In Episode 158 of “The Trusted Advisor,” RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with Andy Szanger, the Director of Strategic Industries at RSPA member CDW, to discuss his journey developing strategy, people, and leadership skills across an over three-decade retail technology career.
“The Trusted Advisor,” powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), is an award-winning content series designed specifically for retail IT VARs and software providers. Our goal is to educate you on the topics of leadership, management, hiring, sales, and other small business best practices. For more insights, visit the RSPA blog at www.GoRSPA.org.
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Full episode transcript via Apple Podcasts:
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Roddy: Hi, Jim Roddy here from the RSPA.
00:00:02.700 –> 00:00:05.860
Roddy: Wanted to chat with you for a minute before we start today’s podcast.
00:00:05.900 –> 00:00:16.140
Roddy: To make sure you’re aware that registration is open for RetailNOW 2026, the Retail Technology Channel’s number one trade show, education conference, and networking event.
00:00:16.140 –> 00:00:21.520
Roddy: Join RSPA and Retail IT Channel leaders live and in person, July 26th through the 28th.
00:00:21.520 –> 00:00:29.640
Roddy: It’ll be here before you know it, in Las Vegas at the new Caesars Forum Convention Center, attached to Harrah’s and the Link Hotel.
00:00:29.640 –> 00:00:35.560
Roddy: With nearly 200 exhibiting organizations, RetailNOW will be one-stop shopping for VARS and ISVs.
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Roddy: With an expected 1,600 or more attendees, it’s the place for extreme industry connectivity.
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Roddy: Across just 48 hours, you’ll meet new partners and new solution providers who can accelerate the success of your business.
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Roddy: If you’re serious about the Retail IT Channel, you have to act now and you have to attend RetailNOW 2026.
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Roddy: Again, July 26th through the 28th in Las Vegas, RetailNOW is where the industry meets.
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Roddy: For all the details, visit the RetailNOW website today at gorsp.org/retail now.
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Roddy: That’s gorsp.org/retail now.
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Roddy: We hope to see you there and I hope you enjoy this special episode featuring a RetailNOW speaker.
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Roddy: Welcome to another episode of The Trusted Advisor Podcast and Video Series, powered by the Retail Solutions Providers Association.
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Roddy: Our goal on the pod is to accelerate the success of today’s and tomorrow’s leaders in the retail IT industry.
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Roddy: I’m Jim Roddy back with you again.
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Roddy: Thank you so much for joining us.
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Roddy: As always, we talk with leaders in the retail IT channel about their leadership journeys and what they’ve learned along the way.
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Roddy: In this episode, we’ll talk with Andy Szanger, the Director of Strategic Industries at RSPA member CDW, where he’s been a team member for over 31 years.
00:01:55.325 –> 00:02:02.305
Roddy: He’s regarded as a top retail IT thought leader, and has presented an NRS big show in New York seven times.
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Roddy: This summer, he’ll be one of several retail IT channel industry experts, presenting at RetailNOW 2026, July 26th through 28th in Las Vegas.
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Roddy: Andy is part of a breakout titled, What Enterprise Buyers Need from VARs and ISVs.
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Roddy: Andy, welcome to The Trusted Advisor.
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Szanger: Yeah, thanks Jim.
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Szanger: Thanks for having me here today.
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Szanger: I’m really looking forward to the conversation.
00:02:23.365 –> 00:02:24.285
Roddy: Yeah, right back at you.
00:02:24.285 –> 00:02:29.605
Roddy: Our paths have crossed from times, but I’m glad we get to dive in and talk in depth.
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Roddy: Before we talk leadership in particular, I’m hoping you can help our listeners and viewers better understand both you and CDW.
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Roddy: CDW is not the typical RSPA member.
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Roddy: Can you talk, where does CDW fit in the retail IT channel?
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Szanger: Yeah, I agree with you, Jim.
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Szanger: I feel sometimes we are in a pretty unique space when we’re at some of the events, and I think we have a unique value proposition because we really sit between the customer and a lot of the vendors out there.
00:02:59.785 –> 00:03:07.825
Szanger: So we have a broad selection of products and solutions, as well as IT services to help support our clients.
00:03:07.825 –> 00:03:22.465
Szanger: We really work directly with our clients on everything from strategy, ideation and design, to procurement, staging, deployment, implementation, integration, and even ongoing managed services to support every area of their business.
00:03:23.205 –> 00:03:34.445
Szanger: I think we have a significant services business that spans across end-user services, infrastructure business, but also a lot of things that I think a lot of people don’t realize.
00:03:34.445 –> 00:03:38.685
Szanger: For instance, we do a lot of work with commerce platforms.
00:03:39.445 –> 00:03:41.365
Szanger: We help out with PCI compliance.
00:03:41.365 –> 00:03:45.925
Szanger: We’re actually a QSA, which is something that a lot of people probably don’t realize.
00:03:46.525 –> 00:03:50.865
Szanger: We help with key injection services and really every area of the retail business.
00:03:51.105 –> 00:03:59.965
Szanger: And I find that after being here for over 30 years, many people have a very limited view in some cases of who CDW is and what we do.
00:04:00.165 –> 00:04:07.785
Szanger: And in many cases, it’s an outdated view where they think of us as someone who is, some cases, some people even think of us as a distributor because we’re so large.
00:04:08.865 –> 00:04:15.385
Szanger: But really, we are working directly with retailers, helping them to use technology as a competitive advantage for their brands.
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Roddy: Got it.
00:04:16.545 –> 00:04:17.065
Roddy: Thank you for that.
00:04:17.065 –> 00:04:26.525
Roddy: And it seems like the challenge when we’ve talked to resellers over the years, no matter how big like you or how small, is their customers or partners know them as one thing.
00:04:26.685 –> 00:04:29.785
Roddy: And then that understanding never moves from year to year.
00:04:29.785 –> 00:04:32.445
Roddy: Like you have to constantly update them on what you’re doing.
00:04:32.445 –> 00:04:34.865
Roddy: It sounds like that’s a big challenge for CDW.
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Roddy: Like you outlined a lot of things.
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Roddy: And I bet a lot of our listeners are like, I didn’t know that they did that.
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Roddy: Is that an understanding, is that accurate?
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Szanger: Yeah, absolutely.
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Szanger: As a leader of the company, we joke a lot of times, we’ll go along on a meeting.
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Szanger: And it’s very rare for us to leave a meeting without someone saying about something we spoke about, oh wow, I didn’t realize you do that.
00:04:54.645 –> 00:04:58.825
Szanger: And it’s tough because we do touch so many different areas of the business.
00:04:59.725 –> 00:05:08.185
Szanger: So that’s part of the job that we do is to try to make sure that we’re educating people on what we do and how we partner together to help drive the industry forward.
00:05:08.785 –> 00:05:09.065
Roddy: Got it.
00:05:09.065 –> 00:05:09.485
Roddy: Interesting.
00:05:09.485 –> 00:05:11.725
Roddy: Well, thank you for level setting that for everybody.
00:05:11.725 –> 00:05:14.025
Roddy: So talking about you individually.
00:05:14.025 –> 00:05:18.265
Roddy: So when I was preparing for this discussion today, looked at your LinkedIn profile, right?
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Roddy: That’s the new way that you research people.
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Roddy: Two items really jumped out to me.
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Roddy: The first was a description of you as a retail AI strategist.
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Roddy: So I’d love to hear your thoughts on what tier and what’s around the corner for AI and retail from your perspective.
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Roddy: But the second one that jumped out to me is, said you attended Berkeley College of Music.
00:05:36.765 –> 00:05:44.665
Roddy: Now, I haven’t fully investigated this, but I suspect the Berkeley Music to RSPA number pipeline isn’t a very well-traveled path.
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Roddy: So which of those do you want to dive into first in terms of your AI background or the music background?
00:05:50.025 –> 00:05:51.065
Roddy: I’m curious about both.
00:05:51.425 –> 00:05:51.665
Szanger: Yeah.
00:05:51.665 –> 00:05:57.905
Szanger: Why don’t we start with music, I think, because that leads into a little bit of my origin story about how I wound up here actually.
00:05:57.905 –> 00:06:01.165
Szanger: So absolutely correct.
00:06:01.165 –> 00:06:02.405
Szanger: I went to Berkeley College of Music.
00:06:02.405 –> 00:06:03.625
Szanger: I’m a lifelong musician.
00:06:04.505 –> 00:06:09.745
Szanger: My grandfather was a musician, so he played drums in a jazz band.
00:06:09.745 –> 00:06:12.225
Szanger: He was in World War II on an aircraft carrier.
00:06:12.545 –> 00:06:21.785
Szanger: At nights when he wasn’t tending to his duties, he played in a jazz band to entertain his fellow military comrades.
00:06:22.885 –> 00:06:27.725
Szanger: So when I was about five years old, he put a pair of drumsticks in my hand and started teaching me how to play jazz.
00:06:27.725 –> 00:06:29.345
Szanger: So I grew up playing.
