The 2 Ps in life as I wrap my 9.9 Years @ Microsoft

This was not an article I thought I would draft this soon and it is with a heavy heart and mixed emotions my journey at Microsoft sadly ended last week after an awesome 9 years and 9 months stint – a company that will always have a special place in my heart for the people, learning and the impact we do through technology.

It was not a sudden decision but sadly due to part of my life having to face this! I consider we as humans have two parts to our life THE 2Ps in Life–?One Being Personal Life?and the other being our Professional Life.

For me both were going in parallel that made me so proud in achieving everyday small tasks I set to myself to achieve my bigger goals in time to come and one such big goals in my Personal Life was to move overseas being Australia with my wife and 2.5 Year old Daughter (they are my world as I am to them being the super hero- how cool is that???) which was postponed due to the Pandemic and finally time flew for it to happen 1.5months ago. HAPPY TO SAY WE HAVE MADE IT and with this came a change to my professional life which I had to sacrifice yet humbled to accept and continue on an amazing journey ahead!

Ashiq's Journey at Microsoft

For many of you who knows, it was during my childhood days, early years in school watching the “Geeky”????look individual via a VHS at the computer lab talking about Microsoft led me to know who Bill Gates was and since then ever wanting to learn more about computers and the dream to ever join this amazing organization.

It was the clear determination and never giving up attitude that led me to this journey when I was very young as I was taught by Late Grand Dad whom I dearly miss until to date whom we lost due to a tragedy when I was 5 that we never hope any one of us should ever witness and face in lifetime. My grand-dad’s story is somewhat close to my heart as he started quite young and small being an immigrant to Sri Lanka and to how he built a life embracing people, leading with empathy and equality where he taught me one important aspect that I still to date practice –?

“always aim high/higher by never giving up with clear determination and being able to impact best at what you do with people around you who will believes in you to support and most of all whom you would always carry forward with you”. - Ashiq's Grand-Dad -

I consider myself a "Perpetual Student" and the learnings I have gathered through my tenure at Microsoft has been incredible.

Moving from contract roles of?OEM Sales Executive? to?OEM Cloud Executive?to running the?Cloud business for SMB to?Partner Sales Executive-SMB?to?Partner Channel Marketing Manager?to?Partner Development Manager for Dynamics?to?FTE as Territory Channel Manager in SMB?and thereafter the?SMB LEAD?for SEA-New Markets which has grown towards a remarkable business with a cloud mix above 70%+ has been a fulfilling experience.

Not forgetting the extended roles I was able to take lead on as the?Digital Natives Lead SEANMs?to?VCLO-Volunteer Chief Learning Officer for SEANMs, to?APAC COMMS Lead for GLEAM D&IA, to?Compliance Champion for SEANMs?are truly some amazing roles I have been able to impact best at my passion.

One last thing to shout out is also the most surprising moment in my life of all was myself being awarded the Pinnacle Award for APAC in FY21 which was a humbling moment that I would cherish for many years to come.

Happy to say that behind my journey I wish to thank so many people both internally my extended / past and present: Microsoft Family, externally our valued partners and customers who have built trust and longing friendships.

THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!

Here are few things I wish to share with you behind my amazing journey that will also lead you to success and that I still continue!

1. Always strive to avoid stagnation

You should always be learning and bettering yourself as a person. Just because you’ve succeeded doesn’t mean you should stop trying to improve as a person and an employee. Furthermore, being in a challenging situation doesn’t mean you should be resigned to your fate.

This is a true testament to my tenure at Microsoft of how my journey has been and with clear determination and a learn-it-all mindset I was able to succeed and fight stagnation. I was also truly blessed to have had the best managers who were the best leaders who supported on this.

With hard work both at work and in life, your days will be happier, and each will have more significance.

2. Make connecting with others a priority

Another important lesson I was able to gain and enrich myself was how valuable connections with other people can be made across borders with the use of Tech. The company allowed me to explore and gain more skills by connecting with Subject matter experts whether its work or at leisure which helped me to explore many roles. Not only at work but also at my personal goals to help on my motivational drive that I do off work.

Making connections with others is an important lesson that can improve every aspect of your life both in and out of work.

3. Remember to look on the bright side

Every day isn’t going to be the best day and some days can be downright challenging. However, if you can remember to look on the bright side, the difficult days can be just another way to grow in both your career and life in general.

This life lesson is an important one when you’re in a job you don't like. "Thankfully I loved my job"! This situation can be especially challenging and, when left unchecked, can negatively impact not only your work life but your life outside of work as well. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative can help turn the situation around. This is KEY!

Being able to remain positive and look at things with optimism is an invaluable life lesson.?

4. Focus on developing and using your strengths

Finding out what you enjoy doing and what you’re truly good at as well as how to develop those areas is an important lesson you can learn at work. While it may take time, determining where you excel in your career can be one of the most rewarding gifts of having a job and something you can’t learn outside the workforce.

Find what you enjoy doing the most and work to develop your strength in that area. Keep in mind that no one is an overnight expert and that you’ll have to work hard to get to where you want to be.?

Realizing where your strengths are, and passions lie enables you to set concrete goals in your professional life and gives you an actionable plan to achieve them.

5. Work until the work is done

One of the first lessons you may learn when starting to work is what happens when you procrastinate. Procrastination has clear repercussions in the workplace and can result in challenges such as falling behind with your tasks.

The more you resist the urge to procrastinate, the easier it becomes to work until your work is done—whether it be in the office or your personal development.

6. Trust in the power of failure

As you work toward your professional goals, you will inevitably experience challenges and make mistakes. Not everything you do will be successful. But don’t stress about these failures.?With no mistakes, there would be no opportunity to learn.

Every failure gives you the chance to grow both personally and professionally. There is no better way to know what works than knowing what doesn’t. I have failed many a times but has helped me learn and do much better over the years.

Remember that everything is a learning experience, failures and successes alike.

7. Learn how to change the situation, not the person

Learning to focus on changing a situation rather than trying to change a person or group of people is a valuable lesson you can learn at work. This is especially important when you find yourself in a management position. Sometimes the problem is not the people involved but rather the way the situation is handled. Listen to others’ opinions on how to?improve the situation. Take a step back and look at the situation to see if it’s being handled in a way that keeps everyone’s interests in mind.?

The more you’re able to focus on contributing to an improvement in a situation rather than trying to change a person, the more success you’ll have in work and life.

THATS A WRAP - FOR NOW, UNTIL I SEE YOU AGAIN!