27 November, 2007

Looking Back

It's been a couple of months since I left Microsoft and moved on to other things, and the perspective has allowed me to deconstruct a few things that were hard to see when I was so close to things.

Notably, I still feel great about my decision and that it was the right thing to do. I wasn't doing anyone any favors on my team with my frustrations with the place as I kept ramming into walls that just wouldn't tumble down because of little, old me.

So here are my enduring takeaways from my tenure at Microsoft:

* Microsoft has a lot of smart people working for it.
* Most of those smart people are trying to do the right thing for customers.
* The rest of the smart people and the idiots who are doing the most damage to the company think they're doing the right thing.
* Bonus and stock awards are stacked towards people willing to sacrifice external, personal demands to Microsoft's demands.
* Compensation and leveling is highly variable in small groups for people doing the same or similar jobs.
* Most leads that I met should be ICs - they just don't have the training or support to do right to their reports.
* Most managers that I met should be leads - the Peter Principle in action for most.
* Most directors that I met should be GMs - I feel for these people; stuck between Partners/Partner wannabees and the clueless managers they have to continually correct.
* Most GMs that I met should be fired - Partner should be a reward for a job well done, not for an ass well-tongued.
* Most VPs that I met should be fired - if they were more out of touch with the front line and reality, they'd be a part of the Bush administration.
* A culling of all the bad leads, managers, directors, GMs and VPs is unlikely to happen until Microsoft has an unprofitable quarter.
* Find the good leads, managers, directors, GMs and VPs to work for - they're there.
* Many good ideas that would benefit customers are sacrificed on the altars of not invented here, political bullshit and apathy.
* Many of the smartest people I met fell into two camps: those that are burned out and those on the way to burnout.
* Most of the rank-and-file are there to pull a paycheck, while upper management thinks they're there because they want to change the world.
* The rules and polices are getting worse as rules and polices are put in place to reduce the rules and policies.
* A bad manager will screw your career worse than a major fuckup on your part.
* Politics trumps technical chops.
* Never leave good food in the fridge - someone will steal it.
* There are no teams, only loose collections of mercenaries.
* HR and LCA care more about butt-covering than providing cover for disruptive innovation.
* Informationals are the interview.
* You are not important, only the work you do is.
* Ass-kissing with poor work output is rewarded more than being blunt with great work output.
* There is life after Microsoft.

Best wishes,
CD

4 comments:

  1. your second paragraph has the exact words that my mind has right now.

    i think i've done enough ramming.

    your takeaways are 100% accurate too.

    i just wish i can make the decision to go.

    before i go crazy.

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  2. Wow, it started quite optimistic and then took a nosedive, as the number of bulletpoints rose. I'm not saying anything you've put there is wrong, but it's clear that your time at Microsoft has clearly been something you can think back on and feel good about: as long as you don't think about it for too long.

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  3. So, I'd like to know vaguely what you are doing after MSFT. Do you have another job? How did you find it?

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  4. Stayorgo, it's time to go then. Now is a good time to be looking for a job outside of Microsoft. If you're not sure where to start, call a bodyshop, er, recruiter and see what they think of your skills and experience.

    Anonymous, well, I can also look back and see the things that I did help move the needle on. But you're right in that I can't think about it too long, or my head starts to hurt.

    Barry, I'm doing a startup with some friends. It had been percolating for a few years and the time was finally right to go. I'd love to pimp it here, but I left MSFT on good terms and don't want to burn a bridge after the fact by having someone from my old team say, "Hey, Collision Domain was on our team!" :-)

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