00:06:29.825 –> 00:06:34.965
Szanger: Of course, as any young adult would do, I migrated from jazz over to rock.
00:06:35.365 –> 00:06:39.625
Szanger: And I was off and running and played in bands my whole life.
00:06:39.685 –> 00:06:46.125
Szanger: Went off to Berkeley, had an amazing experience there playing and wound up coming home.
00:06:46.125 –> 00:06:50.505
Szanger: And fortunately, my father passed away along the way while I was still in school.
00:06:50.645 –> 00:06:53.405
Szanger: And so I dove more into work and a career.
00:06:54.345 –> 00:06:56.765
Szanger: But at the time, I was playing in a band.
00:06:56.765 –> 00:06:58.345
Szanger: We got signed by a record label.
00:06:58.345 –> 00:07:11.125
Szanger: We were touring and opening for some amazing bands and played some of the great rock clubs of all time like CBGVs in New York and the Stone Pony in New Jersey and all across the country.
00:07:11.125 –> 00:07:18.225
Szanger: And at the same time, a few of the guys I was playing in a band with actually were working in the technology industry.
00:07:18.945 –> 00:07:20.965
Szanger: I at the time was working in retail.
00:07:21.305 –> 00:07:29.365
Szanger: And long story that we could get into another time, but I was working as an assistant store manager in charge of operations.
00:07:29.905 –> 00:07:32.445
Szanger: This is back in the early 90s.
00:07:32.845 –> 00:07:37.845
Szanger: And Walmart had moved into the Northeast and started putting a lot of companies out of business.
00:07:37.845 –> 00:07:39.565
Szanger: I don’t think I need to tell anyone that story.
00:07:40.425 –> 00:07:47.845
Szanger: But I was there during that time and the senior vice president of our company came down to close down our location.
00:07:47.845 –> 00:07:55.065
Szanger: And I wound up spending about 10 days with them, walking the store and kind of helping them understand some of the things that were happening.
00:07:55.065 –> 00:07:57.505
Szanger: And he took a liking to me and took me under his wing.
00:07:57.665 –> 00:08:00.265
Szanger: I was fortunate, he asked me to come work for him directly.
00:08:00.725 –> 00:08:10.165
Szanger: What I didn’t realize I was signing up for at the time was to actually be the guy who was going around to a lot of different stores evaluating whether to keep them open or shut them down.
00:08:11.785 –> 00:08:20.545
Szanger: And quite honestly, something I was completely unqualified for at the time, but it taught me so much about the retail industry and what’s important to a retailer and how to evaluate the business.
00:08:21.125 –> 00:08:49.105
Szanger: And so that led me, as I eventually realized I was going to manage myself out of a job at some point, I went and worked with a few of the guys I was playing in a bandwidth, and I used that knowledge that I learned during those years to really lean into the retail industry and translate how those experiences translated into how to use technology as a competitive advantage for brands and help them innovate based on the experience that I had working in retail.
00:08:49.145 –> 00:08:56.405
Szanger: So it does kind of come full circle, so I thought maybe it makes sense to start there, but happy to talk more about that as if you have any questions.
00:08:56.745 –> 00:09:00.105
Roddy: Yeah, it’s interesting just the serendipity of life, right?
00:09:00.105 –> 00:09:09.925
Roddy: The way they say man makes plans, God laughs in that regard, like who would have thought one thing led to another, but it just shows if you put yourself out there and you got your head on a swivel, right?
00:09:09.925 –> 00:09:12.185
Roddy: You’re gonna find the right path for you.
00:09:12.365 –> 00:09:15.505
Roddy: I don’t know if you agree with that or not, but it was, you know, 100%.
00:09:16.465 –> 00:09:29.725
Szanger: Yeah, I think that if you would have told me 30-plus years ago that this is what I’d be doing today, I would have laughed at, you know, I actually, the first few times my friends asked me to come work with them, I told them, first of all, I’m not interested in technology.
00:09:29.925 –> 00:09:32.005
Szanger: And second of all, I’m not interested in sales.
00:09:32.005 –> 00:09:33.545
Szanger: Now, I was pretty young at the time.
00:09:33.545 –> 00:09:39.345
Szanger: And, you know, what I learned, though, once I dove into your point is that it all made sense to me, right?
00:09:39.705 –> 00:09:46.465
Szanger: I really enjoyed learning about the technology and figuring things out and then realizing the impact I can make on other businesses.
00:09:47.245 –> 00:09:56.725
Szanger: And really, it really turned into something that I’m passionate about and figuring out technology and how to help others understand how they can use it.
00:09:57.585 –> 00:09:58.385
Szanger: So I think it is.
00:09:58.545 –> 00:10:03.425
Szanger: And I’m a big believer that everyone is going to have challenges and things that come up in life, right?
00:10:03.545 –> 00:10:08.005
Szanger: And it’s about how do you respond to those challenges and what do you do with that, right?
00:10:08.025 –> 00:10:17.305
Szanger: You can either recoil and kind of shrivel down and be a victim, or you can kind of stand up and say, okay, this is what I have.
00:10:17.305 –> 00:10:23.985
Szanger: Let me figure out, how do I make the most out of what’s presented to me and make an opportunity out of sometimes what could be diversity.
00:10:24.365 –> 00:10:24.605
Roddy: Yeah.
00:10:24.605 –> 00:10:31.065
Roddy: So that could be a perfect transition into the second part of the question was about your role as a retail AI strategist.
00:10:31.065 –> 00:10:36.805
Roddy: We see some folks talking about, it’s going to ruin and they give this long list of things that it’s going to ruin.
00:10:36.845 –> 00:10:40.545
Roddy: A lot of folks see it as an opportunity and they’re seizing that.
00:10:40.545 –> 00:10:46.625
Roddy: So what’s your take on, again, what’s here and what’s around the corner for AI in retail and in the retail IT channel?
00:10:47.205 –> 00:10:47.645
Szanger: Yeah.
00:10:47.645 –> 00:10:52.625
Szanger: It’s funny that you call that out because I did not too long ago update my LinkedIn profile.
00:10:52.625 –> 00:10:59.305
Szanger: I felt like after 30 years, it was time for a refresh on there and it’s probably one of the pieces of information that’s on there that I’m least comfortable with.
00:11:02.245 –> 00:11:18.325
Szanger: Not that it doesn’t fit and not that I can’t live up to it, but it’s just one of those things that it is so new that it almost feels a little unnatural, but at the same time, after all the conversations I have with people all day long, that’s really what I talk about for a good majority of the conversations.
00:11:18.325 –> 00:11:20.185
Szanger: It’s what every retailer is talking about.
00:11:20.185 –> 00:11:24.225
Szanger: It’s what other people in the industry are talking about and everyone’s trying to figure it out.
00:11:25.385 –> 00:11:31.645
Szanger: I’ve had a few people really kind of tag me with that title, and so I kind of leaned into it a little bit.
00:11:34.005 –> 00:11:41.645
Szanger: But the reality of it is, I think that people are trying to figure out what’s real, what’s noise, and there’s a lot of noise, right?
00:11:41.645 –> 00:11:50.765
Szanger: If you go back two years ago at NRF, I think that everyone was trying to be a part of the AI movement, and that’s still the case, right?
00:11:50.765 –> 00:12:01.485
Szanger: But two years ago, I think if a company didn’t have an AI solution or if AI wasn’t in their name, they were adding.ai to the end of their name just to make it sound like they were part of the story.
00:12:01.565 –> 00:12:01.945
Roddy: Right.
00:12:02.225 –> 00:12:04.985
Roddy: Or highlighting AI in the word retail in their booth.
00:12:05.245 –> 00:12:05.705
Szanger: Exactly.
00:12:05.705 –> 00:12:06.825
Roddy: Look at us like AI.
00:12:06.885 –> 00:12:07.345
Roddy: Yeah.
00:12:07.425 –> 00:12:07.625
Szanger: Yeah.
00:12:07.625 –> 00:12:10.765
Szanger: There’s even some really big brands that did that, that we call out.
00:12:12.445 –> 00:12:16.745
Szanger: But I think when you fast forward to the year after that, there was still a lot of that noise.
00:12:17.505 –> 00:12:26.985
Szanger: But people were trying to, they’re starting to sort through that noise and figure out what’s real, because all those promises and claims that people made a year before just weren’t coming true.
00:12:27.125 –> 00:12:29.525
Szanger: And so you’re starting to figure out what can actually be done.
00:12:29.525 –> 00:12:33.025
Szanger: And now I think where we sit, people are starting to see an ROI.
00:12:33.045 –> 00:12:35.745
Szanger: They’re starting to recognize benefits from it.
00:12:36.005 –> 00:12:38.245
Szanger: And to your point, there is a lot of fear about AI.
00:12:38.245 –> 00:12:41.185
Szanger: I think that people don’t understand it.
00:12:41.345 –> 00:12:46.205
Szanger: And I know that you had Zach Cass, I think, recently on one of his podcasts.
