One Word Wrong
In the Marine Corps, we follow clear communication guidelines over the radio. If artillery is coming in and you say “repeat,” you’ve just called for another round on the same coordinates. What you actually want, when you mean “say that again,” is “repeat your last.” One word wrong, and instead of getting clarification, you’ve called in a strike on a spot that’s already been hit.
That’s not a technicality. That’s the difference between a controlled fire mission and one that goes badly wrong.
The Same Principle in MSP Work
I think about that a lot in MSP work, because the stakes are different but the principle is the same. When a CEO or a CISO is trying to decide whether to shut something down, isolate a system, or call it a false alarm, they need information that’s exact. Not close enough. Not “we think.” Exact. Because they’re about to make a decision based on what you just told them, and if what you told them is vague, the decision they make is going to be vague too.
Who’s Really Working for Whom
Here’s where most business owners get it backward. They think they hired an MSP so they’d have one less thing to manage. But a lot of the organizations we talk to are actually working for their MSP, not the other way around. They’re the ones chasing down updates. They’re the ones opening a ticket and watching it sit for 60-plus days without a real answer. They’re the ones who have to ask what tools they should be using, how their data should be structured, how their crown jewels are actually being protected, instead of being told.
What a Good MSP Should Be Doing
If your MSP is doing the job right, none of that should be on you to chase. They should be advising you on what AI tools make sense and which ones don’t. They should be telling you how your data is being handled before you have to ask. They should be driving the work forward, not waiting on you to notice something’s stalled. It can still be a back and forth, a real collaboration where you’re both in it together. But you should never be the one hunting down your own provider to figure out what’s going on with your own systems.
Confidence Under Pressure
Generals and CEOs want the same thing from the people reporting to them. They drill this into you early in the Marine Corps: be confident, even in a moment where you might be wrong, because hesitation costs more than an occasional bad call. Standard isn’t good enough. You have to be precise enough, and sure enough of what you’re saying, that the person above you can act on it immediately. That’s what a CEO wants from their MSP too. Not hedging. Not “we’ll look into it.” Clear information, delivered with confidence, backed by facts, fast enough to actually make a decision before the window closes.
Why Clear Information Wins
On the battlefield or in a security operations center, clear and concise information is what allows the person in charge to make the right call in time for it to matter. Vague information doesn’t just slow things down, it puts the whole decision at risk.
Thanks for pausing with me. If any of this connects to what you’re dealing with, you can find more of what we do at itauditlabs.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Repeat” is a fire command that calls for another round on the same coordinates. “Repeat your last” is what you say when you actually want someone to say something again. Mixing them up means calling in a second strike on a location that’s already been hit instead of just getting clarification.
Because a CEO or CISO is making real decisions, like whether to shut down or isolate a system, based on exactly what they’re told. Vague information (“we think,” “probably,” “we’ll look into it”) leads to a vague, delayed, or wrong decision at the exact moment precision matters most.
A good MSP drives the relationship forward instead of making you chase it. You shouldn’t be the one opening tickets and waiting 60-plus days for an answer, or the one asking what tools you should use and how your data is protected. They should be telling you before you have to ask.
Which AI tools make sense for their business and which don’t, how their data is being handled, and what’s happening with their systems, without being prompted. The relationship can still be collaborative, but the MSP should be leading it.
Because hesitation slows down decisions that need to happen fast. The standard isn’t just being right, it’s being precise and sure enough that the person above you can act on what you said immediately, even in a moment where you might be wrong.
Nick Mellem, Director of Innovation and Outreach at IT Audit Labs and a Marine Corps veteran, as part of his Operational Pause newsletter connecting military lessons to cybersecurity and business leadership.
