The power of connections and unexpected interruptions in programming!
Earlier this year, I wrote about overcoming the inertia of staying home, and recommitting to connection, community, and culture. It stemmed from a trip to India where I was reminded of how important human connection and experiencing culture is to my core values. When I wrote that piece in January, I didn't know it was on my bingo card to become the CVP of the Commercial Solution Areas Team. I’m so thrilled that I did. And, it turns out that piece really manifested itself in my approach to stepping into this role.??In that piece, I made a commitment to connect in person and nurture the communities I’m involved in.
While many things can be done virtually, nothing replaces face-to-face time together. As humans we need this. And, it's been a big part of my onboarding experience.
I celebrated CSA Award winners in Hawaii, traveled to Australia and New Zealand to meet the extended team there and meet with customers. In the last few weeks, I hosted my first CSA Town Hall, participated in the CSA in-person offsite with members of the STU, SE&O, and SMC leadership and met the OU leaders from around the world. This week we hosted Global Black Belts from all over the world here in Redmond (amidst a bomb cyclone just to make things interesting!).
These events serve such a critical purpose. Not only do they allow the team space and time to dive deep on the business, gain clarity on our priorities and pinpoint where CSA can focus to reach our goals. But, more importantly, they give the team an opportunity to build and nurture connections through networking, recognition, celebration, and discussions around what type of culture we want to create.??
These learning opportunities have focused on everything from operational updates where we explored applying continuous improvement techniques, to?workshops where we learned from each other how to accelerate progress and of course deeper exploration of AI transformation and collaboration across teams to better serve customer excellence. The formal discussions in the room, the side-conversations during breaks, the link between field and engineering – all helped create deeper connections and actions for improvement.
Although I would not wish a bomb cyclone on anyone, and my heart goes out to those impacted and still impacted, there was a silver lining for those attending the GBB summit. Without power in many of our buildings, formal sessions were cancelled, which created space for informal gatherings and opened the door for agility, creativity, and new connections.
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It’s a lesson to both capitalize on the unexpected and be sure as leaders we are making time for and creating unstructured space for teams to explore with each other. These moments create lasting memories and are the ones we remember when we look back on our lives.?
These weeks have been?energizing (and exhausting even for an extrovert!) but immensely rewarding. I can’t wait to put all of the great ideas into action.?At the pace we are all moving, and the pace technology is evolving, it is critical we take the time to create the future we want together.?
Collaboration is even more at the center. And these events create moments of creativity and fuel how we do things differently moving forward.?
They?also take an incredible amount of planning. Every detail from the content to the activities, to the food, to the guest speakers is thought through. And, when something unexpected like the weather event of this past week, it's even more of a team-effort to ensure everyone is safe and accounted for.
I want to give a big shout out to everyone who helped bring these events to life. Watching you in action over the last few weeks was a joy and I’m so proud to be a part of the team! This was a broad team effort and while I would love to tag every single person who played a part in the success of the last few weeks, LinkedIn has a tag limit. Just know that I saw the immense team effort that it took, and I appreciate each of you.?
Dzemila Bektovic Ramona Locke Christine Mina Valerie Fernandes Mette Heegaard Thorhauge Kristen Winter Tamara Supica Katrina Kinghorn Tiffany Smit Katherine Hallen Jason (Jay) Brommet Tricia Flynn Joe Porter Joel Shalaby Lin Yang Akash Srikewal Andrea Speeter Dan Altieri Cedric Garner Michelle Bell (Jarrard) Taylor Van Putten Dan Osborn Brian Morgan Fie J Schumacher Charlotte Dick-Cleland Nathalia Bittar Fabio Peres do Souto Shelley Way Davina Yeo Swapnil Khopkar Neeta N. Cecilia Cuff Justin Chandoo Evelyn Jackson Jessica Peet Jesse Howard Mei C. Ying Shelly Marston Nicole Streifert Kirsten Walker David Distenfield Ana Porras Felicia Thomas, MBA Renilson Corrente Rebecca Sivak Sonia Wadhwa Csaba Deme Gaby Gallardo Mark Smith Jordan Sheridan Rosalind Quek (郭玉玲 Nevenka Scott John Yokim Nate Harris
Supporting Oracle to Azure Migrations
2 个月It’s truly inspiring to witness how human empathy can rise above the forces of nature (and perhaps even technological setbacks) to turn challenges into opportunities. I experienced firsthand the incredible support extended to employees and their families, and the genuine care demonstrated by the leadership. Moments like these go beyond any culture program—they build trust, foster connection, and define who we are. We will return with stronger winds at our backs.
Human Resources Director
3 个月Your ability to be an inspiring and humane leader is so impressive, Erin.
Developer Content Design and Experience Leader
3 个月Ahh, memories of the power outage in Redmond circa 2007 during the Windows Protocol Documentation Project crunch time. Security tried to get us to evacuate the meeting room in which we continued to work (was it in building 43?) by the light of our laptops. One of the senior managers in the room explained to security that if we left, something important wouldn't get done, and they would get asked about it by Steve Ballmer, and that when asked they'd point out in no uncertain terms that it was this particular security person who forced us to leave. Security let us stay. We kept working for another hour or two. That project, with its nightly File Systems Team dinners and writers working until 3am, was a good example of what could be accomplished with high levels of collaboration and coordination. I still chat with some of my coworkers from back then today.
Sr. AI Global Black Belt @ Microsoft | AI for Good Hobbyist
3 个月Bomb Cyclone - I still remember you mentioning that on Day 1. I was like "did she say bomb cyclone?" ?? Amazing experience none-the-less... smart, passionate and wonderful GBB's from 47 countries - a testament to the culture of Microsoft. Really appreciate the wit, humor and genuine heart that embodies you as a leader. Lucky to have you.
Strategy + People + Technology + Creativity
3 个月Erin Chapple (Bourke-Dunphy) I totally agree that, while we had unexpected events all over the place, the power of the human connection was the true gift of this event. Thank you for your leadership and for connecting with our GBB community in such insightful and energizing way.