00:12:46.345 –> 00:12:48.625
Szanger: And I don’t know if he had a chance to read his book.
00:12:49.545 –> 00:12:50.425
Szanger: It’s on my shelf.
00:12:50.425 –> 00:12:52.425
Roddy: I haven’t read it yet, but it’s next on the list.
00:12:52.745 –> 00:12:54.965
Szanger: Heidi recommended to everyone watching this.
00:12:55.285 –> 00:12:58.805
Szanger: And not just because he was on a previous podcast here, but great book.
00:12:59.585 –> 00:13:02.005
Szanger: I read it myself and I’ve seen him speak a few times.
00:13:03.105 –> 00:13:04.965
Szanger: And he makes a great point in the book.
00:13:05.685 –> 00:13:12.005
Szanger: And that is that there’s a difference between what the technology is ready for and what the people are ready to let it do.
00:13:12.005 –> 00:13:18.705
Szanger: And he calls it the difference between the technology gap and the societal gap and that adoption and readiness.
00:13:18.885 –> 00:13:31.885
Szanger: And I think that we’re still in a place where in general, people are using AI, they’re trying to figure out how to AI, but there’s a lot of apprehension around what it means for the future and how it will be used and will it replace my job?
00:13:31.885 –> 00:13:32.845
Szanger: Will it replace me?
00:13:33.525 –> 00:13:39.905
Szanger: And the reality of it is that I think the companies that are implementing AI most effectively aren’t looking to get rid of people.
00:13:39.905 –> 00:13:48.345
Szanger: I think there’s a lot of stories in the news that add to the fear, because some companies are doing layoffs and claiming that it’s because of AI.
00:13:48.985 –> 00:13:56.065
Szanger: The reality of it is those companies that are most effective are actually using AI to augment the work that their people are doing.
00:13:56.905 –> 00:13:59.685
Szanger: And there certainly will be some people that lose their jobs.
00:13:59.685 –> 00:14:06.605
Szanger: I don’t want to minimize that, because I’m sure there’s some people sitting out there that may have lost their jobs to AI, but that shouldn’t be the goal of companies.
00:14:06.785 –> 00:14:09.465
Szanger: It’s about how do I make my people more effective?
00:14:09.465 –> 00:14:14.585
Szanger: Because at the end of the day, the people are the competitive advantage of really good brands.
00:14:14.765 –> 00:14:21.405
Szanger: It’s that individual thought, so how can I take those meaningless tasks off of people’s plate so that they can do more meaningful work?
00:14:21.405 –> 00:14:25.725
Szanger: In retail, it’s how do I get my associates to spend more time with my clients?
00:14:26.905 –> 00:14:39.705
Szanger: In the sales space for any of the bars, and even the ISVs watching, it’s about how do I automate those tasks that are taking my teams away from selling to their clients or assisting their clients and doing their engineering work?
00:14:40.745 –> 00:14:45.885
Szanger: I think that’s really what everyone’s trying to figure out, is how does this really impact my business?
00:14:46.025 –> 00:14:57.825
Szanger: Because when there’s too many companies in boardrooms out there that are trying to force a use case of AI, and trying to force AI to be used in their organization without understanding what they’re trying to achieve and really how to use it.
00:14:58.805 –> 00:14:59.225
Roddy: Amen.
00:14:59.665 –> 00:15:03.125
Roddy: If I can plug a few things that tie in with what Andy was talking about.
00:15:03.125 –> 00:15:09.385
Roddy: The book by Zach Cass is called The Next Renaissance, AI and the Expansion of Human Potential.
00:15:09.405 –> 00:15:12.265
Roddy: The podcast that he was a guest on was 153.
00:15:12.665 –> 00:15:27.565
Roddy: Then also if you want to dive into more about AI and the Retail IT channel and what the practical ROI that Andy was talking about, just Google RSPA AI Resource Hub and you’ll see a resource that was put together by a few dozen of our members there.
00:15:27.885 –> 00:15:29.825
Roddy: Well, thank you for taking us down that path.
00:15:29.885 –> 00:15:32.385
Roddy: Then tell us about your role at CDW.
00:15:32.745 –> 00:15:38.405
Roddy: It says on your LinkedIn profile, again, my work sits at the intersection of technology, strategy, and execution.
00:15:38.405 –> 00:15:43.265
Roddy: Before we talk about your leadership philosophies and practices, what are your responsibilities?
00:15:43.885 –> 00:15:45.505
Roddy: What do you do in day-to-day, week-to-week?
00:15:46.025 –> 00:15:46.505
Szanger: Yes.
00:15:46.505 –> 00:16:03.025
Szanger: I lead the teams that are responsible for developing our industry strategy, for identifying and developing new industry-specific solutions and services, and providing industry expertise directly to our clients as well as our internal teams, and in many cases, our partners as well.
00:16:03.185 –> 00:16:06.265
Szanger: My entire team is hired directly out of the industry.
00:16:06.925 –> 00:16:11.425
Szanger: Now, retail is my primary passion and my primary focus, I would say.
00:16:12.065 –> 00:16:18.405
Szanger: But my role is actually larger than that, so I have a retail team, but I am also building out teams for other industries as well.
00:16:19.265 –> 00:16:31.245
Szanger: We’ll stay focused on the retail case here, because again, that is really where my background was, and the work that I do in other industries was based on the foundational work I built for retail.
00:16:32.205 –> 00:16:43.925
Szanger: But we spent a lot of time directly with clients, talking to them about what they’re looking to achieve in their strategy, and again, how to use AI and other technologies to achieve those business objectives and solve their challenges.
00:16:45.025 –> 00:16:54.665
Szanger: We spent a lot of time with our partners, many of them which are RSPA members, talking about what we can do together to help drive the industry forward.
00:16:54.665 –> 00:17:06.205
Szanger: We also spend time with associations like RSPA, and the NRF, and other industry associations to make sure we’re staying on top of the pulse of what’s happening, and ultimately trying to raise the level for everyone.
00:17:07.945 –> 00:17:08.765
Roddy: Does it help?
00:17:08.925 –> 00:17:11.925
Roddy: I can say this from being in my magazine publishing days.
00:17:12.125 –> 00:17:18.085
Roddy: We had a retail channel magazine, and then we had all sorts of other like enterprise, end-user, health care.
00:17:18.705 –> 00:17:28.145
Roddy: A lot of it didn’t apply, but there was some stuff that you could help you see around the corner, like the managed services world was always a couple steps ahead, technology-wise or the POS world.
00:17:28.245 –> 00:17:36.165
Roddy: Do you see that at times where there are things that you get from your teams, your experience, and other verticals that help you stay a step ahead in the retail space?
00:17:36.165 –> 00:17:37.365
Roddy: Can you talk about that at all?
00:17:37.665 –> 00:17:39.025
Szanger: Yeah, absolutely.
00:17:39.045 –> 00:17:44.505
Szanger: I think when we look across different industries, you’re going to find that most industries have some similar problems.
00:17:44.505 –> 00:17:52.825
Szanger: There’s nuance to how those surface within those industries, but most companies are facing a lot of the same challenges.
00:17:54.025 –> 00:17:57.245
Szanger: I think there are some great use cases across different industries.
00:17:57.245 –> 00:18:05.025
Szanger: If we just think about a few of them, clearly a lot of retailers are also manufacturers, or retailers in their business.
00:18:05.025 –> 00:18:08.945
Szanger: You have a lot of direct to consumer manufacturers and things of that nature.
00:18:08.945 –> 00:18:10.725
Szanger: So there’s a ton of overlap there.
00:18:10.945 –> 00:18:19.705
Szanger: But then you have, even if you think about other industries that may not feel as connected, we have teams around healthcare, we have teams around finance.
00:18:20.065 –> 00:18:28.825
Szanger: When you think about some of the different interactions that happen in a healthcare organization, they have a retail component to them.
00:18:28.905 –> 00:18:38.045
Szanger: So when you go into a hospital or doctor’s office, there’s a check-in process that very tightly correlates to what you might have as a checkout experience in retail.
00:18:39.165 –> 00:18:42.905
Szanger: And the same thing in finance and banking, you have retail banking.
00:18:43.805 –> 00:18:51.745
Szanger: And so I think there’s a lot of similarities in how we can think about the technology in solving those business problems.
00:18:51.885 –> 00:19:08.265
Roddy: Yeah, and this would be like a plug for our members to lean on your larger partners who might see into those other industries, like your distributors and some of these hardware manufacturers or like the CDWs of the world, because they’re going to see some things that you wouldn’t have a view into as your very niche and vertical focus.
00:19:08.265 –> 00:19:11.805
Roddy: So, all right, let’s talk about your leadership style.
00:19:11.805 –> 00:19:14.325
Roddy: And oftentimes people describe what their leadership style is.
00:19:14.365 –> 00:19:22.525
Roddy: I’d like to know what yours is, but then also what are some actions you take when engaging with your team to reinforce that leadership style?
00:19:22.965 –> 00:19:24.725
Roddy: What’s your style and what are some things you do?
