As we head into the NBA Finals, my mind turns to Erik Spoelstra and the unique situation he is in.  With the finals starting tonight, I think about how Erik Spoelstra’s role as head coach of the Miami Heat, a team of very strong individual players each with their own strengths translates to the world of high technology and people management. Understand your players – Understand your team – how they operate as a team, their...
Read More

Yes, really!  My name is Carri and I am the Director of Sourcing Operations within the Data Center Services team here at Microsoft.  I have been in the Seattle area for 15 years, working organizations with hard-core manufacturing and supply chain focus.  When you think of supply chain, companies such as Starbucks, Amazon, Boeing, PACCAR, etc. all come to mind, but not usually Microsoft.    Wow! I was surprised when I...
Read More

 I’m a Sr. Product Planner and am a newer hire to the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (“APS”) team, working on fraud prevention planning. This includes helping to run the fraud prevention programs and planning for future product releases.  Before joining Microsoft my perception was that Microsoft was a large company, with several teams working on different products. Since joining, I realized that it is a huge company...
Read More

 I graduated with my Master’s Degree in Human Resources from the University of Minnesota last spring.  Upon graduation, I took an offer from Microsoft and launched my career in the HR Trax program at Microsoft.  HR Trax is an early in career rotational program at Microsoft in which I get great exposure to HR leaders and undertake 1 year rotations in the different HR specialties.  Whether you’re in a program like HR...
Read More