🌟 Margaret Parker Grimes’ Post

First, these companies cut their ethics teams. Then the diversity teams, UX teams, marketing, HR, and customer service...in roughly that order. It really is an indictment of what our companies—and economy as a whole—consider to be "business critical." It certainly isn't people, creativity, or health. #business #layoffs #priorities

#Microsoft is listed as 3rd on #FastCompanies 2024 most innovative companies, so why are they holding IT Teams back?   Well, here’s the thing.   Microsoft can do almost anything.   IT teams get seduced by the comfort in the familiar and recommend Microsoft as the default.   Then the fan club piles on: - CFOs are pumped as software and integration costs are minimised. -  Chief People Officers are thrilled drawing from a sea of Microsoft talent. -  Chief Procurement Officers have a sweet gig with scalable agreements. -  The Chief Security Officers are… well they’re never happy.   But what about everyone else? They're left feeling like they're on a diet of plain oatmeal:   -   Unheard - it gives the impression IT is not willing to listen -   Compromised - because let's face it, Microsoft isn't the Michael Jordan of every tech category. -   Dumber – in danger of becoming a one trick pony, limiting innovation.   When things get too one-note, people start going off-script. Ever tried to tell a CMO to stick with a brand they're just not that into?   And here's the kicker: as tech decisions drift away from IT, they're getting typecast as the folks who just say yes or no. But it doesn't have to be that way.   Here are some pro moves to break the mould: 1) Get out there – mix and mingle with teams. Learn their hopes, aspirations, and headaches long before they come to you with a ‘shiny solution’ to buy. 2) Bring in fresh faces – not just vendors, but real-world teams using different tools, to show what works vs sucks. 3) Spin up Tech Playgrounds -  where teams get to play, touch and feel what new tech can do for them. 4) Hunger Games Hackathons - where internal teams backed by vendors apply new tech to solve for real-world challenges.   Love to hear your views on the future of IT as a guide or order taker.   #Innovation #IT #Microsoft

6 years ago (March 2018), I took the public bus on a pour-down rainy day in Seattle to reach the Microsoft HQ. I did not do my research properly, and I briskly walked three blocks from the bus stop to the lobby of (the now gone) building 9. Half soaked, with my strong Mexican accent giving me a certain insecurity, and having arrived in the US just a year and a half prior, I waited no more than 5 minutes, trying to lower my heart rate. On the other side of the glass door, Lara, in the picture, was walking around some stairs decorated with a beautiful, huge Chihuly on top. If you've had the luck of meeting Lara before, you'll know she has a strong presence in the instance she enters any room. The small lobby was not the exception. That day, I was interviewing for what I was told, at the time, was a group of ninja engineers solving all kinds of complex technical projects. It was the most challenging interview day I've ever had in my professional life. Lara's office was full of Data memorabilia, with Data capitalized. Days later, after discussing databases in my interview with her, I learned of her long and deep expertise with Data. Things didn't get easier after those 40-50 minutes, where I met, one by one, a group of amazing, talented, and smart engineers under her umbrella. They were indeed ninjas who still today do amazing things at Microsoft. Yesterday, I was able to listen to her view of how our organization has evolved, the insigths about attrition and D&I, and I couldn't stop myself from feeling grateful and lucky for the opportunity and the chance to work alongside these people. Cheers Lara Rubbelke , long live building 9!

Do you want valuable inside-the-industry insights on how to break into tech from a Senior Microsoft software engineer? Well, I do! Be sure to watch Shashi Lo’s upcoming event! The event link is in the comments below ⬇️ #webdevelopment #careeradvice #Mentorship Frontend Mentor

When people talk about success in business, they love to point to giants like Google 🎉 They see the profits, the headlines—but not the countless missteps and flops along the way. So, in honor of Google’s Birthday, let’s take a stroll through the “graveyard” of one of 2024’s biggest tech titans. Welcome to the backdoor of Google’s greatest failures! Thanks, killedbygoogle.com for the amazing list! #GoogleBirthday #KilledByGoogle #BusinessGrowth #TechIndustry #InnovationMindset

Are you okay to hear a little challenging leadership "tough love?" If so read on... I have enjoyed coaching leaders for over 20 years, primarily in the technology industry and with multiple skill sets. I see people limit themselves and their progress in a lot of ways. I try to help them move passed that, or open doors and opportunities they may not have seen by themselves. When it comes down to it, if you want to be a great or even good leader, you have to do the work. I think leadership is comprised of a group of skills that must be learned and nurtured, rather than an entitlement of tenure, a laurel to rest on, or a merit badge, or a Yu-Gi-Oh card to get. In my 25th year as a leader, I am still learning and growing. Why? Because people continue to evolve and grow. Because generational dynamics and our workplace environments continue to change. Because I strive to be a better leader, everyday. If you are having trouble accepting my words, listen to this from another leader who happens to have great impact, be a multi-millionaire, and has a similar perspective on leadership in the clip below.

🆕 blog, "Things I learned as a member of the Microsoft Community" by Stephen Rose (Adoption Specialist). Stephen shares 4️⃣ important things he's learned in and with the best community in tech. Read his post and let Stephen know your thoughts https://lnkd.in/gqr4cEXf Thanks for sharing your thoughts and lessons learned, Stephen. 👏

For some time already, I'm expressing my worries about the passive stand of governments towards the big tech industries and their increasing dominance and power. Laws and regulations are a reactive approach and are not sufficient to stop the companies to further prey on private sensitive data. There is a saying stating: The best defense is a good offence. Governments should embrace this and start cutting the legs out from under the power of the big tech industries. They can do this by stimulating, facilitating and coordinating a path toward an open ecosystem, where users and companies are gaining back their power over their data and their businesses. An open ecosystem that stimulates local innovation and where "one size fits all" is replaced by room for local differences and cultures. That gains trust of the users and therefor opens a new way of interaction. Government as a Service will become reality. Why is this offensive strategy effective? Because it starts cutting the legs from under the revenue models of the big tech. Fines do not have an impact when revenues keep growing. You need a double sided blade. Do I want to see and end to the big tech companies? Not at all. They can play an important role is a transition towards an open environment and develop new business cases by creating new products and services within that environment. Together with governments and domain stakeholders they can shape a new digital future. This is not a small task. But as they say: "How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time." And of course you need a recipe: https://lnkd.in/ePCrGkNj #Google, #Amazon, #Facebook, #Apple, #Microsoft, #Airbnb, #Booking.com, #UberEats

Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and several other technology companies have laid off significant portions of their DEI teams. I need help understanding their reasoning. Initially, they adopted DEI strategies because they made money. DEI initiatives are good for the bottom line in all the cases I listed above. As a millennial, I was attracted to such programs because diversity is a core value I hold, but now that the market has shifted, DEI is being shoved out the door. Now, when they are cost-cutting, they are cutting DEI to "save" money. To my untrained and outsider eye - it seems like internal politics is forcing some folks out (women, diverse people) and then saying it saves money even though it doesn't. Regarding this article, I think that Microsoft desperately needs DEI initiatives; without them, it faces huge business and existential risks. When I worked there, it was noticeable how many older white men worked there compared to other technology companies. https://lnkd.in/gGFR44VT

No founder, no matter how smart, capable and successful, is all-knowing and omnipotent. Failing to adapt your leadership style to the size of the company can render you irrelevant, as my former colleague at Google 🤖 Yaniv Bernstein illustrates in this inside story.