Doing it All Again: Reflections and Wisdom with Professor Mark

We've spent the last 9 episodes looking back. Now, we look forward. On the 10th and final episode of Rezzer Rewind, Resultant CEO Greg Layok previews Resultant's next chapter. When Greg joined Resultant in 2023, he brought with him an impressive track record of growing consulting firms at the highest levels. He's also super smart, down-to-earth, and very optimistic about what the future holds. Spoiler alert: The road ahead is paved with possibility.   In his conversation with Mark, you'll hear: What attracted Greg to Resultant in the first place Greg's vision for Resultant Why it's important to have fun while doing consulting    Follow Greg Layok on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-layok-41b28/    [02:06 - 04:01] Meet Greg Layok, Resultant CEO [04:02 - 08:15] Why Greg decided to continue his consulting career at Resultant [08:16 - 11:10] What struck Greg in his first six months; "accelerating the vision" [11:11 - 14:54] What's special about Resultant's entrepreneurial spirit and outcomes focus [14:55 - 17:12] Looking ahead: What's next for Resultant [17:13 - 21:28] Growing people in the "Resultant Way" and empowering employees [21:44 - 23:38] "Freedom within a framework"   [23:38 - 27:20] How we'll grow while moving fast and taking advantage of emerging tech [27:30 - 28:52] Greg's advice: Take care of each other and have fun [29:23 - 36:24] Mark & Kate's Takes: focusing on what matters; creating value  

They say hindsight is 20/20, which is exactly why reflection is so important. On the penultimate episode of Rezzer Rewind, former Resultant CEO Mark Caswell reflects on a 5-year period of growth and change.    In his conversation with Kate, you'll hear:  Highs and lows of leading a growing business What Mark would keep the same and change if he could go back and do it all over again Well-earned career advice and wisdom    Find Mark Caswell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markocaswell/   [00:33 - 01:43 ] Mark's massive impact [01:53 - 06:52] Proud moments and what we got right "on purpose" [06:52 - 11:51] What Mark would have done better or sooner  [11:52 - 13:53] Why "process" doesn't equal inflexibility [13:54 - 16:51] The crux of "client satisfaction:" Change-making [17:56 - 19:28] Career advice with Professor Mark: "Care and try" [19:29 - 21:33] Your career is long. You have time. [22:14 - 25:08] Spend time "in depth" [25:14 - 27:37] Never follow your ego. Always follow your curiosity. [27:38 - 30:34] Joy is found in striving, not arriving [30:37 - 34:48] Be you.  

What's in a name? Contrary to Shakespeare's iconic line, names matter.  In 2020, the consultancy founded under Katz, Sapper & Miller decided it was time for an identity all its own.  But rather than thinking about what would "sell," it instead focused on what was true. On this episode of Rezzer Rewind, rebrand pioneer Mary Catharine Grau shares why the Resultant brand was developed to reflect Rezzers, rather than attract customers.    You'll hear: How Mary Catharine applied Resultant's problem-solving approach to the brand Why a prospective name was a total bust A little-known story of how the rebrand almost didn't happen   Find Mary Catharine Grau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marycatharinegrau/    [02:06 - 05:53] Meet Mary Catharine Grau, consultant and Resultant's first marketer [06:54 - 10:03] Pivotal pieces of the new brand [10:04 - 13:08] Why a brand is the outward reflection of values [13:11 - 15:56] How we knew it was time to "be ourselves" [16:00 - 19:21] A "people-centric" approach to rebranding [19:22 - 22:17] What's in a name? [22:17 - 25:31] Why branding for an external audience misses the point [25:34 - 27:37] How a hiccup caused a difficult but necessary pivot [27:44 - 31:25] Resultant: deeply technical AND deeply human [31:29 - 37:26] Mark & Kate's takes: making the brand your own as it evolves  

When you read about M&A in the news, it usually comes across as very "spreadsheety." Black and white. Hard numbers. Dollar signs. But the headlines only tell one side of the story.  M&A is really about people—blending two separate organizations with distinct cultures, values, and goals into a one, unified team. It's a deeply human process, and one that triggers a lot of emotions. Between 2019 and 2022, Resultant acquired four companies. ConnectThink was the first; Teknion, the last.  On this episode of Rezzer Rewind, you'll hear raw, human perspectives from both. Justin Bolles (ConnectThink) and Will Grey (Teknion) join Mark to share reflections and behind-the-scenes stories. You'll hear how the ConnectThink acquisition almost didn't happen, Resultant "accidental values" in action, and all the emotional ups and downs along the way.    Find Justin and Will on LinkedIn: Will Grey, Resultant VP of Data Services: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willgrey/ Justin Bolles, Resultant Principal Architect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinbolles/    Jump In: [02:50 - 04:20] Meet Justin Bolles, principal architect and former partner at ConnectThink [04:43 - 06:17] Meet Will Grey, VP of data services and former Teknion client success managing director [07:54 - 09:19] How acquisitions can easily become unmitigated disasters [09:21 - 13:40] Why ConnectThink joined Resultant: Tech agnosticism alignment [14:05 - 20:47] Why Teknion joined Resultant: Deep values alignment  [21:36 - 28:35] The human, emotional journey of getting acquired [29:08 - 34:00] Speed bumps, missteps, and challenges [34:01 - 37:27] The difficulties of a "verbal" culture; accidental values in action [37:27 - 40:16] How geography & remote work impacted acquisition transitions [40:16 - 41:47] Justin's favorite story: Scrotal circumference  [41:48 - 42:30] Will's favorite story: Cowboy Christmas party [42:49 - 50:24] Mark & Kate's takes: The underappreciated, underrepresented aspects of M&A  

