The Partner Channel Magazine Fall 2016

Why Change
18 WINTER 2016 | THEPARTNERCHANNEL.COM
48 WINTER 2016 | THEPARTNERCHANNEL.COM
A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO
BUILDING A COMMUNITY FOR PARTNERS
story by CHRISTOPHER ELMORE
THEPARTNERCHANNEL.COM | WINTER 2016 5
illustration by DAVE SWANG
have a unique perspective on change. On one hand, I counsel salespeople to help their clients make a
big change in the way they do business. On the other, I help accounting and finance people change a
process they have known their entire business life. Given those facts, my professional life is dedicated
to helping people change. Personally, I don’t like change and find it very difficult. Until recently,
whenever change came up in my personal or professional life, my initial reaction was simply, “NO!”
AND THEN…
It all started with a simple request by a local university to teach a course on entrepreneurship. My company was
doing well and getting a lot of attention in the community, so I thought this would be a great way to give back a little
and influence the next generation. The funny thing is I got more out of teaching the class than my students. It came
all around one word: “Why.”
IN THE PROCESS…
While I was teaching a section on messaging, I came across Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk on what he referred to as “The
Golden Circle.” I know; hang with me here. Now, I had heard about this and had known about the idea for years,
but for some reason I had never connected the principles of The Golden Circle with change management. I think
one of my hang-ups was the name. For some reason it seemed like a scheme or a network marketing program. The
Golden Circle has three levels of understanding: What, how, and why. It struck me that knowing why you need to do
something, or why something is being done, is the key to change management. The problem is, on the list of what,
how, and why, most people tend to spend the majority of time and effort on “how.”
HOW?
In corporate America, we are such “doers”; doers to the point that we have a tendency to forget about why we’re
doing what we are doing. It’s kind of like the Hatfield-McCoy feud that lasted almost 30 years. When it ended, the
families were asked why they fought each other; no one could remember. Why we do what we do – our mission – is
an important reminder that helps the tasks have meaning and purpose. How we do what we do is the means to an
end and can help our tasks be as efficient as possible.
BIG FINISH!
To make a point (you are welcome) and to be very clear about change and the importance of doing change well,
I think we have put change behind the wrong noun. When you think of helping people change, most think “change
management.” Management will help you with the “how” and not the “why.” Leadership points to “why.” I did a study
find the logo
contest
FALL 2016
Here’s a list of places where our logo
usually appears, thus making them null and
void when it comes to this contest:
THE PARTNER CHANNEL
WINTER ® MAGAZINE
contents
2016
18
in every issue
8 NEWS
9 EVENTS
CONTRIBUTORS 10
ON THE HOMEFRONT 12 Like a Snow Globe
MEMBERS ONLY CORNER
50 T3 Information Systems
ADVERTISER INDEX 52
THE LIST 53
departments
14 LEADERSHIP
Dare to Let Go...
18 SALES
Why Change
22 MARKETING
Eyes on the Prize
34 LEADERSHIP
A New Approach to
Communication
38 MARKETING
Seven Questions to Ask
Before You Commit
features
WORD-A-GANZA 21
VAR PROFILE 26 Innovia Consulting
28 FEATURE
Partner-to-Partner Learning
at PreGAME to Summit
LOGO CONTEST 41
ISV PROFILE 42 Data Masons Software
THE GENIUS SERIES 44 Marketing Class Update
PHOTO CAPTION 48 CONTEST AND RESULTS
Table of Contents
Oopsie – no winner for the summer
issue. Want to know why? We…
err…forgot to hide a logo. But we
promise, one is hidden now!
SALES
Why Change
I
Sales, Marketing &
Leadership Intros
Let’s give it another try. The submission rules
for this quarter’s contest are the same – log
on to www.thepartnerchannel.com/magazine
under “Find the Logo Contest” to let us know
where you think the logo is located. A winner
will be drawn at random and will receive a
PHOTO CAPTION
contest
Is there a doctor in
the house? The User
Group Summits feature
“medics” that help
answer user questions.
What do you think is the
most popular question
this group of medics
received?
Email your caption
to Jenny at Jenny@
thepartnerchannel.
com. Submissions will
be judged on creativity,
relevance, and sense of
humor. The prize for this
contest is two (2) tickets
to your local cinema.
Photo Caption
Page
t department to get its budget re-allocat
d clients have a committed marketing b
tivities if your marketing team always h
o it. If you don’t know what your marke
you figure it out.
t to try new things. Asking these sev
r marketing investments. I also recomm
you can shift dollars around and have s
t idea that you want to participate in. K
the fit isn’t right.
Contact the marketing tornado at Amach
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Each Article
cool gift that’s sure to point you in the right
direction every day!
Any graphics that have the
TPC logo as a main element
40 FALL 2016 | THEPARTNERCHANNEL.COM