00:19:25.565 –> 00:19:30.525
Szanger: Yeah, I think as most of us are, I think certainly not one set style, right?
00:19:30.525 –> 00:19:33.565
Szanger: I think it’s a crosses over a couple of different styles.
00:19:33.805 –> 00:19:44.145
Szanger: I think if I had to pick just limit it down to one or two, I’d probably say it sits somewhere between visionary and servant leadership.
00:19:46.585 –> 00:19:52.465
Szanger: I’ve built my career a lot around developing new programs and new ways of doing business.
00:19:52.945 –> 00:20:05.645
Szanger: The team that I’m on right now or that I’m leading right now, I should say, is one that I developed and was asked to actually launch based off of some work that I had been doing within the organization as more of a side project and passion project.
00:20:05.945 –> 00:20:09.005
Szanger: I also helped to launch other large initiatives within the company.
00:20:10.025 –> 00:20:24.725
Szanger: I like to think that I come to different situations with a point of view and an opinion and a vision about where we should go, but always try to keep at the same time an open mind and point of view on the fact that, I may not have the best ideas.
00:20:24.725 –> 00:20:28.905
Szanger: I may have ideas and I’m going to add value to the conversation, I hope.
00:20:29.225 –> 00:20:35.105
Szanger: But I’m always willing to listen to other ways of doing things and listen to my team members about what we can do differently and better.
00:20:35.585 –> 00:20:48.445
Szanger: That servant leadership comes into play because I’m always looking for ways to integrate my team’s feedback and work with them because at the end of the day, those folks that are on the front line are the ones that are seeing the business the most clearly.
00:20:48.825 –> 00:20:57.125
Szanger: They’re facing the day-to-day challenges, they’re interfacing with clients directly non-stop and understand what they’re looking for.
00:20:57.705 –> 00:21:06.545
Szanger: I think as a leader, we need to set that vision and set that strategy, but also be very open to that feedback and integrating it into what we do.
00:21:06.545 –> 00:21:20.225
Szanger: I make it very clear for every person on my team that when we’re talking about something high stakes, I will tell you my opinion, I will tell you what I think we should be doing, but feel free, this is a safe space to challenge me and talk about.
00:21:20.225 –> 00:21:29.085
Szanger: I want to have your opinion and I hired you because of the fact that you have a point of view, that you bring in a unique perspective and skill set that perhaps I don’t have.
00:21:29.885 –> 00:21:33.585
Szanger: And we always need to be looking for ways to improve and do things differently.
00:21:34.045 –> 00:21:46.965
Roddy: And so if I’m understanding what you’re saying, you have to walk in, you can’t just be like, hey, whatever you guys want to do, like I’m just here to like, I got a pen in my hand, but it’s also have the humility and be very overt in your communication.
00:21:47.025 –> 00:21:50.425
Roddy: Yeah, I’m going to come out with this idea, but I do not want, Mr.
00:21:50.425 –> 00:21:53.025
Roddy: Szanger, another one of your wonderful ideas couldn’t be any better.
00:21:53.025 –> 00:21:57.005
Roddy: Like you want folks to play the role of skeptic and share their perspective.
00:21:57.005 –> 00:22:00.705
Roddy: Like do you, you have really state that like you can’t be subtle about understanding.
00:22:01.005 –> 00:22:01.845
Szanger: Yeah, absolutely.
00:22:01.845 –> 00:22:08.545
Szanger: And that’s why I say it’s a cross-section between that visionary and servant at the same time, which may contradict itself to a certain point, right?
00:22:08.545 –> 00:22:11.185
Szanger: But I think it’s finding that balance between the two.
00:22:11.605 –> 00:22:22.605
Szanger: I think you have to set the vision, be able to express that vision and actually get that followership of your team, but at the same time, make it clear that this is a journey.
00:22:23.405 –> 00:22:34.285
Szanger: And those folks that are the closest to the customer and closest to the business, add tremendous value in that feedback loop to make sure we’re constantly evolving and constantly staying on top of where we need to go next.
00:22:34.785 –> 00:22:35.325
Roddy: Interesting.
00:22:35.325 –> 00:22:36.505
Roddy: Thank you for that.
00:22:36.885 –> 00:22:42.965
Roddy: Let’s talk about a specific experience from earlier in your career, something that shaped you as a leader.
00:22:42.965 –> 00:22:50.845
Roddy: And can you share with us one story that has really stuck with you and shaped you as a leader over the years, something that was really formative in your career?
00:22:51.525 –> 00:22:51.985
Szanger: Yeah.
00:22:52.285 –> 00:23:01.345
Szanger: And over 31 years, there’s a lot and that’s just on the strategy IT side of the house, and let alone the retail side.
00:23:01.345 –> 00:23:02.865
Szanger: So there’s a lot I can pull from.
00:23:04.605 –> 00:23:22.045
Szanger: But I think one thing that really will always think in my mind is that early on, probably, and I have to go back through my memory year, but I think it’s probably about five or in between, in my first 10 years, I would say, of being on the IT side of things.
00:23:23.325 –> 00:23:29.585
Szanger: We went through, I actually started at CDW through an acquisition of a company called Micro Warehouse and Mac Warehouse.
00:23:30.025 –> 00:23:33.425
Szanger: And at the time, they were one of the largest companies in the industry.
00:23:33.805 –> 00:23:37.465
Szanger: I think we peaked out at about a $2 billion revenue company.
00:23:38.425 –> 00:23:40.945
Szanger: And along the way, though, there were some missteps.
00:23:41.345 –> 00:23:44.625
Szanger: And they started having some struggling and had a massive layoff.
00:23:44.865 –> 00:23:47.205
Szanger: And I was a sales manager at the time.
00:23:48.045 –> 00:23:53.985
Szanger: And it’ll always stick out of my mind because it was a significant layoff that I had managed through.
00:23:54.565 –> 00:23:58.485
Szanger: And so we laid off a bunch of people from my team and other teams.
00:23:58.565 –> 00:24:02.605
Szanger: And the way that it was handled, quite frankly, wasn’t the greatest.
00:24:02.805 –> 00:24:11.525
Szanger: So the way that what happened during the meeting was, or the day, we got notified as the leadership team that there was going to be a layoff.
00:24:11.625 –> 00:24:26.365
Szanger: And we got called in and we’re told that there was going to be a meeting midday and that we would get a list shortly before that of which of our coworkers to actually tell to join a meeting that was in a conference room.
00:24:27.145 –> 00:24:37.725
Szanger: And so what happened was the managers went around and told their sales teams which ones of them were, needs to go to a meeting with our Human Resources Department.
00:24:38.325 –> 00:24:45.545
Szanger: And then following that, some of the sales directors came around and told the manager, by the way, you should go join your team.
00:24:46.785 –> 00:24:51.445
Szanger: And then the VP came around and told some of those directors and said, hey, you should join that meeting as well.
00:24:53.385 –> 00:24:56.065
Szanger: And not a great experience to manage through.
00:24:56.065 –> 00:24:57.765
Szanger: Luckily, I wasn’t one of those people.
00:24:59.265 –> 00:25:07.325
Szanger: But I think what distinctly sticks in my mind, and I’m sure you relate to why, because it was not a good way to handle it, quite honestly.
00:25:07.725 –> 00:25:14.005
Szanger: And what’s stuck in my mind is the importance of communication and transparency.
00:25:14.425 –> 00:25:18.525
Szanger: There is such a better way that that situation could have been handled, right?
00:25:19.105 –> 00:25:26.485
Szanger: I understand there are certainly times that you need to have confidentiality and you can’t share all the details that you want.
00:25:27.105 –> 00:25:34.105
Szanger: But through my career, I have really led with a philosophy of share what you can in a way that you can.
00:25:34.945 –> 00:25:39.085
Szanger: And I’ve always told my teams that, you know, if you ask me something, I’m not going to lie to you.
00:25:39.745 –> 00:25:42.585
Szanger: If I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you I don’t know the answer.
00:25:42.625 –> 00:25:44.205
Szanger: I’ll tell you I can find the answer.
00:25:44.285 –> 00:25:46.445
Szanger: But I’m not going to tell you something that’s false.
00:25:46.545 –> 00:25:52.985
Szanger: And if I can’t tell you the answer, I’m going to tell you I know the answer, but I can’t tell you that answer, because there will be times where I need to do that.
00:25:53.165 –> 00:25:55.765
Szanger: But what I won’t do is lie to you or mislead you.
00:25:55.925 –> 00:26:00.585
Szanger: And I think that comes largely from that lesson of how that scenario was handled.
00:26:00.585 –> 00:26:04.785
Szanger: And ultimately, that company continued to spiral a little bit.
00:26:04.785 –> 00:26:15.025
Szanger: And CDW was gracious enough to come in and actually acquire select assets of MicroWarehouse, which I am lucky enough to be one of those select assets.
00:26:15.165 –> 00:26:19.805
Szanger: And I could tell you the culture at CDW has just been nothing short of amazing.
