On the 25th of January, I hit my three-month anniversary at Microsoft.

To say it has been a whirlwind would be an understatement. In one sense it seems just like yesterday that I joined at the end of October last year yet, on the other hand, it seems like I have been here much longer because it has been an absolute blast getting up and starting work each day.

Of course, these early days are full of learning about the product, the platform, and the community that helps us with so much engagement. I spend time digging through archives, walking decks, and other documentation to learn all kinds of stuff about what we do here at Microsoft – both on our team, the organization, and the company.

It has also involved getting to know so many internal partners that either play a role in what we are doing or vice-versa. There are so many opportunities to collaborate, and it is encouraged from day one.

The other thing that has been very impactful is the opportunity to connect with other members of our core team and partner teams for the platform. There is not a day that goes by in which I am not in contact with someone else around here for some reason. It has been invigorating to say the least.

Now don’t get me wrong, just like joining any new company, there are all the administrative processes to go through such as payroll and benefits to get that all lined up – some challenges ensued but the infrastructure inside the company and with its partners in those areas is extremely accessible and responsive to any and all inquiries that I needed to make into these areas.

Initial Days

The first week was focused on New Employee Orientation (NEO) and we had several related sessions that focused across the company, but we also had NEO sessions for within our organization. As I have previously mentioned, my hardware kit had already arrived, and I was able to log-in with my corporate credentials from day one which was very handy.

From the start I had an onboarding buddy, in the military we called these individuals sponsors, and they were available to answer questions and help with any issues that might pop up during the onboarding process. Of course, everyone on our team contacted me and offered their help as well. All of it was very much appreciated and made a huge difference getting up and running.

As of week two, I began meeting with my manager once a week so we could sync-up and talk about what was going on and where we were headed in my role. These 1-1 sync sessions also started up with other program managers on the team to help kickstart my learning process about the team/organization. Those 1-1 sync sessions continue to happen so we can stay connected on what is happening across the team as time moves forward.

In those early days, I also got signed up for my initial training requirements and finally met Nelson through the Standards of Business Conduct training Microsoft requires. You may have seen the hype about this internal training on social media and it absolutely lives up to every bit of it. High production quality and sometimes a familiar face or two on the screen.

Microsoft and the Holidays

I don’t think I am giving away any corporate secrets when I say things slow down a lot around the company over the holiday period. After spending many years on the outside looking in, I could see that was the case as many of you have also witnessed.

For me, I took advantage of that downtime to read, read, and do some more reading plus some mandatory training. It also turned into a great time to connect with others I already knew around the company through Microsoft Teams just to say hello and share experiences.

January 2022 and Beyond

These past few weeks have been focused on laying the groundwork for what I want to accomplish over the next several months along with our team. The daily groove is settling in but not in the sense of a daily rut, this is far from that, but in the dynamic aspects of day-to-day collaboration, building, developing and just getting things done as a team.

Yes, I do have to pinch myself every once in a while, just to verify that I am here and working at a great company, in a great org, and on a great team.

Sure, that sounds like a military recruiting poster from the 1980’s but it is all true.

In fact, you should come join us!