By Steve “The Doctor” Meek | Talk To Th3 Doc Podcast | The Fulcrum Group, Inc.
Doctor’s Diagnosis: A Podcast Doc-umentary: Tom Delanoy on How Culture Accelerates Decisions Episode 125
In Episode 125 of Talk To Th3 Doc, Tom Delanoy, Partner & COO at Thomas Edwards Group, joined me to unpack a truth every SMB leader eventually confronts: technology may enable the work… but people determine the trajectory.
As I contemplated our conversation, likely while icing my knees from a pickup basketball game, I kept coming back to this: great leaders don’t scale companies through tools alone; they scale through alignment, transparency, and trust. AI, innovation, and systems come later… but they work best on a healthy foundation.
Introduction – Why Confidence in Decisions Matters More Than Ever
At The Fulcrum Group, my purpose has always been simple: give leaders the confidence to make smart technology decisions (autonomy). The ScalingUp framework establish alignment, with our quarterly planning sessions and monthly meeting rhythms hopefully making sure we are all swimming in the same direction. Remind our team of our purpose, to help our clients with all things technology. And help our team build mastery, via certification, our training tool, our internal training efforts and our documentation platform where we share SOPs.
That’s why my discussion with Tom hit home. Whether you run a recruiting firm, a service department, city hall, a medical practice, or a manufacturing shop floor, modern leadership now includes understanding how data, AI, and culture influence your decisions.
As a long-term industry veteran that shares at conferences, I periodically hear from my peers and vendors about my “great insight”. While people may believe I am sharing good decisions, I usually try to explain that my ideas originate from 20+ years of experience and that my experience was shaped by my fair share of bad decisions. I have to accept some risk in my decision making as a leader but risk can be important and helpful. The trick is I also have to learn to measure results and if I fail, I must fail fast. But that’s exactly why structured decision-making matters.
The Problem – SMB Leaders Still Rely Too Much on Luck, Not Alignment
Some executives count on a person to lead their technology programs (internal or external) but that person leads it like a fast break, with no plan—energetic, but chaotic. They don’t have alignment between ideas or just generally struggling balancing with:
- Emerging business goals
- Current staff capabilities
- Tactical versus strategic IT maturity
- Legacy application requirements
- Unfocused cybersecurity thinking (framework based)
- Unprepared AI readiness
And the outcome is predictable: constant firefighting, bottlenecks, and inconsistent results. Tom and I both see it in our worlds: hiring misfires, unclear expectations, and scattered processes. Talented people wanting to grow—but without systems to support them.
In the age of AI, that gap only widens and education on a completely new skill is critical. Leaders must now provide needed education, identify and guide new tools, discover new risks, and create new workflows. And they must do so with thinking creativity, transparency, purpose, and data-driven insight.
The Fulcrum Way – How STARPower Turns Data Into Better Decisions
At Fulcrum, our SPOT Managed IT Services and STARPower Framework were built to solve this exact problem. Where most IT providers focus on tools and tickets, STARPower focuses on the entire continuous improvement process, but especially alignment, direction, and clarity.
Here’s how:
- Vision & Strategy Alignment
Every improvement must tie back to business goals. No “random acts of technology” or shiny objects because that is what we know or what sounds hot right now.
- Baseline & Current State Assessment
You can’t improve what you haven’t measured. We use monitoring tools, documentation, network mapping, compliance checks, and our Lifecycle Insights maturity review to mark your starting point. You must know where you are before you create a roadmap to where you are going.
- Target State Definition
Tom said something in our conversation that stuck with me: “Good companies should try to make space when they can.” STARPower builds that space—clarity around what “better” means for your future state.
- Prioritization & Risk-Based Planning
We help leaders rank improvements based on risk, return, and business value—just like Tom evaluates talent, culture, and accountability. It is like that 10x is better than 2x mentality of, we have a lot of options for our improvement, but what is most impactful.