00:26:19.805 –> 00:26:22.165
Szanger: And that’s why I’m here for 31 years now.
00:26:22.305 –> 00:26:25.685
Szanger: And I have a lot of peers who have also been here for a really long time.
00:26:25.685 –> 00:26:28.025
Szanger: So I’m lucky to be where I am.
00:26:28.705 –> 00:26:35.045
Szanger: But I learned a lot through that process of going through some rough patches at some companies I worked for.
00:26:35.605 –> 00:26:36.065
Szanger: Yeah.
00:26:36.065 –> 00:26:43.165
Roddy: And so it’s interesting you bring that up because I had to do layoffs as well, being in the publishing industry around the great recession.
00:26:43.325 –> 00:26:46.245
Roddy: And there’s actually a company that we bought, a web company.
00:26:46.665 –> 00:26:50.645
Roddy: And one of the people that we brought on board was an HR person.
00:26:50.645 –> 00:26:54.265
Roddy: She’s like, I’ve developed the skills that I can lay off six people at the same time.
00:26:54.265 –> 00:26:56.585
Roddy: And we’re like, do you really want to do that?
00:26:56.585 –> 00:26:58.665
Roddy: Like that’s something you wouldn’t want to do.
00:26:58.665 –> 00:27:00.825
Roddy: But we had to go through some layoffs.
00:27:00.965 –> 00:27:04.585
Roddy: And that is I actually, you know, they let me bring some intellectual property with them.
00:27:04.585 –> 00:27:08.685
Roddy: When I left the company, I still have a folder and I still I can point to the box that it’s in.
00:27:08.745 –> 00:27:09.965
Roddy: It’s titled LO.
00:27:10.045 –> 00:27:11.625
Roddy: It didn’t say layoffs, but it was LO.
00:27:11.625 –> 00:27:12.345
Roddy: It was my code.
00:27:12.345 –> 00:27:13.785
Roddy: And that’s where I kept stuff in there.
00:27:13.885 –> 00:27:20.265
Roddy: I still have those documents because like you said, and it sounds like what you’re talking about is, it’s not the business strategy point of it.
00:27:20.465 –> 00:27:30.505
Roddy: It’s the treating people like people, being human, being caring, because that’s not only going to impact the person who’s leaving, it’s impacting the entire culture.
00:27:30.505 –> 00:27:36.145
Roddy: That’s what it sounds like it really shaped you as a leader to make sure you’re treating people the way people should be treated.
00:27:36.565 –> 00:27:37.905
Szanger: Yeah, absolutely.
00:27:38.325 –> 00:27:40.645
Szanger: And never forgetting about that human factor.
00:27:40.645 –> 00:27:48.725
Szanger: At the end of the day, we’re all here trying to provide for our families and make better lives for ourselves and our family and hopefully future generations.
00:27:49.925 –> 00:27:58.145
Szanger: And it’s easy to forget that sometimes when you’re caught up in the business, and especially when you’re facing hard times as a business.
00:27:59.185 –> 00:28:06.845
Szanger: And at the end of the day, we’re all here people trying to provide and leading with a heart is, I think, important.
00:28:07.005 –> 00:28:07.425
Roddy: Yeah.
00:28:08.005 –> 00:28:10.345
Roddy: Well, thanks for being willing to share that.
00:28:10.345 –> 00:28:11.945
Roddy: So that was something that influenced you.
00:28:12.005 –> 00:28:12.865
Roddy: Can you talk about this?
00:28:12.865 –> 00:28:14.545
Roddy: It sounds like it’s a really negative podcast.
00:28:14.605 –> 00:28:15.065
Roddy: All right.
00:28:15.065 –> 00:28:16.085
Roddy: Building on the layoffs.
00:28:16.205 –> 00:28:20.085
Roddy: Can you tell us about maybe a mistake that you made as a leader and what you learned from?
00:28:20.085 –> 00:28:21.185
Roddy: And again, it can be recent.
00:28:21.185 –> 00:28:22.565
Roddy: It could be from a long time ago.
00:28:22.745 –> 00:28:27.185
Roddy: It could be a colossal disaster or it could be just something where you fell short of your standards.
00:28:27.185 –> 00:28:28.685
Roddy: Curious if you can talk about that.
00:28:28.965 –> 00:28:29.265
Roddy: Yeah.
00:28:29.265 –> 00:28:42.005
Szanger: No, I think I could even build upon what we just spoke about a little bit because during those times, obviously following that, as I’m sure you know, since you’ve gone through it, it doesn’t immediately that that layoff doesn’t stop the bleeding, right?
00:28:42.145 –> 00:28:43.345
Szanger: Very rarely does it.
00:28:44.465 –> 00:28:48.445
Szanger: There’s a lot of different reasons why you’re doing layoffs and job.
00:28:49.105 –> 00:28:51.505
Szanger: We can call it what it is, but it’s a layoff, right?
00:28:51.505 –> 00:28:54.965
Szanger: There’s a lot of different more polite names we could probably use for it.
00:28:54.965 –> 00:28:57.565
Roddy: RIF, a RIF, Reduction and Forced, yeah.
00:28:58.145 –> 00:28:58.585
Roddy: Yeah.
00:28:59.545 –> 00:29:09.225
Szanger: But at the end of the day, sometimes companies are doing it proactively to get the balance sheet right so that you are strong going forward, and that’s always the hope.
00:29:09.245 –> 00:29:14.425
Szanger: But in some cases, you’re too far down that path and it’s going to be a series of issues following that.
00:29:14.425 –> 00:29:20.465
Szanger: And so I was a pretty young manager at the time when I was going through some of this.
00:29:21.285 –> 00:29:33.025
Szanger: And following that, I think we had a pretty tough stance on performance management and really holding the line on making sure we’re holding people accountable because of the fact that we have some financial issues.
00:29:33.165 –> 00:29:37.545
Szanger: And so there was a time where we had people on performance management.
00:29:37.545 –> 00:29:49.485
Szanger: And I think being a young leader, even though I had learned a little bit through that layoff and what we just discussed, I was still a young leader in developing my point of view and my skill set.
00:29:49.885 –> 00:30:01.885
Szanger: And I think as we went through some of that work and performance management, I didn’t take enough of that human aspect into my leadership style at the time.
00:30:02.465 –> 00:30:05.485
Szanger: And I’m not saying we shouldn’t hold people accountable by any means, right?
00:30:05.485 –> 00:30:08.445
Szanger: There has to be a level of standards or have to be accountability.
00:30:08.705 –> 00:30:10.065
Szanger: There has to be performance.
00:30:10.245 –> 00:30:12.245
Szanger: That goes, that should go without saying, right?
00:30:12.245 –> 00:30:13.585
Szanger: In a performance culture.
00:30:14.805 –> 00:30:22.145
Szanger: But at the same time, I think it’s as a young leader, especially, and hopefully people mature to realize this.
00:30:22.465 –> 00:30:29.585
Szanger: But being too focused on the mission and not enough on the people behind the mission, can be a major miss and a major fail.
00:30:30.385 –> 00:30:34.265
Szanger: And so I had a situation where I had a few people that were underperforming.
00:30:34.505 –> 00:30:39.065
Szanger: And I was coaching them and having conversations with them, at least at the time I thought I was.
00:30:39.665 –> 00:30:45.525
Szanger: But looking back, there was one individual who worked for me that just wasn’t getting it done.
00:30:45.525 –> 00:30:47.245
Szanger: They weren’t showing up on time.
00:30:47.245 –> 00:30:49.005
Szanger: They weren’t hitting their numbers.
00:30:49.925 –> 00:30:53.465
Szanger: I knew they had some personal issues, but we really didn’t talk about it much.
00:30:54.265 –> 00:31:03.145
Szanger: And what I found out later is that the person’s had a brother who recently passed away, and he was really struggling with it.
00:31:03.145 –> 00:31:04.705
Szanger: I didn’t realize it at the time.
00:31:05.705 –> 00:31:06.805
Szanger: And it was too late.
00:31:07.745 –> 00:31:11.325
Szanger: I was too far down the path until you have a leader to really get out in front of that.
00:31:12.665 –> 00:31:19.685
Szanger: But I gave him every opportunity I felt to tell me what was going on and how I can help him.
00:31:20.145 –> 00:31:21.525
Szanger: He never brought up any of it.
00:31:21.825 –> 00:31:24.745
Szanger: I learned out after he left, though, that he had recently lost his brother.
00:31:24.745 –> 00:31:30.945
Szanger: And I guess in hindsight, I feel like I didn’t give him the safe place to feel comfortable enough to talk to me about that.
00:31:32.065 –> 00:31:34.105
Szanger: And again, we’re not there to be people’s friends.
00:31:34.305 –> 00:31:37.485
Szanger: We’re not there to be their life coach in general.
00:31:37.925 –> 00:31:39.945
Szanger: But at the end of the day, we are.
00:31:39.945 –> 00:31:41.165
Szanger: We need to work with our people.
