Full disclosure: I wasn't always the biggest fan of Microsoft:

I have more Apple products than most Apple fanboys

products than most Apple fanboys my idea of window shopping is browsing Amazon quickly

quickly Google is a verb in my daily lexicon

is a verb in my daily lexicon Oh, and I also happen to use Linux for just about anything tech-related.

Being a University of Waterloo alumnus, where Microsoft hires many graduates, I often said to my peers: "Microsoft is the last company I'd ever work for".

Clearly, I'm a man of my word :)

Of course, my world was turned upside down when I joined Microsoft 6 years ago on their Open Source team - as they were able to show me that the company was everything but what I thought it was.

Microsoft does not have an alliance with Darth Vader

Through the years, I’ve often gotten questioned about my authenticity to the Open Source community. That is, how can I work for a “big evil company like Microsoft, and yet claim to be an active part of the “open” community? I’ve always taken offense to that question.

Microsoft is not one giant empire, but a collective of real human beings. And I truly admire, appreciate, and respect these people – and thus, in my eyes, Microsoft is a great company of good people.

Business lessons learned as a Microsoft employee

I will forever be indebted to Microsoft for enabling me to grow and to accomplish personal and business goals. The following are some of the most important business lessons I learned from the company:

It's all about the people

Hire (and grow) the best, always, and cater to their ever changing demands and requests. When a company grows or transforms, you will often need to "re-hire" your employees. That is, resell them on the company's vision and re-enable them to perform while the business transforms.

Keep your enemies closest

Microsoft stocks are at an all-time high, and a key part of the success is by becoming allies with some of Microsoft's greatest competitors. No industry has to be a zero-sum game as long as you can figure out how to grow the proverbial pie.

Take care of your customers and partners

Empower your customers to achieve more. That's the company's motto - and trust me, Microsoft employees live by it. But also, empower your partner network to be successful: it's a win/win/win.

Global organizations and startups don't need to be mutually exclusive

Whether its through acquisitions or incubating new businesses - enable a growth mindset within the organization. It often felt like I ran my own startup within Microsoft and am grateful that the company gives its employees autonomy to be innovative - as long as we deliver on our goals.

Win hearts and minds

Let your customers use your products not because they have to but because they love to. Microsoft has truly changed the way it does business, as is evident through the company's consumption-based business model.

It's all about impact

Business transformation, digital innovation, and <insert business idiom of choice> are great and all, but this must not happen at the expense of performance. Balancing performance with innovation is the difference between a market leader and a footnote.

To Microsoft, with love

My wife, Mila, and I are two very different people. She's an accomplished stunt actor, model, and martial artist. I'm a techie with a gaming addiction. Naturally, we wanted our wedding to be action + tech themed.

For our wedding video, Mila and I filmed our love story through the lens of gaming and action - with a ridiculous amount of support from Microsoft and its various teams (Xbox, Azure, Microsoft Technology Center, PR, HR, Legal, etc.). At the end of it, we created a short action film that was truly ours - and Microsoft was a very big part of it.

Further, on our wedding day, we actually were at the Microsoft Technology Center in Toronto to take our day-of photos. Yes, I actually went to work (with my wife-to-be) on the most important day of our lives.

Yes, I truly love Microsoft ... and it's time to move on

March was my last month at Microsoft - and it's been bittersweet.

I've had the privilege of leading a product within Microsoft that was previously dismissed as "cancer". I am fortunate to have been a part of the transformation of a product strategy into a full-blown business. I am proud that this business plays an integral part of Microsoft's future.

And now with CTO Boost, it's time to take my lessons learned to enable other organizations to reach their goals, by:

attracting top talent

creating new opportunities

building strong customer and partner communities

forging unexpected alliances

generating a groundswell of fanfare

and delivering impact

... just as Microsoft has taught me.

As a former bible-thumping, card-carrying, activist for the I Will Never Use Microsoft (IWNUM) Association, I have fully converted into a fan of the company for one reason:

The company, and by extension, it's people have been an integral part of my life. From the first moment the company spoke with me to my transition out of the company, Microsoft has always empowered me to do what is best for me, my customers, and my partners.

And now, as a customer, partner, and fan, I'm certain that Microsoft will continue to empower us to achieve more.

Cheers,

Keith

PS: check out our epic Microsoft-powered-action-video-game-wedding video :)



