'Unlocking Value' at Microsoft

(page 2 of 2)

Scott Buchanan
Product Manager
Microsoft
Kellogg, MBA Class of 2006

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9:58 a.m.—Quick one-on-one meeting with my director to review current projects and get some more direction on a scorecard I'm developing to track our team success.

10:27 a.m.—Grab a coffee from one of our Starbucks (SBUX)"time machines." These coffee machines are six feet tall and they whizz, whir, dingle, and buzz for two minutes before spitting out one, steaming hot, perfectly brewed cup. I swear if I cross a couple of wires these things would have enough power to send me into space. For now, a caffeine kick will have to do.

10:30 a.m.—Pop into a meeting to discuss strategy for equipping our partner community to drive Office deployment and adoption.

11:56 a.m.—Zip over to the cafeteria to meet the Idea Ninjas&emdash;a group of six top new recruits from the different business groups (Office, Windows, Xbox, etc.) who convene once a month for lunch. We each bring one big business challenge to the table and take turns soliciting ideas and advice from our colleagues. Always a productive, inspiring, laughter-filled lunch!

1:05 p.m.—Late (whoops…but all too frequent at Microsoft) for a meeting with a local creative agency. Today they're taking me through a workshop they have developed to educate our field sales folks on how deploying Office can make it easier to reach their sales quotas.

1:59 p.m.&emdash;Whiteboard time. I try to set aside at least 30 minutes every day to quietly noodle my current projects and, with the help of my handy-dandy, supersize whiteboard, brainstorm as many wild ideas as possible.

2:40 p.m.&emdash;Check and respond to e-mails on my Windows Mobile device while waiting for the conference room to open up for my next meeting. Clean up my inbox as best as possible…makes opening Outlook later seem less daunting.

3:02 p.m.&emdash;Sit in on meeting to review presentation guidelines for our upcoming Field Marketing Summit. Check and respond to e-mail during meeting (poor etiquette, but an accepted and common practice at Microsoft).

3:37 p.m.&emdash;Plan travel to Germany, France, and Britain for upcoming meetings with local country management to share our Office deployment stories and tools.

3:56 p.m.&emdash;Write submission form for a field sales contest I am running to collect the deployment best practices from around the globe. Try to make the form fun, quick, and easy to complete while making sure we collect enough information to identify the truly exceptional field programs, techniques, and practices.

4:25 p.m.&emdash;Hit the road to beat rush-hour traffic. Stop off at the gym (where Microsoft provides free membership) for a quick workout on the way home.

7:48 p.m.&emdash;After a relaxing dinner, crack my laptop open. Log back into e-mail and send some messages to friends and colleagues. Post a quick blog entry. Work on a handful of documents and presentations for tomorrow while giving my wife intermittent foot-rubs (a symbolic request for forgiveness).

9:12 p.m.&emdash;Close the laptop. Forget completely about work. Boil a couple of cups of tea and kick back for the night.

What has been the impact of my Kellogg MBA? Well, I can't say that I refer to specific formulas or principles all too often in my job, but I do believe that my MBA has changed the way I approach problems and the way I approach people. At Kellogg, the best professors ask you to solve business problems. They describe the intended destination, but don't prescribe the way to get there.

Consequently, you usually end up exploring lots of different routes (some more scenic and time-consuming than others). You also spend a lot of time listening to the unique ideas of classmates and comparing those with your own approach. I found that by the time I graduated I had all these mental "grooves" in my brain that I didn't have before&emdash;different paths I could follow to solve problems. When I face a challenge, I can try one path (or groove) and then another, until I have an effective, creative solution.

As far as people go, Kellogg's social, student-run environment has absolutely enhanced my ability to get the most out of teammates. Microsoft is a diverse place, and Kellogg was the perfect training ground for opening my mind to different perspectives. Both Kellogg and Microsoft are institutions where you have the chance to work, think, and play alongside exceptionally talented and driven people. All that goodness tends to rub off on you whether you like it or not.

Should you "deploy" yourself to B-school? Well, it comes back to value. Does the experience hold both functional and emotional value for you? Step back and think about what you really stand to gain, and how you expect your life to be different post-MBA. If the potential benefits clearly outweigh the imagined pains, then the time may just be right.

Scott Buchanan can be reached at sbuchanan2006@kellogg.northwestern.edu.