Integrator or Implementer

Hi everybody, it's Mark C. Winters and today I want to talk to you about a topic that I've seen happening. Too much, really. It's just sort of some confusion out there that I want to do my best to try to clear up around some terminology. And simply stated here it is. Integrators are not the same thing as implementers. Now the words are really similar and I get how people get confused and sort of start using them interchangeably, but what I want to clear up is how they're different. Alright, so integrators, you hear me talk about this all the time, they're the ones who are going to take the ideas from the visionary and make them real. They're going to drive execution, they're going to pull together all the different functions in the organization and really get us marching down the path towards making the vision happen. And there's a lot of special things in how they work with the visionary. So that's what integrators are. Hopefully you're crystal clear really on what that word means now, implementer. While it sounds similar to integrator, it's very different. And in the context of the type of things we talk about, the implementer is all about implementing an operating system into the company. Implementing an operating system into the company. That's really all that that word means. Now when I say operating system, I mean operating system, whatever operating system you might decide to use at your company. You've probably heard us talk a lot about eos. That's one we think a lot of. We have a lot of friends in the EOS community, very close relationship there. So we think that's a great system and so it could be that operating system, but if it's not, it doesn't matter if you're using another operating system, the idea is still the same who implements the operating system in your company. Now back to the integrator. One of the core accountabilities of the integrator is the operating system. But what I want you to be clear on is that owning doesn't necessarily mean doing the integrator. Owning the operating system simply means they're accountable for making sure that we have an operating system and that it is getting implemented or it is implemented and, and working well, doing what it needs to do. Now, as far as the implementation of that, it could be somebody that you bring in from the outside. There could be a professional implementer. EOS worldwide has great professional implementers that they can bring to help you implement that operating system. It could be some other person inside your organization, someone on the team that's really trained up and is mastering the tools and elements and components of your operating system. And they could be the implementation resource. Now, could it be the integrator? Maybe, but I just don't want you to think that by default those two are overlapping and are the same. Okay, so the integrator executes the vision, makes it happen, makes it real, pulls all the pieces together. Implementer simply means implementing the operating system. They work together to help you get where you need to go. Alright, so three key things to wrap this one up. Number one, the integrator and the implementer are not the same thing. They don't mean the same things. They have different roles and different focuses. Number two, the integrator owns the operating system. Which leads me to number three, which is that owning does not necessarily mean doing. It's the project manager, it's the champion. They're going to make sure that it happens, it gets done. But there may be somebody else that's leading the doing on the operating system and that may be an implementer for you. Thanks for watching. Today at Rocket Fuel Ventures, we're all about creating the most powerful visionary integrator duos on the planet. And we do that by helping you crystallize what it means to be a visionary and an integrator. So you can understand if that concept can help you and if you decide it can, to get connected with your complementary counterpart and then finally maximize that relationship to make it everything it can be to help you take your company to the next level. So if you want more Rocket Fuel, please check out our website@rocketfuelnow.com and that's where you can sign up for the weekly videos like this. Be sure you're getting these on a regular basis. You can also take the assessments so you can understand as a visionary or as an integrator, where your strengths lie and what the shape is of your two piece puzzles that can help you find that complementary counterpart. And finally, of course, read the book Rocket Fuel and keep those great reviews coming. So until next time, go Rocket.