00:31:41.165 –> 00:31:50.585
Szanger: We need to do what we need to do and have those honest conversations with them to get the most out of them and to help them be the best version of themselves that they can be and help coach them through rough times.
00:31:50.945 –> 00:32:02.585
Szanger: And so again, not saying they shouldn’t be accountable, not saying there shouldn’t be expectations, but understanding how to have a human conversation with someone about what they’re dealing with and how to help them through that.
00:32:04.305 –> 00:32:12.705
Szanger: You know, I think it’s something that I learned that having that personal connection with someone can really help get the most out of a person and help them be the best person they can be.
00:32:13.325 –> 00:32:17.465
Roddy: Yeah, I hired somebody who was about 20, 25 years older than me back in the day.
00:32:17.465 –> 00:32:18.985
Roddy: I remember her sharing with me.
00:32:19.525 –> 00:32:21.445
Roddy: I was called Aunt Martha’s Big Toe.
00:32:21.645 –> 00:32:27.165
Roddy: She said sometimes the biggest thing going on in that person’s life is their Aunt Martha has a problem with their Big Toe.
00:32:27.545 –> 00:32:33.065
Roddy: If you don’t understand that’s impacting them, then you’re not going to be able to work with them appropriately.
00:32:33.065 –> 00:32:34.325
Roddy: I’ve always had that in my mind.
00:32:34.545 –> 00:32:41.105
Roddy: What do I care about Aunt Martha’s Big Toe, but it might be the number one thing in their life, and it’s better that you find out about it.
00:32:41.105 –> 00:32:42.685
Roddy: That’s what it sounds like you’re saying.
00:32:42.965 –> 00:32:45.505
Szanger: Yeah, you don’t know what other people are dealing with.
00:32:45.625 –> 00:32:49.565
Szanger: Again, at the end of the day, we are business leaders, we need to have performance.
00:32:50.285 –> 00:32:54.365
Szanger: But this is a people business, and the people are the one that are going to make your business successful.
00:32:54.385 –> 00:32:58.105
Szanger: So getting to know your people, getting to know what’s happening with them.
00:32:58.445 –> 00:33:02.585
Szanger: And again, not saying you should be their best friend, not saying you should be intrusive into their life.
00:33:03.045 –> 00:33:04.765
Szanger: There’s boundaries you need to have.
00:33:06.025 –> 00:33:15.765
Szanger: But treating them like a human being and working with them to really understand what we can do to work together, especially when you have someone that has the potential to be a really good employee.
00:33:15.765 –> 00:33:18.885
Szanger: And in this case, I’m not sure.
00:33:19.845 –> 00:33:37.085
Szanger: I was a young leader, and as a young leader, you’re often trying to assert yourself in that authority, and you’re also trying to achieve the mission, improve yourself, and looking back those many years, I realized that I probably could have had a more human side to me, right?
00:33:37.205 –> 00:33:38.585
Szanger: That worked for my people.
00:33:39.085 –> 00:33:43.105
Roddy: Yep, and before we take a commercial break, just a recommendation to all of our listeners.
00:33:43.345 –> 00:33:46.865
Roddy: The book Everybody Matters by the late Bob Chapman.
00:33:46.865 –> 00:33:47.845
Roddy: He talks about that.
00:33:47.845 –> 00:33:52.085
Roddy: He talks about in episode 125 of this podcast, he calls it ethical capitalism.
00:33:52.085 –> 00:33:56.865
Roddy: And like everybody, he learned about managing people, Andy, but he’s like, you don’t manage people.
00:33:56.865 –> 00:34:03.185
Roddy: Like everybody is somebody’s beloved son or beloved daughter, and you should treat them that way.
00:34:03.185 –> 00:34:07.765
Roddy: And he said that influences everything, how you interact with people, so.
00:34:07.845 –> 00:34:08.365
Roddy: Yeah.
00:34:08.665 –> 00:34:28.285
Szanger: And, you know, I’ll just add to that is that one of, you know, one of the leaders at our company once said, you know, would you be proud if some, if your child heard about your meeting interactions or something that happened at work, would you be proud to share that with your child?
00:34:29.485 –> 00:34:31.885
Szanger: And that kind of just, you know, I think speaks volumes.
00:34:31.885 –> 00:34:32.825
Szanger: Like, how do you feel?
00:34:32.825 –> 00:34:38.225
Szanger: How would you feel if your family knew about how you’re handling business at work?
00:34:39.185 –> 00:34:39.525
Roddy: Amen.
00:34:39.525 –> 00:34:39.925
Roddy: Amen.
00:34:39.925 –> 00:34:40.925
Roddy: Very, very well said.
00:34:40.925 –> 00:34:43.545
Roddy: They’re not in the room, but pretend they’re in the room.
00:34:43.545 –> 00:34:45.745
Roddy: So we’re going to pause here briefly at a letter.
00:34:46.165 –> 00:34:49.265
Roddy: Let us know about the Retail Solutions Providers Association.
00:34:49.365 –> 00:34:57.985
Roddy: RSPA is North America’s largest community of retail technology bars, software providers, vendors, and distributors in the retail, restaurant, and grocery verticals.
00:34:58.085 –> 00:35:03.625
Roddy: To accelerate your success through an RSPA membership, email membership at gorspa.org.
00:35:03.665 –> 00:35:10.125
Roddy: Also, we want to say thanks to these channel-focused companies who support the RSPA community and make this podcast and video series possible.
00:35:16.565 –> 00:35:19.465
Roddy: And then finally, we’re going to talk about this a little bit more with Andy in a bit.
00:35:19.545 –> 00:35:26.925
Roddy: Registration is now open for RetailNOW 2026, the Retail IT channel’s number one trade show, education conference and networking event.
00:35:27.045 –> 00:35:32.565
Roddy: This year’s event is set for July 26th to 28th at Caesars Forum Conference Center in Las Vegas.
00:35:32.765 –> 00:35:36.945
Roddy: For info, visit gorsp.org, for slash RetailNOW.
00:35:36.965 –> 00:35:39.865
Roddy: RetailNOW is where the industry meets.
00:35:39.865 –> 00:35:42.825
Roddy: So one more leadership question for you, Andy.
00:35:42.985 –> 00:35:45.905
Roddy: Who are some leaders that you’ve looked up to as mentors?
00:35:46.045 –> 00:35:52.445
Roddy: And I’m curious, what have they done to help shape you and help you shape your leadership approach?
00:35:53.305 –> 00:36:01.605
Szanger: Yeah, you’re putting me at a top spot here, Jim, because I’ve had a lot of great mentors and people that I’ve worked with over the years that I have a lot of respect for.
00:36:01.605 –> 00:36:06.425
Szanger: So I feel like I’m not going to do justice to some of them by even answering this question.
00:36:06.425 –> 00:36:14.045
Szanger: But there’s been so many great leaders, and I’m very fortunate to work for an organization who does have a lot of great leaders.
00:36:14.585 –> 00:36:16.705
Szanger: I think it starts at the top.
00:36:17.385 –> 00:36:33.805
Szanger: At CDW, when I was promoted to a Director of Sales at the time, I was on the sales side of the house, the final step of your interview or process of becoming a Director was actually to meet with the CEO of the company.
00:36:36.005 –> 00:36:38.065
Szanger: Today we have about 15,000 employees.
00:36:40.385 –> 00:36:49.545
Szanger: Think about the scale of what that means and the commitment of time that our CEO is giving to actually meet with anyone who’s going to be considered part of the senior leadership team at the company.
00:36:50.745 –> 00:36:59.365
Szanger: But it’s important and at the time, there was a gentleman named Tom Richards, who was an amazing man, unfortunately passed away a few years ago.
00:37:00.405 –> 00:37:04.585
Szanger: But great man and his legacy lives on for sure at the company.
00:37:04.585 –> 00:37:09.625
Szanger: So many people were just heartbroken and you could see it when we found out recently it was passing.
00:37:09.885 –> 00:37:17.805
Szanger: But when I met with him and I sat down with him, first of all, he knew who I was, which in and of itself at a big company is something that’s meaningful.
00:37:19.385 –> 00:37:26.925
Szanger: But when we were talking, one of the things that stuck out in my head with him was, he asked me, he’s like, what questions do you have?
00:37:26.925 –> 00:37:28.685
Szanger: Because I could ask you questions all day.
00:37:29.005 –> 00:37:34.825
Szanger: He’s like, but at the end of the day, he’s like, I honestly learn more about someone from the questions they ask me than the answers they give me.
00:37:35.825 –> 00:37:43.245
Szanger: And I think it’s a great point because it gives you insight into how someone thinks and what they’re thinking about and what’s important to them.
00:37:44.025 –> 00:37:49.705
Szanger: And so it’s a little thing, but I think it’s worth mentioning because it just was, he was a super insightful guy.
00:37:50.805 –> 00:37:53.485
Szanger: And Chris Leahy took over after him.
00:37:53.485 –> 00:37:54.905
Szanger: She’s our current CEO.
00:37:55.505 –> 00:38:00.165
Szanger: And when I think of Chris, she is someone who knows every leader in the company.
