Sep 19 2009

Russia-I Love My IT Pros

So our CEE Headquarter Sever Team headed to Russia this week. The team has a lot of changes the pervious IT Pro Lead moved to Dubai to run IT Pro for Microsot Middle East Africa. The teams BG Lead (manager) is moving to Slovakia to run the Microsoft Marketing Organization, so there was a lot of discussions on where the startegy would go in this fiscal year. My acting lead Anton is doing an amazing job and I am so pleased with teh plans and how well the team is working together and driving a great strategy without a manager. We are also launching a Women in Technology Microsoft Chapter and exeternal user group. The team took us to great dinners after very long days, and yes we did have some vodka. You will love the picture of Csaba with the after taste of Horseradish Vodka. I had to head to the Windows Client BG Leads offsite in Milan, Italy-so I missed the great site seeing tour across Moscow. You’ll see some great pictures-wish I was there. The poor team, some how I got a free upgrade to a suit and my team-plus my boss just got single rooms…

Let me give you some interesting facts around Moscow. Moscow is the capital of Russian Federation. The city area is about 30 km in diameter and the population reaches to almost 10 million people. To be able to find the right building on any street, it’s useful to know that in Moscow house numbering starts from the center. Also, the odd-number houses are located to the left, and the even-number houses – to the right. So, if you’re looking for Tverskaya st., #2, for example, it will be located very close to the Kremlin (which is the most central place in Moscow), on your right-hand side (if you turn your back to the Kremlin). The main historical core of Moscow is Kremlin (a fortress – on photo), which is located in the core of the city. Tverskaya street, which is the main avenue of the city, starts from the Kremlin and heads north to become Leningradskoye Shosse, which leads directly to St. Petersburg (750km).Moscow has a radial structure, and the Garden Ring road defines the center of the city. A smaller Boulevard Ring defines the city’s downtown. In august 21, 1991, there was a small revolution set in Moscow. The government was changed and there had been tanks for several days in the centrum of Moscow. At this time the Soviet Union was over, but it was a strange time for some period. Also a little earlier there were the first democratic mayor elections in Moscow. 1991 was the beginning of the Democracy, people were excited, waiting for changes, but it turned out to be hard process. Good times till my next trip in November.

Nov 17 2008

Hi-Po Training in London

So I feel very lucky to have spent the last three days with some brilliant folks across Europe in Microsoft’s High Potential Program. It is an interesting program where Microsoft selects a certain number of individuals across the company world-wide that they think are the future leaders of the company. Then these folks go through some leadership training, peer coaching, networking and on the job experiential leadership training. All in all it has been one of the best trainings I have attended. As part of the training we did 360 reviews where your manager, co-workers and direct reports rate you in five major leadership areas: Modeling the way, Inspring a Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others and Encouraging the Heart. It is always humbling to read how other perceive you and to understand the areas in which you need to develop more. One of the best areas of this training is the learning circle we created in which 6 other future leaders help coach you through challenges you are currently facing. It was a very intense three days, jammed packing and in the end quite draining but invigorating.

We did get to have some fun in the evenings (of-course we were in London with Brits!) and enjoy some British pubs and a few good laughs. I do love that British dry humor. I look forward to my future meetings with my new British, Irish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch and Middle Eastern/African friends. A few photos below and in the album to the right.

Nov 12 2008

Not all work there is play

So its not all work, I do love to play. When I was working in Barcelona my husband did join me for a nice weekend. We had the opportunity to catch up with our dear friend Fela and learn to eat at 11pm and have drinks and good times at the late hours for us Americans. We then got to attend a futbol match except Barcelona killed there competition 6-0. Was great to be with 120,000 of our closest friends. Some pictures below of one of our favorite cities in Europe. maybe someday we can live there!