For more than five years I have worked with an experienced and extraordinary team of engineers at both LanternPay and now HICAPS. A common moment of surprise in those relationships was when the engineers notice that the business guy was a Microsoft MVP. With my coding expertise limited to some very dodgy html, the surprise that I might have been part of a group of only 4000 professionals recognised by Microsoft was to be expected. I was as surprised as they were.
My time as a Microsoft MVP has now come to an end. However, I have learned one fundamental thing from over 7 years of involvement with the program: It’s the people. As an MVP you are exposed to a vast array of technical knowledge and expertise. Far too much for any one person to handle. You are constantly challenged by people in Microsoft and without who know more or know better than you. As intimidating as that may sounds, none of that matters compared to wonder of people’s care, generosity and sense of community.
The Community
The sense of community in the Microsoft MVP program is exceptional. Everyone is aware they are part of something shared and special. That community extends to the deep relationships with Microsoft employees whether managing the program or in the many product groups to which MVPs gain access. I have been lucky to meet wonderful people around the world and to have made a community of friends for life. (Hey, yamfam, I am talking about you and you know who you are!) My one regret is that the one MVP Summit I arranged to attend in person was scheduled for February 2020. Sadly, I never got another chance to spend more time in person with this crew.
From everything, I experienced and learned, it is these people that I will treasure and those relationships will carrying on. We have been bemused, puzzled, fought, learned and laughed together. Critically, we have supported each other though job changes and all kinds of success and adversity. These are relationships that stick and go far beyond any one vendor or any technology.
The Customers and Users
My first MVP award was a surprise to me and no doubt to many of the experienced IT professionals in the community. I’m proud to have represented one of a passionate group of experts in change and adoption who made the MVP ranks. Change and adoption is just fancy language for the people-focused crew. As we move into an age of more social and more cloud technology tools, having deep expertise on change and adoption remains essential to the success of any solution. I’m glad Microsoft recognised this years ago and has continued to prioritise the investment of smart change and adoption professionals, even extending learning on these skills to all MVPs. After all, tech changes but the customers and users remain the future.
My professional path has changed (at least for now) so I part the Microsoft MVP program with no regrets. A wonderful learning experience and a great opportunity to contribute has come to an end but neither of those things stop now. My friendships too will continue, even without the inside scuttlebutt. Thankfully my Outlook and Calendar will be a little quieter too.
This blog has always been devoted to the principle that everything begins and ends with people. Technology is just a vehicle to help people to better ends. That’s my one takeaway from my journey as a Microsoft MVP. Let’s continue to celebrate people.