You meet the coolest people at Pride

I’ve looked up to these two since day one. Each one has had a lasting impact on my career and experience at Microsoft.

I can still remember emailing Kathleen Hogan for a one-on-one at the end of my first year at Microsoft. I didn’t expect a response – why should I? She was the head of human resources at a company with over 100,000 employees, and I had no connections to her. But she responded. In a somewhat frazzled state, since it was nearing the end of fiscal year, she personally responded to my email and politely declined a one-on-one, but instead offered another resource: Cynthia Per-Lee (a former Delta VP turned Azure HR executive. Her story is super inspiring, and I loved our conversation!) Kathleen is the type of person I aspire to be – someone that is reachable to everyone, and when unable to personally help in any way, point them to someone who can help.

I first met Chris Capossela at the Microsoft Stores during the holiday rush. I was sequestering myself in the accessories zone, trying to manage my social anxiety and answer as many questions as I could. Suddenly, this man comes bursting out the crowd and shook my hand, introduced himself as Chris Capossela, said some pleasantries and thanked me for working during the holidays before disappearing back into the fray. Even this small gesture reminded me that that somewhere, somehow, what all of us Consumer Product Advisors were doing was important to the overall business. 

Some time later, I stumbled upon Chris amongst hundreds of other Microsoft employees at Seattle Pride. As a member of the gay community, it was inspiring to see an executive supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and their fight for equality.

After a few minutes, I mustered the courage to speak with him. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I started quizzing him on a variety of topics, mainly about his rise at Microsoft and where he sees himself going, and providing a little insight as to how I got to where I was at the company.

This year, as I was chatting with a former colleague, Chris once again burst out of the crowds, shook my hand and said that we’d catch up later, before disappearing back into the crowd. Later on, Chris and I were able to catch up, and we managed to snap this amazing photo with Kathleen!

This is what true leadership looks like. Executives are human, just like everyone else, and I’m so glad to have worked at a company with leaders that haven’t lost their sense of humanity.