Being a Microsoft Regional Director: faith, trust and pixie dust for good

I’m still learning about being a Microsoft Regional Director and I’m figuring things out. I’d like to thank Microsoft here for this opportunity and I’d like to thank the great RD team at Microsoft for their seemingly-endless patience with my questions!

Here is my opinion. I don’t represent anyone other than myself, and this is in no way official. I am extremely honored to be a Regional Director and an MVP and I think that the RD role is worth exploring further. This is just an opinion, and that I’m still learning about the RD role since I am new to it. I might add that i’m still figuring out being an MVP as well. Actually, I’m still wondering what job I want to do when I grow up!

Let’s take an example. Recently, an email popped up in my mailbox from a senior executive and decision maker, who asked for a hiring strategy for Azure team members and a commentary about POs for Azure, including Power BI. So I made a huge impact at that customer site, which was a large organization and a big ship to steer around. In fact, it takes faith, hope and a little dash of pixie dust as well as joining hands with the team in order to make the jump in digital transformation; people, processes and technology. And then, I rinse and repeat at other organizations so that everyone has a good leap of faith in the direct direction.

Recently I was on the BBC, talking about a different client where I am helping with a data science for good project, which focuses on homelessness and other aspects of social care. I’ve put the video here, in case you’re interested:

You probably think that any one-woman-band projects mean much, but they do. In fact, it’s huge. I have been working with the first client for months, on and off, combining my time with other customers in an ad-hoc way. I am convinced that Azure is the right solution and the role was born out of the roadmap to Azure that I had worked with them to produce, as part of a larger strategy piece; and it’s just the first role and more will be added later.

For the second customer case, the work we are doing, using Microsoft technologies, is going to have a good impact on people’s lives. The data overrides your perceptions. When we think of homeless people, we think of the tramps on the street, right? Wrong. What about victims of domestic violence, who become victims of unexpected homelessness because they are in fear for their lives? What about their children? That’s how hard people have it in their lives, and in the tech world, we are so blessed, often. What are we complaining about, really?

I don’t think that the RD role or the MVP role are sales roles at all. I don’t benefit financially from these recommendations. I am entirely independent and, if I recommend a solution, it’s because I believe that it is the correct solution.

So I think an RD is partially about having that strategic impact that Microsoft can really see and feel, in a good way. There will be nothing to tie me to the purchase of Azure at all, because I didn’t receive anything and I don’t sell Azure, and I didn’t make anything from the sale. I’m an independent consultant so I get paid for my time, not the fruits of my recommendations. But people will feel the results; the new hires, for example.

So I think an RD is partially about having that strategic impact that other people can really see and feel, in a good way. In these digital transformation pieces, I’m making people’s work easier for them through better processes, great technology and mentoring, supporting and helping people. For the work I’m doing in data science for good, I’m using Microsoft Data Science technologies as part of an amazing, amazing team who are doing great things and making people’s lives better. I think that is it, really: about using your pixie dust to do good things. It’s not about ‘bigger is better’ – bigger business, higher github admissions, higher turnover, larger number of hires, bigger number of Azure VMs, bigger number of forum answers or bigger profile on Stackoverflow. I think it’s about having the same pixie dust as anyone else, but throwing it liberally on the right things.

Rule your mind or it will rule you – Buddha

I think it’s about personal growth. It’s also about striving to have a maturity of outlook and a cool head, and I am trying very hard to heal and be the clean person I’d like to be. I’m doing my MBA and it’s all about personal growth and development. It’s unlike any other course I’ve done, since it means I get really hard feedback about myself as a person as well as my work. Some of the feedback is great, and other feedback is uncomfortable and provokes cognitive dissonance, but the self-honesty means that I can work on it through reflexive and reflective leadership techniques. For example, I’ve written before about having Imposter Syndrome but now I am learning to watch my thoughts better (mindfulness and my Buddhist journey) which means I’m starting to understand better if it really is Imposter Syndrome, or perhaps it’s a reality check, or perhaps I am just being silly? I have grown so much in the past few years and my Buddhist journey tells me that I have a long way to go.

When others go low, you go high

Kirk D Borne, who is an immensely insightful gentleman, asked me a deceptively simple question: what does this actually mean for you? I’d like to thank Kirk here because his generous and insightful question provoked me to think of  for days. I love it when someone challenges me with a wise question and one that I hadn’t considered before, which was kind of the point! I’ve decided on an answer: what being an RD means for me is the opportunity to network, learn and share with people who are brilliant, mature, optimistic, knowledgeable, willing to share freely and with no reward in it, know when to speak and when to stay silent, experienced in business and in the tech sphere. I’m with a great set of people who I admire.

Accountability

Accountability is a very tough thing to learn and it’s something that I ask myself every day: who is accountable? Professionally or personally, you can’t shrug off personal accountability. To lead by example, you have to be accountable, which means that people can have faith and trust in you.

It’s about people you can have faith and trust in, and striving to be that person. The RD program inspires me to work towards being all of these things and to consider accountability.

It also means that I am working to make sure that nobody steals my pixie dust. Michelle Obama inspires me here: when others go low, I go high. Words to live by!

Don’t let anyone steal your Pixie Dust

Following on from accountability, it’s about being an authentic you and striving to be a better  you. On my office wall, I have a picture of Tinkerbell, as follows.

My onboarding to the RD Program has been incredible and people outside and inside of Microsoft have been amazing. So I’d like to thank everyone who has congratulated me and I can promise that I will do my best.