Tuesday Thoughts

Nurture Your Network

Some people find it hard to network. I think it’s because they think of networking like cold-calling: “Hi, I’m Gavriella. Would you like to be in my network” But that’s not how it works, right? Networking is constant. It happens every single day in every interaction we have from the moment we meet someone. So you have to nurture your network.

Every time I get an email or a call from Peter Boit, a former Microsoft co-worker, I’m reminded how important it is to make a good impression. 

Years ago, when Peter was the VP of eCommerce at Microsoft, I worked on a project with his team (I don’t even remember what it was now). I apparently made a good impression, because several years—and several roles later, Peter remembered the impact I had on that one project.  Peter became a great sponsor for me. And even after he left Microsoft, our paths continued to cross. After stops at Juniper Networks and Smartsheet, he is now the Executive Vice President of Business Development for Icertis. He is an integral part of our partner ecosystem, and I am thankful for our strong partnership. But I wonder if the relationship would be as strong, if I hadn’t made a good impression so many years ago.  Peter is just one example and I could give you hundreds. 

Every engagement you have with somebody is an opportunity to create a relationship and establish yourself as a trusted, engaged, and valuable person to them. If you take the time from your very first interaction to develop trusted relationships, your effort will pay dividends throughout your career.  You never know—five years from now your co-worker today may be your manager, a customer, or a pathway to your dream job.  Every job I have earned at Microsoft started with a door that opened from a connection in my network (and typically not from a leader level). 

Five key ways you can nurture your network:

  1. Be a great participant or leader in every project you work on
  2. Live up to your commitments – Do what you say you’ll do
  3. Value those around you – Understand the value every person brings
  4. Publicly credit people for every contribution that they make
  5. Be gracious and make others feel included

Over the years, my network has fueled my career and brought me inspiration. I can’t tell you how many great ideas I’ve been graciously given by co-workers and colleagues. And just as importantly, my network is filled with deep relationships and friendships that extend well beyond my work life. Nurturing your network is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Have a great week everyone!

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PRINCIPLES

Guideposts for Success

For most of us, making decisions in the professional world can be difficult. But as we start 2020, I have a hack for you!  Defining a set of personal PRINCIPLES can help you maneuver through the challenges and landmines you face every day at work (and at home).  I use my personal PRINCIPLES as guideposts for success. They help me sift through my busy mind and make good, sound decisions.

Last year, I shared a series of newsletters with my network at Microsoft outlining my PRINCIPLES—the foundational beliefs I try to live by, both personally and professionally.  They ground me and define me. Understanding who I am and what I stand for helps me simplify the complex and overcome the challenges I face.

When I shared these ideals with my team, some suggested I share them with my network on LinkedIn as well.  After giving it some thought, I decided to post a series of LinkedIn articles about my PRINCIPLES. My hope is, over the next several weeks, that I leave you something to think about—something that prompts you to look inside and ask yourself, “What are my PRINCIPLES?”

P is for Prioritization

In today’s work environment, with tight deadlines and limited time, I’ve found prioritization is more important than ever before. Doing it right makes you more efficient and can establish better work-life balance.

When you look at all the projects on your plate, it can be difficult to determine how to prioritize—everything on the list feels equally important. And when you decide on an order of things, sticking to the plan can be even harder! That’s why it’s important to have a clear understanding of which project(s) will help you accomplish your long-term goals. Prioritizing those items on your list will pay dividends.

The 80/20 Rule, Applied

When I think about prioritizing, I ask myself what are the things that will drive the majority of what needs to be accomplished? It’s the 80/20 rule: 20% of what you spend your time on should accomplish 80% of what you need to do.

The tricky part is finding that 20% to get the work done. I always keep this in mind when organizing my schedule. You should set aside time for prioritizing the work and then accomplishing the work.

Getting focused and being clear about your objectives and the results you want to drive is critical. But it’s only the start. 

How many times have you been in a meeting where ideas are flying around, and people are taking one outcome and jumping right to the next, “Oh! We could do this…and if we do that, then we’d be able to accomplish that!” All the brainstorming of ideas is great! But it’s usually not realistic or sustainable. You can’t do it all at once.

