https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501 Application
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501 Application
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

From the Industry


High Five Success

Focusing on ‘Gain’ Instead of ‘Preventing Pain’ in IT

  • Written by Vendor
  • September 21, 2017
If we start being cognizant of the time spent on Pain—and instead schedule and defend the time we spend on Gain—we help ourselves, and our organizations, drive toward more favorable business outcomes.

In one of my favorite business books, the New York Times bestseller “Decide” Steve McClatchy writes that psychological studies have confirmed that we can divide all sources of human motivation into two categories: to move toward “Gain” (or something you want) or to “Prevent Pain” (or prevent the loss of something you have).

It has much applicability in the business world too, in that the tasks which consume our time can either be characterized as Gain tasks that propel us toward innovation and transformation, or Pain tasks that keep us stagnant.


             Herbert

In the IT world, a Gain task could mean pursuing your Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certificate, or helping your IT department achieve better business outcomes and efficiencies by leveraging the right technology.

A Pain task could be chipping away at the 20 Tier 1 tickets logged by your end users for the day.

If we start being cognizant of the time spent on Pain—and instead schedule and defend the time we spend on Gain—we help ourselves, and our organizations, drive toward more favorable business outcomes.

Or, as Steve puts it: “Tasks that you are driven toward by Gain produce more significant results in your life and your business than tasks that you are driven toward by Prevent Pain.”

Core vs. Context

The reality is that all too often, Gain tasks lose out to Pain, especially in the IT world.

Years ago, that reality was more forgiving.

After all, the chief role of IT was to support the company’s in-house infrastructure and keep the lights running.

Over the years, the landscape has become increasingly complex, as mega trends like the digitization of the enterprise and the consumerization of IT increase pressure on today’s IT leaders to be at the forefront of driving innovation for the business.

Suddenly, Pain can’t win over Gain or the IT department’s value to the organization can erode.

Geoffrey Moore, author of the book “Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution,” puts forth the core versus context principle—a concept that also supports the argument that successful business leaders place greater importance on Gain-oriented pursuits.

Moore classifies organizational functions as either core or context activities:

Core activities can be described as your organization’s key differentiators—the things that your business must do much better than the competition.

This is where innovation lives and how businesses increase their value to their customers.

Context activities make up everything else—namely the noise that must be complete before you can focus on growth and transformation.

Though necessary evils, context activities—or chore, or pain tasks—do not push a company to transform, evolve or differentiate.

When you combine the concepts of pain vs. gain and core vs. context, it begs the question: How much time is your IT department actually spending in driving the business forward compared to time spent putting out fires?

If IT leaders considers the notion of core versus context, they’ll find that IT spends most of its time tackling context activities, sometimes up to 90 percent of the week!

But, as Moore contends, these activities add no measurable value to the business. What’s more, since we are preoccupied with context, we have little time left to devote to core, or the growth initiatives that transform the business.

Consider just how much more relevant IT would be to the business if we focused more on core versus context.

 

Tim Hebert is chief client officer at Carousel Industries, Inc., a leader in communication and network technologies, professional and managed services, and cloud solutions.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs From the Industry Strategy

Related


  • Job cuts
    Latest VMware Job Cuts Impact More Workers in California
    The layoffs will begin March 30.
  • Hottest Ticket in Town
    Channel Partners Virtual 2021 Is the Hottest Ticket in Town
    And that means any town, since it’s 100% online. Will you be there?
  • strong customer relationship
    Datto Partners with ThreatLocker for Secure MSP Business Operations
    MSPs have seen increased security risks for clients amid COVID-19.
  • Brexit
    Now That a Brexit Deal is Done, What's Next for the UK Channel?
    There's an Increased need for virtual services and video conferencing, and a focus on security moving forward.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • OneLogin Hires Juniper Networks Vet to Lead Accelerate Partner Program
  • Fortinet Vet Geoff Kreiling Departs for Deep Instinct
  • 3 Strategies for Selling Zero Trust in the Channel
  • BlackBerry Research: MSSPs Increasingly Targeted by Hacker-for-Hire Groups

Galleries

View all

Channel Partners Virtual 2021 Is the Hottest Ticket in Town

February 26, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

The “Roaring 20s” Are Coming

February 25, 2021

Three Ways MSPs Can Improve Supply Chain Security

February 24, 2021

SASE: The Key to Mitigating Business Transformation Risk

February 22, 2021

Webinars

View all

A Partner’s Perspective on Channel Success in 2021

March 23, 2021

XDR and Why it Matters to MSPs

March 24, 2021

Top Security Trends Impacting Technology Security Providers In 2021

March 25, 2021

White Papers

View all

Ready To Add Cutting Edge IoT Solutions To Your Portfolio?

  • 1
February 25, 2021

What Is The Value Of Distribution For The Internet Of Things?

February 25, 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT): Where do You Begin?

  • 1
February 25, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

#CPVirtual has arrived! Excited for speakers @channelsmart @jldelozier3 @jmcbain and more. dlvr.it/Rtm5yr https://t.co/MiwNsfGGLw

March 1, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@solarwinds incurring additional expenses in aftermath of massive hack. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/Rtlxzd https://t.co/CpBjkIEaus

March 1, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@IBM working with 65 partners for #CloudSatellite services. @IBMPartners dlvr.it/RtlmDC https://t.co/R6IzgklQ6c

March 1, 2021
ChannelFutures

NOW OPEN: 2021 Channel Futures MSP 501 Awards. ✍️ Start your online application today: bit.ly/2021MSP501. Ha… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 1, 2021
ChannelFutures

Applying for the 2021 #MSP501? Check out our FAQs for everything you EVER wanted to know about applying & submittin… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 1, 2021
ChannelFutures

Educate #WFH employees about #phishing and increase emphasis on cybersecurity to avoid a data breach, say @GiacomCM… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 1, 2021
ChannelFutures

Amazon WorkSpaces @awscloud DaaS client will be available on @IGEL_Technology virtual endpoint client OS.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 26, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@VMware cutting more workers in California as part of ongoing #workforcerebalancing. #layoffs… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

February 26, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X