It was the spring of 2017. My wife and I were enjoying a relaxing, less stressful life in San Diego. We bought our first home there, had our first child, and made some awesome friends along the way. Add to that the proximity to the beaches and the unbelievable weather year-round - we were pretty set.
But sometimes life has other plans. After 10+ years of working with great managers at IBM, I finally ended up with a not-so-great one. So, what differentiates a bad manager from a good one - you might ask?
While that topic justifies an article on its own, they are typically the ones who do not have their team's back in critical situations, are not available for their directs, and do not support their growth aspirations. The final straw for me though was the complete absence of empathy.
They say, "Employees leave managers, not companies," so I figured I might as well put that saying to the test. I landed an interview at Microsoft for a technical AI product manager role and was impressed by the hiring manager's unclouded vision and positive attitude. After my last experience, these were important traits for me to choose in my next manager, and it became a key deciding factor for me to want to accept this offer.
But prior to that, I had to take on the daunting challenge of convincing my wife to make the move to Seattle. It was not an easy sell with her, though we negotiated a time of two years to test out the waters in Seattle. Microsoft was amazing and provided a great relocation package to help us with the move, including assisting us in selling our beloved first home.
Now with a week to go before our flight, all our furniture was already en-route, the house was on the market, and we had checked into a beachfront hotel to take in all the great sunsets we would miss.
We were relaxing sipping our mimosas when I received an email from my hiring manager with the subject line "Update to hiring manager". I learned that I would now be reporting to a different manager in the same team. Quickly reassessing the situation, my wife and I made our peace with it since I would still be in the same organization and at least knew who I would be reporting to now. Or so one would think.
The week went by quickly. and we find ourselves all checked in at the airport waiting to board our flight to Seattle when I get a notification on my phone. 🔔
It was another email from my original hiring manager. My heart sank as I found out there was yet another reorg in the span of a week. I would now be reporting to...no one. Yet. I was being asked to come on board and once the reorg had settled, something would be figured out for me. I would learn later that this was not an uncommon occurrence in Microsoft where teams can be restructured a few times to align with the organization’s priorities. My wife, already hesitant about leaving San Diego, saw this as a sign from the universe and urged me to reconsider the move.
As I sat there, evaluating the offer from Microsoft in our final few minutes before boarding, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. On one hand, I had been impressed by the company's vision and growth mindset, as embodied by CEO Satya Nadella and his book "Hit Refresh.1" I was convinced that this was an opportunity to be part of something great.
On the other hand, the unknowns loomed large: who would be my manager? What exactly would my role entail? Was this even the right move for me, especially considering my passion for AI and the fact that I wasn't sure where this position would fit? I couldn't shake the feeling that I might be making the worst decision of my life by leaving a stable job and the supportive ecosystem we had built in San Diego.
As I considered the potential benefits and drawbacks, my inner voice spoke up as if channeling my daughter's favorite Disney character.
"Trust the journey, and venture into the unknown."
We boarded the plane to Seattle with limited optimism. In the first few days at Microsoft, I had the opportunity to meet my new manager and learn about my new role. I was going to be part of an exciting new team tasked with onboarding over a hundred enterprise customers and establishing a product market fit for an exciting ideation stage product. There was constant learning on the job as I found myself wearing several hats besides a product manager - including those of a customer success manager, product marketing manager, design researcher, and more. The year flew by and was easily one of the most defining years of my career from a learning standpoint. I was able to make the transition from a technical program manager to a full-fledged product manager, and I developed a strong customer obsession that has stayed with me to this day. And I ended up with a great manager who had his team's best interests at heart, was empathetic, and supported our growth.
Add to that, I got a cool icebreaker story to tell people at work about how I had “Three Managers Before Day 1” of my new job.
In conclusion, sometimes taking a chance and venturing into the unknown can lead to unexpected yet great opportunities. My journey took me from San Diego to Seattle, where I found a great role at Microsoft. The key takeaway is to not be afraid to explore new options. When life throws a curveball, assess the risk associated with it (or not depending on how you roll), and then act. The willingness to take on new challenges could open the door to something amazing.
Like our dear Elsa, embrace the unknown and see where it takes you.
Have you ever taken a risk that led to unexpected opportunities? Share your story in the comments below and let's inspire others to trust the journey and go for it!
PS: And yes, if you are curious, my wife did exercise her powers of persuasion and convince me to pack up our bags and move back to California at the two-year mark. Sunshine clearly won against the abundance of great outdoor adventures.
https://news.microsoft.com/hitrefresh/
Loved it! And of course the way it ended 😀
I love this story Suhel and I’m personally very glad you made the decision you did!