Category: Life

…that Malcolm Gladwell, in addition to being funny and illuminating, has a big fro.

"Talent. Do we have the right talent? How do we recruit and retain talent?"

That was Steve Ballmer’s (paraphrased) answer to the question "What keeps you up at night?" posed by a Microsoft employee at the company’s annual marketing symposium today.

If I hadn’t realized I was at a different company yet, this clued me in. I don’t think I ever heard an executive at Oracle worry about recruiting or retaining talent. Talent at Oracle seemed to be an extractable, unrenewable resource, to be used once and disposed of, like oil. Yes, there were exceptions like Mike T., Roel, Andrew and Regis who saw talent and would try to apply it wherever they thought they could. But overall, your skills at Oracle were applicable in one function to one segment of the market. Yes, there was movement, but it was rare and often highly political. Trying to move risked relationships and careers.

Now, I haven’t been at Microsoft for long, and I’m sure some of the talk about career development was mere hoo-hah. But there seemed to be a real commitment to letting people apply their talents wherever they can add value–from developer to consumer marketing.

It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. That I’m sure will wear off eventually. But I have it now.

"You’re a troublemaker!"
"You’re too rambunctious!"

Exactly what an uncle should be!

Another little bit of cultural differences. Microsoft has a vast art collection (Oracle had some too), including a large, low sculpture made of wood that is right outside my building. Unfortunately, the wood has been rotting. Apparently, it’s due to moisture. Which is surprising, because dead wood normally doesn’t deteriorate with moisture, and, more importantly, the Pacific Northwest is not a temperate rainforest.

Anyway, to slow the deterioration, the grass surrounding the sculpture was ripped out and replaced with gravel. One colleague suggested it looked like a giant kitty-litter box. (see photo).

But the culture bit is how Microsoft employees reacted. They protested. Quietly. By buying dozens of pink flamingos and planting them in the gravel. It’s been three weeks since I arrived, and they’re still there.

OK, I normally don’t post news articles, but… this one is too good. I mean, after a night of drinking on the porch, a man wakes up missing his pants, $3,500 in cash, and doesn’t remember how he got to bed or anything else from the previous night, either…

If you can’t think of anything hilarious about this article, check out the Fark.com thread I found it on. The sick minds of Farkers worldwide have gone every which way with this one.

I mentioned a few bits of culture shock when I blogged about my first two days at Microsoft. This past week, I’ve almost become obsessed with the differences between the two companies. Yes, OK, there are some major business differences. But it’s the little things that blow my mind.

Here’s a sampling:

It’s so much fun!

Last night, I returned my rental car. Normally, this would be an unremarkable event. But as a new resident of Seattle, it proved to be quite a challenge. Why? Because I needed to fill up the tank up with gas. The map below is centered on the car return location in downtown Seattle (Belltown). The little squares represent gas stations. The entire area is two square miles.

I drove around for close to an hour in the middle of heavy rush-hour traffic. Fun, fun!

I wrote a check for an apartment yesterday. It’s not ideal: the lease is only for six months because the owners of the building are trying to sell. Worst-case scenario, I have to move again in six months.

But on the bright side, it’s an almost new building a mere 50 feet from the bus stop to Microsoft, and it’s in the heart of Capitol Hill. In fact, except for hardwood floors and another hundred square feet, it’s exactly what I want in the location I want. I just don’t want to have to move in six months.

I rationalize the miserably short lease term as follows:

1. They’ve failed to sell the property twice (fell through in escrow), so I probably won’t have to move in six months anyway.
2. I don’t know the city well, so this gives me a chance to get a feel for things.
3. I don’t have a car yet, so being on the same block as the express bus
   to MSFT will be good until I figure that out in a month or three.
4. If they sell and convert to condos, I probably could buy in at a really low price–maybe even on a 2BR.
5. If they sell and convert in less than six months, they’d probably be
   quite happy to have me go month-to-month and leave early, meaning I’d have total
   flexibility on finding exactly the right place the next time. And I’d be looking during the non-peak
   season next time.
6. They probably won’t be able
   to sell it in six months, but will keep trying, so I’ll be on a
   month-to-month soon with that same great flexibility if I decide to
   move or buy.
7. After next weekend, I’m
   not in Seattle any weekend until mid-September. I shudder to think of
   what I’d have to pay Aboda to keep renting the furnished place in Queen
   Anne.

So, assuming the background check clears, I have a new home come early September.

This weekend was my first trip to Portland. Mom had flown in from New Jersey to visit the girls and the kids, so I figured I might as well drive down so we could all spend a little bit of time together.

Ellie’s birthday is two weeks from now, and Grandma simply couldn’t wait to let Ellie open her gifts. Uncle Mike was in complete agreement. Ellie got two dresses. As a clothes hound of long standing (half her life, in fact), she was ecstatic.

Just a few days before, Trish had told Ellie that there are dresses that one wears when one sleeps called nightgowns. This just made her eyes light up. A dress for the night, and one for the day!

Ellie was so excited about the two dresses from Grandma, that Trish told her one of them could be worn as a nightgown so she could wear it that very night.

Sunday morning, I awoke to Finn padding quietly around the house. He was trying to find Grandma or Trisd or Chanel. All three were missing in action, and the only other adult was asleep on the couch. Finn wasn’t particularly worried yet (there was an easily wakeable adult nearby), but he did have an interesting mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

Upon waking, I, of course, immediately took advantage of the situation and calmly informed Finn that I was going to eat him for breakfast, preferably as part of a Finn pie. He was pretty sure that I was joking, but not entirely… so, to put him at ease, I suggested that I could make Ellie souffle instead. They were not amused and it took me quite a while to realize it.

Yesterday was Day One at Microsoft. All day orientation. An interesting experience.

Part of the day included an incredibly detailed description of Microsoft’s health plan. Two hours. My new boss summarized the plan as "Microsoft pays for everything." After a point, hearing how this is covered and that is covered got a little dull: I started doing the crossword puzzle.

There was also a long discussion of Microsoft’s culture and perception in the marketplace. You know, tell us what your friends said when you announced you were off to Microsoft. "The Evil Empire. Now you’ll know what it’s like to live inside the Death Star. Who are you off to crush?" Then it went on to how the company wants to change that perception.

Showing up at the office today was a huge revelation as well. First off, everyone’s office is decorated. Posters, personal stuff, furniture. At Oracle, you aim to have only as much stuff as you can fit in one box: you just never know when the marketing "housecleaning" will take place. But you know it happens every couple of years.

The personal interaction was also completely different. There were only a few people at Oracle that I had a close enough relationship with that we would slide into the gutter, make off-color jokes, etc. And finding those people took months (well, except for Brian, but that’s because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about… well, let’s just say I’d had a few drinks). I think it took five minutes for someone to crack the first wickedly off-color joke. This is such a more collegial, friendly company.

I think I’m going to like it.