At a certain point you need to scale back and decide what can be accomplished and what your milestones are. To achieve your desired level of impact, you’ll need both focus and discipline to prioritize successfully.

The Collective Strength

From an organizational perspective, prioritization can be more complicated, but it’s even more important. Your entire team needs to be on the same page in order to reach the business outcomes you’re hoping for. That’s where “Collective Prioritization” comes in. 

Collective prioritization focuses on aligning your team with the greater business objectives and ensuring the end results are prioritized by everyone. If people are working independently on what they think the priorities should be, progress can be difficult. With everyone working on their own thing, there’s no force behind the prioritization. 

But when every manager and individual is clear about the priorities—and they’re thinking critically about how the priorities relate to their daily and weekly goals—that’s when the magic happens. That’s the power of prioritization.

As we enter a new year (and a new decade), I encourage you to put a priority on prioritization. It’s been a game-changer for me. It will be for you and your organization too!

Have a great week everyone!

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PRINCIPLES – L: Learning to lead

I would imagine that many of you are familiar with Simon Sinek. Simon is a renowned author, speaker, and expert in business relationships and human behavior. Last summer, Simon joined me on stage at Microsoft Inspire. It was a great opportunity to bring his thoughts on leadership and collaboration to our global partner conference!

Simon often talks about the qualities of successful leadership. This quote from our conversation continues to resonate with me:

“Leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s about taking care of people in your charge. People always ask me, ‘How do I get the most out of my people?’ I tell them, ‘First of all, people aren’t towels. We don’t wring them out. The correct question is, How do we create an environment where people can work at their natural best?’ And that is the responsibility of leadership. We have to act in the way we expect our people to act. We have to be the leaders we wish we had…at all times.”

Taking good care of people in your charge is not always easy to do. But it’s imperative for ensuring success as a team. Creating a culture that enables people to do their best is what Microsoft’s three Leadership Principles are all about.

Microsoft’s leadership principles

Creating clarity

If people aren’t clear about what the goal is, they’ll never reach it. Likewise, if people aren’t clear about what their role is in reaching the goal, they feel confined. Satya once called-out that Microsoft is great at creating clarity on Horizon 2—where we’re headed and what the technology landscape will look like five years from now. But we can improve our illustration of Horizon 1—the path we lay out to get to the North Star.

A great leader paints a clear picture of where they want their organization to go and every person’s role to get there. They lay out the roadmap and milestones—especially in the face of ambiguity—so the whole team is clear on what success looks like. A great leader then continues to communicate and clarify this vision to keep everyone on the right path.

Generating energy

My take on this leadership principle is all about matching people to their passion. I’ve worked on teams where I see people who really excel at something, but not the specific job they’re doing. On my teams, when I spot this, I try to correct it.

Some leaders prefer to build an organizational structure and then put people in the roles. I think that’s kind of backwards. You could be looking forever to find the “perfect” person for a specific role! My approach is to look at the people on your team—and the experience and perspective they bring—then build jobs around their strengths. Capitalizing on the unique abilities of your team members will position them for greater success. This approach inspires creativity, optimism, and growth, and generates energy and enthusiasm around your organization’s goals and mission.

Delivering success

This is critical: results matter. And the results should be visible. How are you providing value to your team, your manager, and the business? People need to be aligned and know the success you’re aiming to deliver.

The unfortunate truth is, we live and work in a what-have-you-done-for-me-today kind of world. Everything you’ve done has helped you get to this point, but what matters most is delivering success today. Ongoing success builds your credibility, your brand, and your network.

As a leader, you deliver success in many ways. You do it by helping others succeed—ensuring your team members are able to work productively toward a goal. You do it by innovating constantly and coming up with new and better ideas. And you do it by relentlessly pursuing solutions to seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Learning the art of leadership is a lifelong journey. Each one of us has a role to play in creating a culture where people can thrive and be their “natural best.” How are you creating that culture on your team?

Have a great week everyone!

If you’re reading on mobile, swipe your screen left to view more of the PRINCIPLES I’ve covered the past few weeks!

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