The document discusses the traits of an effective channel chief. It identifies 9 key attributes that word-class channel chiefs possess: organizational influence, business acumen, decisive leadership, technological savvy, personal integrity, infectious optimism. It provides examples and descriptions of each trait. The document concludes by stating that those who have succeeded as a channel chief often regard it as the best job they've had, and possessing the right mix of traits can allow one to thrive in that role.

1. GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

2. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
“Hang In
There, Baby”

3. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

4. (BAD) LEADERSHIP TRAITS

5. PERFECTIONISM
While there are clearly
situations where being perfect
is critical, in most situations
encouraging people to be
thoughtful, yet take chances
and achieve success—or at
worst, “fail fast”—is a far better
approach.
— Mike Crest, CEO, Arcserve

6. GOD AND SUPERMAN
If you've got to be the smartest
guy in the room, odds are
you're not willing to teach
others—or worse, you're not
willing to learn from others.
— Rob Consoli, Chief Revenue
Officer, Liasion

7. STRATEGERY
Strategic planning is based
on traditional concepts of
planning, decision-making
and problem solving. But in
large companies leaders
often spend too much time
planning and not enough time
taking action!
— Traci Pallas, VP Channel
Sales, illusive networks

8. PENTON, INFORMA & ME

9. WHAT’S YOUR CHANNEL QUOTIENT (CQ)?
How does one dress for
the cover of CQ
magazine?

10. NINE CLASS ATTRIBUTES OF A
WORD-CLASS CHANNEL CHIEF

12. ORGANIZATIONAL INFLUENCE
Being a channel chief requires more
than just getting along with others; it
sometimes requires compelling them
to work on your behalf. This includes
powerful leaders within an
organization that have different if not
competing agendas.

13. ORGANIZATIONAL INFLUENCE
1. Do you play well with others?
2. Can you work across cross-functional
lines and motivate others that do not
report to you?
3. Can you secure promises including
funding, commitment and talent to
work on your behalf throughout your
own organization?

14. BUSINESS ACUMEN
1. A data-driven mindset and the ability to think broadly
and clearly at scale.
2. An understanding not only of sales models, but also
marketing, customer experiences, social media, partner
satisfaction and macro economics.
3. An understanding of the dynamics of partner
recruitment, recognition and reward.
4. An ability to master more than your employer’s
economics; you also have to immerse yourself in your
partners’ finances no matter their size, focus or territory.

15. DECISIVE LEADERSHIP
From time to time, the job
requires you to change the rules
of engagement, reduce the
awards you provide to your most
deserving allies and even
alienate the affections of your
own peers inside your company.

16. TECHNOLOGICAL SAVVY
If you cannot discern the difference
between sustaining innovations and
disruptive ones or articulate a plan for
digitization or artificial intelligence, you’re
going to lag behind other channel chiefs in
the industry. At a certain level within an
organization, every executive is a
technologist, channel chiefs included.

17. PERSONAL INTEGRITY
Partnering is personal—so much so
that you better have the ability to
speak truthfully when you have
good and bad news to share.
Managing partners often means
meeting them at their offices,
listening to their concerns and
embracing their ambitions. Bear in
mind some of these partners will
represent your competitors. Others,
meanwhile, will waver in their
commitments or execution. And
some just won’t buy what you are
selling.

18. INFECTIOUS OPTIMISM
Though it’s hard to define,
infectious enthusiasm is
unmistakably obvious when you
see it. It’s the ability to pull
partners to places where they
wouldn’t otherwise go. It’s the
confidence to take on larger
competitors, the instinct to learn
on the fly and the cunning to
change course quickly.

19. ADD IT ALL UP
Those who have prevailed as a
channel chief and later moved
on often say it’s the best job
they have ever had. If you have
the right Channel Quotient, you
may one day be able to say the
same.

20. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
Q&A

21. CHANNEL 2017
1. Enable the next wave of technology
innovation and delivery via new
business models that revolve around
recurring revenue.
2. Identify, study and engage the
channel partners of the future that
concentrate their energies around
next-generation software vendor
ecosystems managed by the likes of
Salesforce, Amazon Web Services,
Google and others.
3. Prepare a new generation of
entrepreneurs and workers for
successful careers in technology
integration and development through
education, outreach and collaboration.