00:38:00.165 –> 00:38:10.285
Szanger: And same thing, she wants to meet with every new director continuing on with that legacy of just, it gives that small feeling of a small business to a very large organization.
00:38:11.225 –> 00:38:23.125
Szanger: And I could walk into Chris’ office and have a conversation whether, anyone within the company, she knows every one of the senior leaders of the company and by senior director and above, which again, it’s in a 15,000 person company.
00:38:23.225 –> 00:38:24.145
Szanger: It’s a big number.
00:38:24.805 –> 00:38:28.285
Szanger: And I think it’s admirable that she takes the time to get to know everyone.
00:38:29.625 –> 00:38:32.845
Szanger: And not only that, my wife met her and she actually knew my wife.
00:38:32.905 –> 00:38:35.005
Szanger: She remembered my wife the next time she saw her.
00:38:35.765 –> 00:38:44.545
Szanger: And I think it just goes back to that knowing people, in that human side of the business that makes you feel a connection to the business.
00:38:45.405 –> 00:38:51.965
Szanger: But I had so many earlier back in my career, there’s a gentleman named Bill Reed that I’d probably be remiss for not mentioning.
00:38:52.845 –> 00:38:55.785
Szanger: He was one of my sales directors when I was a young sales manager.
00:38:55.785 –> 00:39:05.225
Szanger: And he would start every day, we’d start 30 minutes in his office, just kind of sitting down and having a cup of coffee together and talking about leadership, talking about the business.
00:39:05.505 –> 00:39:11.025
Szanger: Bill wound up leaving the company many years later and became a professor of leadership actually.
00:39:11.685 –> 00:39:14.745
Szanger: I think down at University of Phoenix, if I’m not mistaken.
00:39:15.385 –> 00:39:23.165
Szanger: But just a great guy that would take the time to invest in every morning and just talking through leadership, talking through the business and how to do things.
00:39:24.305 –> 00:39:28.865
Szanger: And so many people along the way, good friends of mine that I would just work with.
00:39:29.005 –> 00:39:35.965
Szanger: And I think the common thread really, you know, as I look back at a lot of those leaders, it really is the connection that they made with their people.
00:39:36.985 –> 00:39:43.825
Szanger: And, you know, and that people were willing to follow them because of that personal connection that they would make and how they would connect.
00:39:43.825 –> 00:39:52.145
Szanger: And they all felt that, you know, they were cared by, you know, that their leader cared about not only the business, they weren’t just a number, but also cared about them.
00:39:54.045 –> 00:40:03.265
Szanger: You know, our current Senior Vice President of Sales, Aletha Noonan, we had a conversation recently where she was talking about what she looks for in a leader.
00:40:04.425 –> 00:40:16.225
Szanger: And there’s a couple of different things on there, and I won’t go through the whole list for the sake of time, but two of the things that she said that kind of stuck with me was, first of all, are they a good person?
00:40:16.225 –> 00:40:20.185
Szanger: You know, I don’t want someone working for me that’s not a good person.
00:40:20.185 –> 00:40:23.525
Szanger: And I think it ties into a lot of the things that we’ve talked about already.
00:40:24.805 –> 00:40:32.345
Szanger: And the other one that I thought was really meaningful was, never be too important, you know.
00:40:32.345 –> 00:40:40.085
Szanger: So, you know, be willing to do what you need to do to get the job done and never be too important to do any level of the work, you know, that’s required along the way.
00:40:40.085 –> 00:40:45.285
Szanger: And I think it’s a viewpoint worth sharing because I think that is important.
00:40:45.465 –> 00:40:49.625
Szanger: And that’s, you know, I’m always willing to jump in and help out any way I can.
00:40:49.625 –> 00:40:51.925
Szanger: And I think it goes back to that exact point that she made.
00:40:51.925 –> 00:40:56.365
Szanger: And not for the reason that she made that point, but I think it just resonated with me because it’s true.
00:40:56.885 –> 00:41:04.145
Roddy: Yeah, you can’t be jumping in all the time, but look for opportunities where you can jump in, never be like, no, it’s not my job or that’s in my rear view mirror of my career.
00:41:04.145 –> 00:41:05.405
Roddy: Yeah, exactly.
00:41:05.405 –> 00:41:15.005
Szanger: So I feel the need to apologize to a lot of other people that I’m not mentioning because there’s so many people that I could call out, but I don’t want to make this a Grammy speech.
00:41:15.005 –> 00:41:20.325
Roddy: Well, I was going to say, it’s like getting an Oscar, the music starts playing like I can only like so many people at that time.
00:41:20.325 –> 00:41:28.345
Roddy: But it sounds like if there’s a through line, because we’re going to ask about your RetailNOW presentation, which takes a hard shift from leadership into enterprise buyers.
00:41:28.405 –> 00:41:34.705
Roddy: But it sounds like the through line through all of this is, as a leader, you’ve got to genuinely care about people.
00:41:34.705 –> 00:41:37.765
Roddy: It all starts there and then everything else will flow into place.
00:41:37.765 –> 00:41:44.105
Roddy: But if you’re just looking to get ahead or if you’re just concerned about the bottom line, you’re going to miss out on what it is.
00:41:44.105 –> 00:41:47.925
Roddy: That kind of sounds like is a big threat of what you’ve been talking about with us.
00:41:47.925 –> 00:41:49.685
Szanger: Yeah, I agree with that.
00:41:49.685 –> 00:42:03.865
Szanger: I think, I don’t want to downplay the need to have performance, and the need to hit a number, and the need to have that accountability and execution expectation.
00:42:04.285 –> 00:42:06.665
Szanger: But at the end of the day, I do, I agree.
00:42:06.665 –> 00:42:09.765
Szanger: I think it’s about the people and that’s how you get to that number.
00:42:12.165 –> 00:42:17.845
Szanger: I think it’s hugely important that you make those connections, and that’s how you elevate the game.
00:42:18.465 –> 00:42:20.325
Roddy: Push them outside their comfort zone.
00:42:20.325 –> 00:42:22.925
Roddy: That’s the thing about genuinely caring about people.
00:42:22.925 –> 00:42:25.465
Roddy: Here at the RSPA, we’ve done something for the past couple of years.
00:42:25.465 –> 00:42:32.245
Roddy: It’s a leading conversations boot camp, and it’s for women who want to get better at public speaking and presentations.
00:42:32.425 –> 00:42:35.365
Roddy: We make them go through a lot of practices and they’re outside of their comfort zone.
00:42:35.365 –> 00:42:39.825
Roddy: But at the end of it, they’re like, I actually built up a skill and I have genuine confidence in this.
00:42:39.825 –> 00:42:42.045
Roddy: So it’s not just like, hey, you’re going to be great.
00:42:42.205 –> 00:42:46.865
Roddy: You make people work for it, but that’s genuinely caring about them because you want them to.
00:42:47.145 –> 00:42:48.605
Roddy: You look back on your own career, Andy.
00:42:48.605 –> 00:42:52.905
Roddy: You had people who pushed you outside your comfort zone and helped you build the skills.
00:42:52.905 –> 00:42:54.805
Roddy: That’s truly caring about somebody.
00:42:55.165 –> 00:42:55.905
Szanger: Absolutely.
00:42:56.905 –> 00:42:57.305
Roddy: Great.
00:42:57.305 –> 00:42:59.085
Roddy: Let’s talk about your RetailNOW breakout.
00:42:59.125 –> 00:43:03.785
Roddy: Again, the title is, What Enterprise Buyers Need From VARs and ISVs.
00:43:03.785 –> 00:43:13.565
Roddy: I don’t want to have you spoil the whole 45-minute breakout session, but what’s one or two things you want to share with our audience about what VARs and ISVs, what the enterprise buyers need from them?
00:43:14.165 –> 00:43:14.405
Szanger: Yeah.
00:43:14.485 –> 00:43:19.365
Szanger: When I think about this session, Jim, really, I was working with Kate from ELO.
00:43:20.085 –> 00:43:20.485
Roddy: Yeah, Kate Arara.
00:43:20.485 –> 00:43:25.425
Szanger: It was amazing and does a lot of great work with RSPA and the channel in general.
00:43:26.765 –> 00:43:36.065
Szanger: We were just talking about RSPA and RetailNOW, and it’s a great event, but you have a diversity of different types of people attending it.
00:43:36.065 –> 00:43:43.805
Szanger: We talked about how different CDW is, and you have some smaller VARs, you have ISVs there, and they all have different needs.
00:43:43.925 –> 00:43:53.925
Szanger: But at the end of the day, what I said to Kate is, the one thing that I feel that everyone always needs and everyone will benefit from is the perspective of the customer.
00:43:54.865 –> 00:44:03.765
Szanger: You know, there is no side of any person that’s at this show that doesn’t benefit from hearing directly from a client about what’s important to them.
00:44:04.085 –> 00:44:14.625
Szanger: And so that’s really what we’re going to focus on in this session, is hearing directly from some folks that are working in the retail industry or recently worked in the retail industry.
