Adam Fisk is a fixer with a calming voice trained on FM radio waves, tinkering with machines from an early age and trained by the most prolific retailer in the world. Today he helps support the infrastructure of some of Boston’s fastest-growing startups and well-known institutions as the Director of IT Services at Boston-based IT services & cybersecurity provider Tech Superpowers.
The eldest of five, Adam was always an even-keeled captain trying to keep the peace with family and friends. He was born in Phoenix, but the family relocated to the Boston area when he was in middle school after his dad took a job with EMC. He’s been local ever since.
Adam’s dad worked in IT for his entire career at Honeywell doing infrastructure backup work before being recruited to EMC, and is now a Software Engineer for an Emergency Services RMS company. His mom has served as a cardiac intensive care nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital for the past 25 years. When the kids got a little older, she obtained her PhD in Nursing Science, is currently a clinical coordinator in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also works with an international NGO, primarily in India, to help teams in low and middle-income countries to improve care of children with congenital heart disease. . Moms, right??
Growing up around an IT professional, Adam did his best to break and quickly fix the first computer they had in the house. From an early age he was always monkeying around with technology. His high school had a radio station and Adam had his own radio show, always fixing things around the studio during the emerging era of the Internet.
Adam pursued video & voiceover work at Curry College as an aspiring broadcaster. When he graduated, he began working at independent alternative radio station WFNX, owned by the Boston Phoenix, doing live events & behind the scenes production. He even got to travel to California to work Coachella for the station.
But in the 2010’s the radio industry was changing, and Adam started putting in hours at a local Apple retail store. He became a Trainer (Creative), running workshops & doing training sessions for new employees. He really enjoyed teaching people and became a member of Apple’s Genius team, even traveling out to Cupertino HQ for a multi-week training.
Apple was all about serving customers with the utmost professionalism – acknowledging their customers, aligning with the customer’s needs, and assuring them their requests could be handled. It was interesting technical work troubleshooting devices but the daily grind juggling two jobs eventually wore on Adam. He began to look for a more traditional career path.
One of his current colleagues introduced him to Tech Superpowers, a local IT firm looking for a new Field Technician. They were helping local businesses install computers and printers, set up networks, and even did some residential work too. They were IT people for the people, whoever & wherever you were.
Adam became one of their hands-on technicians, running around Boston to the organizations the company serviced, doing what needed to be done for customers. They even had a Patriot Place retail store for a period of time. Eventually, the business evolved to become a managed services firm that handled less individual device repair & management work. Tech Superpowers became IT as a service.
This fit Adam’s skills perfectly. He built personal relationships with his clients, training and teaching them as he gained the skills to better understand their needs. His hard work was noticed, and he began leading the growing services team as their Team Lead, instituting best-in-class standards & practices.
Over the last five years, he has assumed a core leadership role as Tech Superpowers’ Director of IT Services, overseeing the Managed Services team for clients like Cohere Health, the Celtics, Accel, Equity Resources Investments, and Sublime Systems. He works with the executive team on internal and external strategy, acting as a problem solver and guide to a growing team of 5 direct reports managing a seven-figure book of business. Adam admits it hasn’t always been easy to grow into this leadership role, but it’s been extremely rewarding.
The Managed Service provider team helps manage ongoing client relationships and also assists with new business consultations & onboarding. They also help clients with cybersecurity, onboarding & offboarding, conference room A/V, & compliance. The team is lucky to have industry-leading retention rates and has only lost a couple of customers over the past few years when they grow to an enterprise-level size or are acquired. It’s all about relationships.
Adam enjoys working with customers who see IT as a valuable asset. Many of their customers are fast-growing startups with big goals, and he loves helping them get there by sharing the team’s long-standing expertise. He coordinates problem-solving, training, and leverages over a decade of wisdom to help them grow. Adam also interfaces with Tech Superpowers’ smart home division, TSP Smart Spaces, where they help individual high-end customers automate their homes.
Active Listening – AAA & A.p.p.l.e. Framework
Growing up in a big family, Adam knows people just want to be heard. Technical people especially. When he began working at Apple teaching technical support, he learned to be an active listener & let people finish before he jumped in.
When someone is reaching out for IT help, they’re probably not in a good mood. Something is likely broken, and they’re stressed because something has gone wrong. Using that opportunity to let them be heard in order to create trust & rapport is critical.
If someone has an abrasive, emotional response, the best way to disarm them is by listening to them to get to the heart of the problem. It takes skill honed over time to understand what challenges customers are facing.
Apple teaches their associates the “Three A’s” – Acknowledge, Align, and Assure (explained here). At an Apple retail store, they have the Apple framework. First, they Approach customers with a personalized, warm welcome. Next, they Probe politely to understand the customer’s needs. Then, they Present a solution for the customer to take home. After presenting, Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns. Last, End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
This translates pretty well to any customer facing role, but Adam has leaned on it heavily at TSP with his team. He explains, “if someone wants to VPN into their office when working remotely, that’s easy. But understanding what they’re first trying to accomplish (and protect), really understanding that, is more valuable to provide true partnership”.
IT is a service industry, and to build great relationships, you need to listen by treating people like people. You need to service the hands that touch the computers. And Apple knows a thing or two about providing great customer service.
Career Insights / Learnings
Be Flexible – “It’s ok to say the dream you once had isn’t what you need to do or want to do now. Just because I wanted to be in radio, would I still want that looking back now? No. It’s ok to realize what you want to do changes. And it’s ok not to know what to do next. It’s also ok not to have an answer but to say, ‘hey, I’m going to go find the answer’”.
Slow Down to Go Fast – “Sometimes working at a breakneck speed is fine. But you cannot, as a person, continue at a nonstop speed. Yes, there will be weekends and days where you need to put in more. But there also needs to be weekends where you watch 3 movies in a row so your brain & body can recharge. Don’t let your work life and personal life compete with each other. Have hobbies that are not tied to your work.”
Adam is really enjoying the work and the team he has helped build at Tech Superpowers. He’s gotten to work with some fascinating organizations that have just hit or are hitting hypergrowth. Whether it’s building out IT networks at brand new office spaces or partnering with Tech Superpowers’ Smart Spaces team, there is always a lot of variety to tackle.
He’s excited to continue educating and, when the opportunities arise, hosting events & roundtables with various partners in the community. He aspires to continue treating people like people, helping them attain their goals. And when things go awry, you just have to work through it!
If you want to learn more about Adam, you can find him staving off an IT disaster with one of TSP’s clients, keeping in touch with his four siblings and family, or on LinkedIn. Thanks for sharing. We look forward to seeing the growth of the team and all the amazing Boston startups you help grow in the years ahead!