- Incremental, Iterative Change
The promise of AI is that AI can show fast results. But the real long-term win comes from small, measurable steps: personal productivity, reducing technical debt, improving documentation, hardening security, improving user experience, and modernizing tools.
- Metrics & Accountability
Our Quarterly Success Reviews measure progress against our best practices. These varied areas include organizational context, technologies, service quality, cost, cybersecurity posture, user satisfaction, risk exposure and current capabilities in those areas.
- Feedback Loops & Continuous Improvement
From our ticket and NPS surveys to our 8Q leadership conversations, to onsite visits and educational webinars, feedback fuels learning—much like Tom uses stay interviews to refine culture. This is why we believe SPOT Managed Services is different. It’s not just Service Desk tickets to patch issues and maintain systems, a service management discipline to solve root causes, roadmap and prioritize opportunities and generally get better.
Real-World Example – Culture + Alignment = Better Outcomes
Tom’s firm has an average employee tenure of more than seven years. Some over 15. In DFW, with its competitive talent market, that’s unusual—and powerful.
Tenure =
• stronger client trust
• deeper institutional knowledge
• higher service quality
• lower turnover cost
Fulcrum sees the similar dynamic.
Our 100% locally-based team with background checks, our Core Values, our No IT Jerks philosophy, and our relationship-first model yield retention most MSPs dream about.
When your culture is stable, your technology outcomes improve.
When your processes are consistent, your AI projects thrive.
When your alignment is clear, your decisions stick.
That’s why innovation—and especially AI—only works when the foundation is sound.
Key Takeaways / FAQ
- Why should SMB leaders care about AI right now?
The skills needed for proper AI take time to acquire and comprehend. The best time to understand AI was two years ago, the second-best time is right now. AI helps leaders make faster, clearer decisions—but only when the business process is ready for it.
- What’s the biggest mistake SMBs make with technology?
Reactive or poorly prioritized spending. High ROI decisions help fund future spending possibilities. STARPower encourages that by tying every decision to business value.
- How do I align my leadership team around technology?
Start with Vision → Baseline → Targets. Then let data lead your decisions. It is like a boat having to sail across the ocean.
- What’s one thing to fix this quarter?
Document your environment and reduce technical debt. It’s the Brent-from-Phoenix-Project bottleneck in almost every business. While that book should appeal and sound a little familiar to IT leaders, all executives recognize some manufacturing parallels and past coworker doppelganger.
- Does culture really impact IT success?
Absolutely. Long-term stability improves everything—application usage to training, innovation to thoroughness and possibly incident response to cybersecurity readiness.
Call to Action – Start Leading With Clarity
If you want the confidence to make smarter technology decisions—and you want a partner who listens, aligns, and acts—visit our podcast page and subscribe for weekly leadership insights:
👉 https://www.fulcrumgroup.net/talk-to-th3-doc-podcast/
Or schedule a conversation with our team to see how SPOT Managed IT Services and STARPower can support your growth.
About the Author — Steve “The Doctor” Meek, CISSP
Steve “The Doctor” Meek is a DFW-based IT strategist, cybersecurity leader, podcast host, and co-founder of a 24-year technology legacy in North Texas. A recipient of the 2024 MSP Titan of Industry Award for Community Impact, Steve brings decades of experience helping CEOs, city managers, and healthcare and manufacturing leaders navigate cybersecurity, AI readiness, and operational resilience. As host of Talk To Th3 Doc, he explores leadership and ownership topics to find practical insights for SMB decision-makers.
Founded in Keller, TX, The Fulcrum Group, Inc. delivers relationship-centered DFW Managed IT Services through its flagship SPOT Managed IT Services and SPOT Managed Security Services platforms. Using its proprietary STARPower™ Framework, Fulcrum helps businesses strengthen security, modernize operations, and plan technology with clarity and confidence. With a 100% Texas-based team and a “No IT Jerks” philosophy, Fulcrum has earned repeated national recognition on the MSP 501 and CRN Top 500, serving SMBs, local governments, and mission-driven organizations across North Texas.
