5 pieces of advice I left in my Microsoft departure email

After 18 years at Microsoft, 10 as a consultant and 8.5 as an FTE, these were the things that served me well and I wanted to pass on to anyone interested. These behaviors got me from consultant to the highest level of director in 8 years (that's 4 promotions).

1. Far and away the #1 is communication. No surprise, as clarity is one of the most valuable traits of any great leader.

   1. No one will know what you are doing if you don't tell them. Communication (emails, presentations, Teams messages sometimes) are a tool to ensure visibility and transparency to what you are doing, why it matters, and who you need partnership from. It helps set expectations and give you room to work.

   2. Kick things off. Send comms. Tell people what you're going to do, what you have been doing, and what is next. Do it regularly and when things change make sure you call that out clearly so you can reset expectations and again give yourself more space.

2. Don't pretend to know everything. The best teachers are the best students.

   1. Ask for help from your leaders. Your leaders are a tool for you. They want you to ask them for help and they are there to help unblock, give aircover, give clarity, build a bridge, where you cannot or with whom you cannot. Ask them for help, with a clear outline of the problem, impact, and solution options. Find out when their 1:1s are with other leaders and ask for your topic to get on the agenda so you can get unblocked, get your idea cleared, etc.

   2. Partner with your peers. Most people know more than you about lots of things and if you ask them for help they are very glad to give it. That is one of the unique and great things about the Windows team is that everyone is generally always willing to help. Help could even be "hey can I gut check something with you?" 

3. Manage things. Directly related to communication and autonomy. 

   1. Projects. Workback schedules. Status trackers. What's next, who owns what, by when? Meeting notes are a lost art. Send more of them. This helps make sure people don't feel like they have to be in every meeting. This also positions you as a leader because you have everything under control and know what is happening, or what should happen, when. People want to be part of a team like this because it's clear, organized and easy. This looks like management without being a manager.

   2. Yourself. Manage your time, your calendar, your task list, your inbox. Set a master list for the week and then break it down day by day what you need to get done each day according to what you need to get done to hit what deadlines. Look for key meetings on your calendar and make sure you have time to thoughtfully prep, ask for input, reviews and send a pre read ahead if warranted. Block time to answer emails or you could live in your inbox - answering emails is helping everyone else. 

4. Set and then hold boundaries. Shocking to hear this from me ;) There's a reason Warren Buffet says "the most powerful word in the dictionary is No." (I actually think it's "Love" but different context 😄)

   1. With your time. Time = energy. This is a finite resource. You do not have endless energy to give to all things in your life. Decide what your priority is and hold the boundaries you need to protect your top 3. (hint, your #1 priority should be YOU.).  Block your calendar for work time. Decline meetings you don't need to be in and be really really discerning about what you really need to be present for. If 3 other people on your team are all in the same meeting with you, most of you probably don't need to be there.

   2. With the work. Propose prioritization and get signoff on when things will be delivered. We all know that working more than 40 hours a week during parts of the year is required, so plan for that. The more you are organized, recognize what you need to do every day, what you need unblocked from, and are able to give regular updates to your leaders, the better off you will be when it gets crazy. Make sure you have support systems in place that give you energy outside of work and don't underestimate the power of 5 minutes before you start your day, or during your day to sit down with your eyes closed to do some deep breathing. 

5. Figure out what you are good at and what you aren't. I believe anyone can do anything they set their mind to, but I also believe that we are all generally more inclined toward some things than others. If you force yourself into things you are not as inclined to, you will burn out.

   
   

   I am not someone who should ever be asked to do things that require precision or require adherence to a specific process...I could be a pilot or a surgeon, but it's better for everyone if I don't 😄 

   
   

   Come to terms and be honest with yourself. Whenever I took on roles or projects that were not aligned to what I am wired to do, I was miserable, made others miserable and failed hard. Use whatever tool you want: Enneagram, Human Design, Strengths Finder, whatever, and make sure your role ladders to those things or you have a very strong team to support you in the areas that you know you are not good at.