Conventional wisdom would say that talent acquisition and recruiting is HR's job. Not at Resultant. Since the beginning, finding exceptional people has been everyone's job.  And as VP of Talent Kate Gerber put it, this approach lent itself to a culture where growth and development were "baked in" versus the icing on top.   In the sixth installment of Rezzer Rewind, you'll hear how Resultant's career and talent philosophies have evolved over time—earning the org many "top workplace" designations along the way. Kate gets vulnerable about "living on the edge of her capability" and continuing to show up through the messy parts of growing a business.     Find Kate Gerber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-gerber-8606b226/    Jump In [00:32 - 04:15] Meet Kate Gerber, Resultant VP of Talent [04:17 - 06:51] Why you should be living on the edge of your capability in your career [06:51 - 10:06] What all thriving Rezzers have in common [10:07 - 13:03] Mark was terrible at HR [13:03 - 14:52] Why recruiting and talent acquisition is everyone's job [14:53 - 17:08] "Showing up through the messy parts" of a fast-growing business [17:08 - 19:15] Finding great people without knowing where they would fit [19:16 - 22:07] Hiring mistakes and missteps along the way [22:11 - 24:15] The Operations vs. Delivery Civil war [24:29 - 27:50] Why the brand matters for talent above all else; Mission vision values are alive and well [27:51 - 32:17] How the career development function has evolved: Career Pathways [32:56 - 37:35] Mark & Kate's takes: Bold "yes's;" early chaos; focusing on the right things  

Consulting often gets a bad rap in pop culture. Some consultants are portrayed as full of hot air—all style and no substance. Others: cold, calculating, and profit-driven. Neither represents the reality of being a Resultant consultant. So, what makes for a great consultant? How do they think? What do they do? We talked to two phenomenal consultants to find out. Jess Carter, Resultant VP of Client Experience & Delivery Operations and host of the Data-Driven Leadership podcast, has spent the last 10 years leading data projects where the stakes were (sometimes) life and death.   Ryan Gould, VP of Managed Services Sales and Solutions and the unofficial "411 of IT," has been building Resultant's MSP practice for more than 14 years—first as a consultant and then as a leader. In their conversation with Mark, Jess, and Ryan discuss how they built their consulting careers and "wow'd" clients along the way.   Find Jess and Ryan on LinkedIn: Jess Carter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaccarter/ Ryan Gould: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-t-gould/   Jump in: [02:40 - 05:22] Ryan Gould's Resultant origin story [05:50 - 08:37] Jess Carter's Resultant origin story [08:37 - 10:58] Why experience "on the front lines" helps "behind the scenes" [11:00 - 18:30] The characteristics, approach, and purpose of a great consultant [18:30 - 20:51] Why consulting is really anthropology and takes practice [20:53 - 26:44] Getting fired and how to fail as a consultant [26:45 - 32:44] The impoirtance of authentic expertise and partnership  [32:53 - 38:41] Jess & Ryan's favorite projects with phenomenal outcomes [38:41 - 41:24] How great consultants think about and manage time [42:23 - 43:48] Ryan's advice for new consultants: It's a relationships game [43:49 - 47:12] Jess's advice for new consultants: Find mentors and choose what to value [47:55 - 50:17] Why the only person who can limit your career is you [51:19 - 57:39] Mark & Kate's takes: Curiosity; asking questions; listening; "inspire and teach"

