93 – Transformation, Challenges, and Opportunities in the US Education Sector

Welcome to the 93rd episode of the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I was delighted to welcome to the podcast a former colleague Jamie Harper, Microsoft's Vice President for the US Education business, to discuss Transformation, Challenges, and Opportunities in the US Education Sector.

I had the chance to work with Jamie while we were both leaders in Microsoft's US Public Sector business and again while supporting top partners in my business. Jamie runs a large, diverse, and complex business representing roughly 50% of Microsoft's Worldwide Education revenue.

I was excited to feature Jamie on this First Anniversary of the Covid Shutdown to share his insights on the transformation, challenges, and opportunities in the Education sector. I also want partners to understand the immense possibility of working with Microsoft in the US Education Market.

MICROSOFT'S US EDUCATION BUSINESS 

In this episode, Jamie and I discuss the US Education business, its complexities, and the wide range of priorities across students, teachers, and the business of schools. We also discuss his observations since the pandemic. You will learn:

* The big remit across K12, Higher Education, and Libraries includes Academic Medical Centers and various government entities. Microsoft aligns organizational goals, including student success and graduation rates.* A dedicated engineering team focuses on education solutions, features, and capabilities specific to the market. An example is making Microsoft Teams more useful to Education.* Partners shouldn't focus strictly on Account Sellers in the US Education business; many additional resources overlay and support core Microsoft Solution Areas and Customer Success.

MICROSOFT RISING TO THE CHALLENGE 

* Microsoft rose to the challenge of Covid, helping institutions shift and pivot multiple times, leaning into remote learning, remote work, remote healthcare. Front-line workers - teachers, administrators, healthcare workers - did a fantastic job, rising to the challenges. * Teachers needed to bootstrap and solve the divergence of access to keep the train on the tracks with learning. They also needed to solve for the delivery of additional services to students, such as student meals.* School layoffs call for increased productivity and reducing complexity to drive down costs and improve efficiencies.* The future state includes solving student success through personalized learning while addressing access as there remains a gap in accessibility to high-speed broadband, devices, and safe and productive environments in which to learn.

PARTNERSHIPS & MICROSOFT 

As a 20 year veteran of Microsoft, Jamie has been around successful partnering for some time and discusses the opportunities and how partners can showcase their work. Both Jamie and I agree on these areas for partner focus.

* Go-to-market: Educators share success stories, ensure you showcase how your solution is helping to solve a particular set of outcomes. Promote your relevant success so customers can see the value of your offers.* Technical: It's essential to stay close as Microsoft builds new capabilities to solve education challenges.* Microsoft: Develop a deep understanding of the operating model, business goals, and how each team aligns and measures against priorities and goals. Resources like Ultimate Partnerships can help here.* Relationships: Build wide and deep, instead of relying solely on the people assigned to partner development.  

LEADERSHIP, MINDFULNESS & CAREER 

Mindfulness plays such a critical role in individuals and organizations' success,