 – Robb reminds listeners to look for the 1% differentiator, and the guys discuss what that can look like. Shawn challenges leaders to always be curious, and leaves us with the reminder that no matter how bad business is going, you can always turn it around.