It was nice to tweet you

Steve Clayton has a question he likes to ask people who have been at our company a long time:

"What was your best day at Microsoft?"

It's a question that sparks memories of one single moment that embodies what we like about what we do and where we work. I could probably answer that question with a top ten list. But if I had to pick just one day, it would be July 25, 2015.

I was in Los Angeles for the Special Olympics World Games. Microsoft was a sponsor of both the organization and the event. As the guy behind the Microsoft brand social media channels, I was there to help tell the story of our work with Special Olympics. It's a story that perfectly fit our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Special Olympics is a global movement aimed at improving the lives of the estimated 200 million people worldwide with an intellectual disability. And we did more than just write a sponsorship check. We helped Special Olympics transform the technology they use to manage the events, health screenings, and educational programs they conduct worldwide.

It was a sweltering day on USC Campus, but I was in my glory. Belly-down on the turf beside the track, I used my elbows to form a makeshift tripod, finger on the button, ready to get the shot. The pictures I would take that day would make their way to our Instagram channel, our Facebook page, and Twitter account. Pictures like these, full of emotion, color, and humanity were the ultimate expression of the story I've been privileged to tell for the better part of the last decade.

When I started in this job, the Microsoft Facebook page had about 150,000 fans. The Twitter account had 6,000. We weren't on Instagram. LinkedIn company pages didn't exist. And on YouTube--if you went to youtube.com/Microsoft, there was a guy who had taken over the account and was using it to post religious proselytizing videos. No judgement, but let's agree that it was a bit off brand. Fast forward 9 years and we've got a global following of 30 million people following the company across our presence on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.

But the job was never just about the numbers. As part of a broader communications organization, social was one tool we used to help the world understand Microsoft better; to see us as a company people could trust; a company that was inventing the future; and above all else, to be a company that was dedicated to helping others. As my longtime partner in the newsroom Michael Wann likes to say, "We don't even want to be cool. We just want to be cool-adjacent." The people using our technology to pursue their goals are the true heroes of our stories. We are just glad to have played a role in their success.

There were the stories of the Special Olympics athletes, the shark researcher, the engineers putting datacenters at the bottom of the ocean, and the 10-year-old lemonade company CEO. And speaking of CEOs, I got a front row seat to ours, travelling with Satya Nadella on the book tour for his autobiography, Hit Refresh. There were early mornings when we were entrusted to share big company news before the markets opened. And there were unexpected news cycles we needed to react to with both compassion and speed.

I was privileged to work alongside and learn from stellar communicators in all forms of the discipline from around the world. Microsoft is a company that has always placed a high emphasis on communications in the marketing mix. Our co-founder Bill Gates reportedly once said “If I was down to my last dollar I would spend it on PR.” Of course, I couldn't find any proof that he actually said that. It could have been Abraham Lincoln. But it certainly feels true at Microsoft. Communications was a great place to be in the company, and there's much I'll miss about it.

But Microsoft is also a place about learning and growing. It's a company where people are encouraged to seek out new challenges, and switch jobs internally every few years. Our CMO, Chris Capossela, says "don't think of your career as a ladder. Think of it as a jungle gym." His point is that we sharpen ourselves professionally by switching roles and using different muscles. So now that I've spent some quality time at the slide, it's time to try the monkey bars.

Starting today, I have a new job at Microsoft. It's something that will call on the skills I've learned in my career so far, but also stretch me in new and interesting ways. I'm going to be a Chief of Staff, working with a Corporate Vice President and his team that builds Skype, GroupMe, and Teams for Education. A Chief of Staff role at Microsoft is a wonderful mix of responsibilities, all focused on helping a team succeed. There's a bit of finance, HR, communications, and just plain getting things done to the job. In my conversations with other Chiefs of Staff at Microsoft, the one thing they all tell me is that "no two days will be the same." So, I'm looking forward to diving in, learning the business, and making it across those monkey bars.

Onward to more best days at Microsoft!