EP298 - Why Your Summer Holiday is the Ultimate MSP Leadership Test with Ian Luckett
The IT Experts PodcastShow Notes
In this episode of The IT Experts Podcast, I explain why your summer holiday is the ultimate MSP leadership test. It is that time of year again, when the sun is out, the diary clears a little, and MSP owners either head off on holiday or spend the whole time thinking about it. This episode is not really about holidays at all. It is about what happens to your business when you step away from it, and what that reveals about the leadership you have built.
I ask a simple question early on. Can you truly switch off when you go away, or are you still checking emails by the pool and worrying about what is happening back at the office? I am honest about my own habits here. I love what I do, and I like to use my holidays as strategic thinking time, scribbling ideas on a notepad rather than fully disconnecting. That said, there is a big difference between staying connected because you enjoy it and staying connected because the business cannot function without you. That difference is exactly what makes your summer break the ultimate MSP leadership test.
I talk through the common fears that come up for owners when they consider stepping away. My clients need me. My team will not cope. Something important might come in and I am the only one who can deal with it. Every single one of these is a leadership issue rather than a holiday issue. If clients still need you directly, something is broken in your delegation and your SOPs. If your team cannot function for a few days, that points to gaps in training, trust, and clarity around roles.
I share how Stuart and I have spent the last couple of years deliberately building the business so that when one of us is away, the team steps up rather than the other one having to fill the gap. Everybody knows their role, their boundaries, and what good, great, and not so great look like. That structure is what allows the business to keep moving, and it is a great example of passing your own MSP leadership test in practice.
I set out five things to check before, during, or after your holiday. Step away from the business to take stock, rating yourself honestly against your numbers, your team, and your lead generation. Reflect on where you are at and what would genuinely make you happier with the performance of the business. Reset your thinking, remembering that you become the average of the people you spend time with, and that a good book or a stretch conversation can shift your perspective. Reconnect with your vision, your values, and what you actually want your life and your business to look like. Finally, give your team permission to step up, setting clear expectations so they can make decisions confidently within defined boundaries.
I also touch on trust, asking listeners to rate how much trust they place in their team and to be honest about what is holding that back. Great leaders do not prove their value by being indispensable. They prove it by making everyone around them better, so the business keeps rowing in the same direction whether the owner is present or not.
The heart of this MSP leadership test is one honest question. If you disappeared for two weeks with no contact at all, what would happen to your business? Whatever your answer is becomes your next leadership project. Your holiday is not the problem. It is the audit that shows you exactly where your business still depends on you, and exactly where a stronger, more valuable, more scalable MSP is waiting to be built.
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