How Should We Create a Clear Vision for Our MSP Team?
By Ian Richardson, Principal Consultant, Fox & Crow Group
Why Vision Is Management’s #1 Job
I'm a big fan of Peter Drucker. Many people — myself included — refer to him as the Godfather of Management. His influence on the field is immeasurable. If you haven’t yet read his essays in Harvard Business Review, do it.
One of his essays breaks down how to lead and manage knowledge workers — which is the backbone of any modern MSP team. Here's the crux of it:
"The primary driver of productivity is the use of knowledge. And that knowledge resides in the worker themselves."
That’s a huge deal. Especially in a service-based environment like a managed service provider, where your team’s brainpower is the deliverable.
Drucker drops one of his most important truths in that same essay:
Vision is management’s number one priority.
Vision ≠ MSP Revenue Goal
Vision is a tricky topic for a lot of MSP leaders. Too often, I find it’s either murky or entirely absent. You’ll see things like:
“We’ll grow to $5M in revenue.”
Or maybe even a snappy tagline: “To 5 in 5.”
These are measurable goals — fine for planning. But they don’t inspire your MSP team to perform at their best.
Here’s the reality:
Your engineers and account managers aren’t energized by spreadsheets or EBITDA.
They’re not rallying around the latest forecast.
They’re not showing up just to grow MSP revenue targets.
They want to make a difference — for their families, their communities, and their clients.
A real MSP company vision connects business performance with personal purpose.
It tells a story of how company success improves the lives of your team, your clients, and the community you serve.
If you want your MSP team aligned, motivated, and bought in — that’s your job.
Team alignment in your MSP is essential at all stages of growth, and misaligned objectives or unclear vision leads to unpredictable outcomes.
Your team likely doesn't care much about the value of your MSP at exit unless they're incentivized and motivated to do so.
If your vision includes a life-changing exit, culture will the reason you get there.
Why MSP Leadership Must Prioritize Vision
If you're asking yourself, "How should we create a clear vision for our MSP team?", you're already ahead of the curve.
Lack of vision leads to confusion, disengagement, and inconsistent execution.
Without clarity, MSP employees fill in the blanks with their own beliefs about where the company is headed. As Dr. Larry Little wrote in Make a Difference:
“Given identical facts, a group of 10 individuals can come up with 10 different viewpoints on what happened — and why.”
That gap comes from:
- Unique personal backgrounds
- Individual hopes, fears, and aspirations
- Differing interpretations of strategy
If your team is working toward different versions of the future, the result is chaos — and your MSP’s budget is funding the disconnect.
A clearly communicated MSP company vision:
- Reduces fear, uncertainty, and doubt
- Aligns personal goals with business outcomes
- Gets your entire MSP team rowing in the same direction
Maintaining Your MSP Vision
Even a well-defined vision doesn’t last long if it’s not reinforced. MSP teams operate in fast-moving environments — projects shift, tools evolve, and priorities change. Your company vision has to anchor it all.
"Consistency leads to comprehension. Comprehension leads to results."
Here’s how I recommend keeping your MSP company vision front and center:
- Review it regularly with your leadership team
- Identify “W.I.N.s” (What’s Important Now) — credit to Lou Holtz
- Map business milestones back to vision goals
- Share progress updates org-wide, consistently
If you want your people to internalize the direction, you have to repeat it until they do.
(That's why leaders put their vision on the walls/shirts/swag)
Need Help Defining Vision for Your MSP?
If you’re asking “how should we create a clear vision for our MSP team,” that’s your cue to start the work.
Let’s schedule a chat and build something actionable together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t my MSP team resonate with revenue goals?
MSP revenue goals are typically internal metrics. Vision connects everyday work to something bigger — impact, purpose, future stability — which is what your team actually cares about.
How often should an MSP revisit its company vision?
Most MSPs benefit from a quarterly cadence — aligned with planning and performance reviews. But even monthly check-ins can reinforce direction without creating vision fatigue.
What if our MSP leadership team isn’t aligned?
If your MSP leadership team isn’t aligned, start with a strategy session to clarify what success actually looks like. You can't align your team if the leadership layer is misaligned.
How can I help my managers reinforce our MSP vision daily?
Embed it into your management rhythm: weekly team meetings, 1:1s, performance reviews. Make sure every leader can connect tactical goals to your broader MSP company vision.