It's not hard to start a consulting firm. Hence, there are a lot of consulting firms. But there are not a lot of consulting firms that have grown as consistently as Resultant has.  Between the beginning of 2019 and the end of 2022, Resultant: Acquired four companies in four different cities Grew its workforce from 60 employees to over 500  More than doubled revenue  Grew organically by 25% per year and inorganically by 10% per year Established itself as a leader in shaping how public and private sector organizations unlock opportunities with data and technology The big question is: why? What makes Resultant different? Why did Resultant grow while others didn't?  In the fourth installment of Rezzer Rewind, Mark taps long-timer rezzers Josh Wakefield and Ryan Achterberg to answer this question. "Berg" was Resultant's first employee on the IT MSP side, and employee #11 "Wakes" started project managed the firm's very first public sector client.    In their conversation, you'll hear: How nobody knew what they were doing (at first) and why that ended up being critical to Resultant's success Where Resultant's obsession with understanding—and solving—problems came from What it looks like to "own" outcomes from a (very) long-term perspective How great consulting saves lives and companies   Follow Josh Wakefield and Ryan Achterberg on LinkedIn: Josh "Wakes" Wakefield: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-wakefield-625b1710/ Ryan "Berg" Achterberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanachterberg/    Jump in: [02:09 - 04:44] Ryan Achterberg's Resultant origin story [04:45 - 05:50] Josh Wakefield's Resultant origin story [06:08 - 10:23] There are a lot of IT MSPs. Why did clients choose Resultant? [10:24 - 14:00] An entrepreneurial and curiosity-driven approach to problem-solving [14:00 - 16:21] Why did Resultant win in the public sector? [16:42 - 19:58] "Make it happen:" What empathy and ownership look like in practice [19:58 - 22:35] Value exchange: Why businesses exist  [22:36 - 25:27] Resultant's unique and non-traditional blend of talented humans [25:28 - 29:54] Owning outcomes from a long-term perspective to create a better future [30:31 - 33:17] Great public sector consulting: Indiana COVID project [33:18 - 35:19] Great IT MSP consulting: saving a company from a rogue IT employee [36:08 - 40:45] Mark and Kate's takes: A beginner's mind; thoughtfulness; a note on revisionist history

Let's be honest: A lot of company core values are just words on a wall.  It's rare to find core values embedded in employees' organic, day-to-day lived experience. It's even rarer when a company's clients and vendors are just as well-versed in its values as employees.  And it's EXTREMELY rare when an organization is willing to be honest with itself about its "aspirational" and "accidental" values. In this episode, you'll hear Resultant's innovative president John Roach describe how Resultant came to be all of the above. John was key to the hard and important process of putting unspoken values into words as the company grew—and then revisiting them year after year.   You'll hear John discuss: The difficulty translating abstract values into concrete terms Why having 14 values is the same as having zero  The importance of honestly examining "accidental" and "aspirational" values Why Design Thinking isn't a workshop but a cultural mindset    Find John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmroach/    Jump In:  [00:33 - 04:40] John Roach's road to Resultant  [05:32 - 07:12] Where Resultant's values came from [08:43 - 10:49] "If you have 14 values, you have zero values" [10:50 - 13:03] The aspirational values realization [13:04 - 17:52] Accidental values: things we value that we wish we didn't  [18:10 - 24:27] Let's get this straight: Design Thinking isn't a workshop [24:27 - 28:34] John's #1 piece of career advice [30:37 - 34:50] The importance of precision of language and ongoing discovery   Additional Resources: Design Thinking 101: https://resultant.com/about/approach/design-thinking/ More on Resultant's approach and core values: https://resultant.com/about/approach/   

Who doesn't love a good plot twist? Mark Caswell's story has a few. Resultant's second CEO stumbled into consulting after starting his career in aerospace engineering. Following his curiosity, Mark landed at Resultant, thinking it would be a quick stopover. Six years later, he found himself in the cockpit—right as the business was really taking off. It was exciting. It was terrifying. But through it all, Mark brought wisdom and a sense of groundedness to every role he's held—even the ones without a formal title.  In his conversation with Kate, Mark gets vulnerable about the ups, downs, and everything in between. You'll hear him spill secrets and hard-earned wisdom about consulting, curiosity, and careers that can benefit just about anyone.   Jump In: [01:49 - 06:30] A curious problem-solver enters the workforce [06:31 - 09:45] October 14, 2013 [09:52 -14:24] A surprise promotion [14:25 - 17:13] Great people matter. A lot.  [17:14 - 22:23] Growing pains: the consequences of too little structure too late [22:24 - 26:08] Mark's last chapter at Resultant and what's next [26:25 - 30:35] Your career is long. Go learn.   Keep up with Mark and Kate on LinkedIn: Mark Caswell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markocaswell/  Kate Jaramillo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejara/

Reflection is one of the most powerful yet untapped resources for success. It makes sense. Business is moving fast. Technology is moving faster. But it's tough to know where you're going without reflecting on where you've been.  As a 15-year-old consulting firm prepares for its next chapter, we decided to turn back the clock and peel back the curtain to unravel the secrets of our success.  In this 10-episode series, you'll hear former Resultant CEO Mark Caswell and thought leadership sidekick Kate Jaramillo discuss—with some familiar Rezzer voices chiming in. We'll explore the intricacies of building an exceptional consulting firm—and the art of being an exceptional consultant. And we'll take a raw, honest look at the mistakes and setbacks along the way. Through stories of trials and triumphs, we'll craft a vision to carry forward into the future. Let's begin!   Jump In: [01:16 - 02:42] Meet co-host Kate Jaramillo [04:02 - 06:33] Resultant's origin story [06:35 - 09:35] The public sector practice is born [09:36 - 12:44] IT MSP comes online [15:33 - 16:43] Meet co-host Mark Caswell [16:44 - 19:15] Why this podcast exists [19:17 - 21:45] Episodes to get excited about    Keep up with Mark and Kate on LinkedIn: Mark Caswell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markocaswell/  Kate Jaramillo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejara/