I facilitate peer groups for small to mid-size IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs). These groups have been remarkably successful. So I decided to post a few notes about how I organize peer groups and how they help participants.
The Who, What, and Why of MSP Peer Groups
Participants in my peer groups are typically the “Number 2” people at their MSP firm, with titles like Operations Manager, Service Delivery Manager, or Dispatcher.
Each peer group meeting has structured segments, including a “good news” opening, “show & tell” problem-solving, and a “lesson of the day.”
A typical agenda for a 90-minute peer group meeting looks like this:
- Good news items (one personal, one business)
- Updates on individual goals
- Lesson of the day
- Issue of the day
- Open forum for discussion
- Wrap-up and meeting rating
I like to start with good news items—one personal and one professional for each participant—for two reasons:
- Talking about good news puts participants in an upbeat mood.
- Hearing about everyone else’s good news helps participants step back from that day’s tribulations, which helps them focus on the meeting.
The objective of the MSP peer group is to help participants become better managers. We accomplish that by sharing best practices, introducing ideas, and solving problems through the collective wisdom in the room.
I’ll devote the next several posts to some of the most important lessons that participants have learned in our MSP peer groups.
For information about joining an MSP peer group, visit https://abramco.com/peergroup.