Robert Scoble has penned a Q&A style ‘exit interview’ that covers questions many people would like answers to about the goings on inside Microsoft. He does it with aplomb and style. In it he raises issues that resonate with me (edited down for brevity):
JACK ASKS: “How should Microsoft view its competition-should it focus on the bigger competitors or the smaller ones?”
If you are building music stars, can you build them by copying Elvis or the Beattles? No.
Focus on doing things to help people live their lives and the rest of it will take care of themselves. That said, do watch what your competitors are doing to see if they learned something you didn’t see.
Many professionals fear competition yet they needn’t if they do things differently that reflect their client groups in ways that are inclusive. I always knew that but you try persuading other partners! Boy is that a tough ask.
RONPIH ASKS: “Why did you decide to take a job at Microsoft?”
Because it is a company I admired and wanted to learn more about…Having someone show some interest in me and my career was intoxicating and exciting.
David Maister believes the days of apprenticeship are over. I don’t agree with David in terms of the angle he takes but, if, as a profession, we’ve come to that, then how are you going to attract talent rather than jobsworth employees? I already believe the profession is at risk of being rendered irrelevant in its current form. More on this later.
A ASKS: “What would you say is the biggest flaw at Microsoft?”
Its inability to see small things when those things are still small. Did Microsoft see RSS eight years ago? No. Did it see blogging five years ago? No. Did it see search eight years ago? No.
It’s the small things that’ll do a big company in.
Stuart Rock over at the Business Editors picks up on this one. Yes and no. Running a large company is tough when there are so many small things going on. But there are plenty of examples of the Domino Effect out there to indicate that maybe Scoble has a point. Which means all you SMB firms are in a great position to take advantage of innovations that will make a difference. Because you can.
CAROLUS ASKS: “When will Mac and Windows become one?”
Well, with Parallels and BootCamp, it’s getting closer. But, I doubt they’ll ever be totally one.
Someone was bitching at me today about text files as opposed to my use of HTML. The reason I do that is so I don’t have to run two operating systems on the Mac or power up the Intel/Windows server. It’s a convenience thing. But then it doesn’t matter whether you use Mac or PC for online services. My preferences don’t have to be yours any more but interoperability clearly has a ways to go.
At a more general level, I wonder how much effort partners put into understanding why people leave firms? Very little I suspect. When a person announces their impending departure, they become an instant pariah. That’s especially true if they’re in a senior position. It’s more of that fear thing.
I was always glad when someone moved on to something different and better than we could offer. But I always wanted to learn what we could have done to keep them in post. the times I was unhappy was when we failed to sustain their interest.
Great talent doesn’t grow on trees. It has to be nurtured. Fail on that one and it reflects on your firm. In the future, that could mean in the public domain.
In the meantime, I’d recommend reflecting on Scoble’s thoughts as a template for how you treat employees. He clearly had a great time at a company many people love to hate. That’s rare indeed. I wonder how many at PwC, KPMG or Deloitte & Touche can say the same? Or would dare to do so.
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