Stuff
The whole writing archive: thoughts on technology, work, learning, life, and whatever else wandered through.
Showing all 20 posts
You Guys Figure It Out
There is a fine line between empowering people to solve problems and crowdsourcing the work of leadership. The difference has a lot to do with whether author...
The Technocrat
Apparently, I am The Technocrat. It sounds less like a workplace archetype and more like somebody working three levels underground in a Cold War bunker.
Ball Don’t Lie
In an anxious, AI-accelerated workplace, it is tempting to maximize visible activity. Eventually, though, the work has to be real.
Email Always Wins
We have Teams channels, Loops, OneNotes, ADO, SharePoint sites, dashboards, and more collaboration tools than anyone can reasonably keep straight. Somehow, e...
Love Your Enemies
A verse that caught my eye during my morning reflection, and the uncomfortable distinction between tolerating someone and loving them.
Everything to Lose
Sometimes having everything to lose requires acting like you have nothing to lose. Not recklessly, but with enough clarity about who and what matters most to...
Making the Printer Work
It is 2026. We were promised hoverboards, self-lacing Nikes, and DeLorean time machines. I am still trying to get the printer on Wi-Fi.
AI Doesn’t Have an Information Problem. We Do.
AI is a generational accelerator, but speed without direction, trustworthy data, and clear outcomes can move an organization rapidly toward the wrong destina...
The Ground Moves First
What the last six months taught me about navigating organizational change, creating clarity, and building systems that remain useful after the org chart chan...
Heroes Don’t Scale (But Warp Pipes Do)
The people who save the day deserve our gratitude. The systems that keep every day from needing to be saved deserve our attention.
Fifteen Years at Microsoft
As I approached fifteen years at Microsoft, I found myself spending less time solving individual problems and more time helping systems, programs, and people...
The Boundaries That Gave Me My Life Back
I was close to burnout. Ancient advice helped, but four practical changes made the real difference.
New-ish Blog?
After WordPress, Ghost, and Medium, the blog is becoming a collection of plain files built by Jekyll and published through GitHub Pages.
Ten Years at Microsoft
Ten years after joining Microsoft, I found myself in a customer classroom teaching Azure and reflecting on how much both the company and I had changed.
Role-based change
A move into Microsoft Worldwide Learning, role-based Azure training, and the shift from know-it-all to learn-it-all.
24 Hours in a day
A short reminder that everybody gets the same 24 hours, but not everything gets to be a priority.
Hi, my name is Mike.
A short inventory of just how aggressively average one person can be, with receipts.
“Ask not, Have not”
A reminder to stop rejecting yourself before anyone else gets the chance.
Five Years at Microsoft
At my five-year mark at Microsoft, growth feels less like accumulating expertise and more like expanding perspective.
My First Year at Microsoft
My first year at Microsoft taught me that expertise isn’t about having every answer. It’s about knowing how to find the right people and ask better questions.