00:44:15.165 –> 00:44:18.105
Szanger: We might, I don’t want to kind of spoil anything.
00:44:18.105 –> 00:44:19.745
Szanger: We might include some of my team members.
00:44:19.745 –> 00:44:25.265
Szanger: We might have some people that were flying in directly out of the retail space to speak on a panel with us.
00:44:25.445 –> 00:44:36.125
Szanger: But ultimately, we’re going to be talking with them about what’s important to them, what technology trends, what are the business drivers, what’s important to them in the companies they work with, right?
00:44:36.185 –> 00:44:42.765
Szanger: And how can we help all of those that are at the show work better with the retail industry?
00:44:42.765 –> 00:44:46.785
Szanger: And that’s really what the goal of the show is, or of the session.
00:44:46.785 –> 00:44:48.285
Szanger: I guess I’m the show for that matter too.
00:44:48.365 –> 00:44:49.265
Roddy: Sure, sure.
00:44:49.345 –> 00:45:01.965
Roddy: Yeah, but it sounds like from a different perspective, we’re oftentimes we’re talking about how we can serve them better, but hearing directly from those buyers or former buyers, you said folks who have a lot of experience in that space, but they’re working for you right now.
00:45:01.965 –> 00:45:06.085
Roddy: They’re going to be able to say, here’s what works and here’s what doesn’t work, if I’m understanding correctly.
00:45:06.325 –> 00:45:07.625
Szanger: Yeah, absolutely.
00:45:07.625 –> 00:45:10.005
Szanger: This isn’t going to be a session about CDW at all, right?
00:45:10.165 –> 00:45:12.665
Szanger: We’re not there to sell CDW’s brand.
00:45:12.745 –> 00:45:23.405
Szanger: We’re there to help everyone that’s at the show, understand the mind of a retailer and how to work better with them, how to add more value to ultimately accelerate their business.
00:45:23.845 –> 00:45:24.285
Roddy: Excellent.
00:45:24.285 –> 00:45:25.285
Roddy: I’m looking forward.
00:45:25.285 –> 00:45:27.705
Roddy: Last question for you today, Andy, we’ve covered a ton.
00:45:27.945 –> 00:45:30.385
Roddy: What would be your final advice for audience?
00:45:30.385 –> 00:45:43.625
Roddy: Let’s say you’re at retail now and you need to take a three-minute ride share to get from where you are to the airport or something like that, and you’re sharing an Uber with a VAR or an ISV leader, and they’re like, Andy, you’ve been in this industry for a while.
00:45:43.625 –> 00:45:45.505
Roddy: Give me, what advice would you give them?
00:45:46.825 –> 00:45:54.125
Szanger: Yeah, I think one for me that drives a lot of what I do is always be curious and keep an open mind.
00:45:54.605 –> 00:45:58.725
Szanger: The industry has changed so much from when I started to where I am today.
00:45:59.545 –> 00:46:08.565
Szanger: The technology that we’re talking about, the use cases we’re talking about weren’t even in the back of my mind 31 years ago.
00:46:08.565 –> 00:46:11.205
Szanger: I’m the kind of person who always loved learning new things.
00:46:11.305 –> 00:46:15.805
Szanger: I love reading and just constantly evolving.
00:46:15.825 –> 00:46:20.785
Szanger: That’s part of what I found super enjoyable about this career that I didn’t expect coming into it.
00:46:21.825 –> 00:46:24.805
Szanger: I think that’s really important because things change so quickly.
00:46:24.805 –> 00:46:30.605
Szanger: If you don’t maintain that curiosity that we all have when we’re younger, you’re going to get left behind.
00:46:32.665 –> 00:46:33.745
Szanger: Always keep that.
00:46:34.785 –> 00:46:41.085
Szanger: Then I think some of the things going back to the things that we spoke about, about those leadership traits and what’s important.
00:46:41.185 –> 00:46:46.965
Szanger: That be a good person, never be too important, and always find a way to help.
00:46:47.085 –> 00:46:49.605
Szanger: People come to me all the time and they’ll ask about something.
00:46:49.605 –> 00:46:52.205
Szanger: Maybe it’s related to what I do, maybe it’s not.
00:46:53.485 –> 00:46:56.125
Szanger: But I try to find a way to help and add some value.
00:46:56.125 –> 00:47:01.225
Szanger: Even if I’m not the right person or I can’t necessarily do exactly what they’re looking for, how can I help?
00:47:01.225 –> 00:47:04.065
Szanger: What can I do to get you closer to your end goal?
00:47:05.105 –> 00:47:09.125
Szanger: It could be as simple as pointing them to another person who could answer that question.
00:47:09.865 –> 00:47:14.045
Szanger: Maybe it’s me doing something that’s not really my role, but I’m happy to help.
00:47:14.685 –> 00:47:21.645
Szanger: I think it’s really everyone needs a hand, everyone needs a coach, no one does this alone.
00:47:21.645 –> 00:47:22.745
Szanger: Very few people do it.
00:47:22.745 –> 00:47:27.385
Szanger: I think there might be a few exceptions to that, but very rarely.
00:47:28.345 –> 00:47:34.885
Szanger: I think we all have an obligation to help the person next to you, help the person that needs that hand.
00:47:35.105 –> 00:47:40.905
Szanger: I don’t want to sound like I’m this altruistic preaching person, because that’s the way this session feels like it went.
00:47:42.205 –> 00:47:43.785
Szanger: But at the end of the day, it is, right?
00:47:43.785 –> 00:47:48.305
Szanger: Everyone needs a hand, and everyone’s hopefully trying to get better and do the right thing.
00:47:48.625 –> 00:47:57.905
Szanger: So I believe that we have an obligation to help the other people in our lives, to be better people and be the best version of themselves.
00:47:58.245 –> 00:47:58.565
Roddy: Yeah.
00:47:58.565 –> 00:48:01.325
Roddy: That’s like the secret sauce of the Retail IT channel.
00:48:01.325 –> 00:48:04.025
Roddy: It’s not, I’ll help you if you can help me.
00:48:04.025 –> 00:48:06.165
Roddy: It’s not some transactional thing.
00:48:06.165 –> 00:48:12.725
Roddy: It’s, well, I know Rising Tide Lifts All Boats have had so many people generously share their insights and wisdom with me.
00:48:12.725 –> 00:48:15.985
Roddy: And so I’m happy to share it with everybody, if I’m understanding that correctly.
00:48:15.985 –> 00:48:19.805
Roddy: Again, you and I have been in this space for three decades at this point.
00:48:19.805 –> 00:48:23.485
Roddy: So we’ve seen a lot of the same things that kind of sounds like what you’re saying here.
00:48:23.485 –> 00:48:24.905
Roddy: Like, that’s really the key to it.
00:48:25.325 –> 00:48:26.165
Szanger: Yeah, absolutely.
00:48:26.165 –> 00:48:33.785
Szanger: Because I mean, you know, some people get asked, you know, why as you know, working at CDW, why would I want to help other VARs, you know, be successful?
00:48:33.865 –> 00:48:34.245
Szanger: Right.
00:48:35.065 –> 00:48:43.265
Szanger: You know, but the reality of it is that, you know, this market is so big, you know, and the market is so big, yet the industry is so small.
00:48:44.105 –> 00:48:48.445
Szanger: You know, so I think that, you know, you don’t know what paths are going to cross in the future.
00:48:48.445 –> 00:48:50.645
Szanger: You don’t know what’s going to change.
00:48:51.505 –> 00:48:57.245
Szanger: You know, and there’s plenty of business for us all to go around as long as we’re ethical about how we approach our business.
00:48:57.245 –> 00:49:03.885
Szanger: There’s no reason that we can’t compete on business and still be friends and still help each other within boundaries.
00:49:04.505 –> 00:49:05.465
Roddy: Very well said.
00:49:05.505 –> 00:49:08.005
Roddy: Well, that does it for this episode of The Trusted Advisor.
00:49:08.005 –> 00:49:15.225
Roddy: If you enjoyed our discussion, be sure to subscribe to the RSPA YouTube channel and The Trusted Advisor podcast so you never miss an episode.
00:49:15.265 –> 00:49:19.365
Roddy: Before we go, big thanks again to Andy Szanger for sharing his wisdom with us today.
00:49:19.565 –> 00:49:23.285
Roddy: Thanks also to RSPA Marketing Director Chris Arnold for his production work.
00:49:23.445 –> 00:49:25.185
Roddy: Joseph McDade for our music.
00:49:25.345 –> 00:49:27.945
Roddy: Last but not least, thanks so much to you for listening.
00:49:28.125 –> 00:49:35.345
Roddy: Our goal at the RSPA is to accelerate the success of our members in the retail technology ecosystem by providing knowledge and connections.
00:49:35.385 –> 00:49:39.285
Roddy: For more information, please visit our website at gorspa.org.
00:49:39.365 –> 00:49:42.985
Roddy: Thanks for listening and goodbye everybody!
