Subvert from Within

Wow! What I thought was being grouchy with people that don't care about candidate experience actually has a name now, thanks to Kathy Sierra. Kathy recently blogged Subvert from Within: a User-focused Employee Guide. All I can say is "amen sister" and thanks for explaining my personality flaw.

I write down ideas for blog posts when they come to me. A long time ago, I wrote down the following phrase: "complaining is a competency" (yeah, I might have had a glass of wine in my hand, so what?). But it didn't seem right to me because, though I feel like I am a uniquely skilled complainer, other complainers bugged the heck out of me. Kathy's posts highlights what makes one a successful and *valuable* complainer: customer focused intent and believing that you can impact the solution.

Many people are comfortable in pointing out what's going wrong. The bright and passionate difference-makers (thought I would never use that terms after hearing it ad nauseum during last college football season, but here we are) know how to influence those around them to inspire change (the kind of change that delights customers because what else is important?).

I just can't think of anyone to whom Kathy's advice does not apply. Product developers: delight your customers. Recruiters: ensure your candidates are having a first rate experience. If that isn't happening, subvert from within!

This was just a good reminder to me that I could be doing more. And these passionate, ornery change-agents are exactly the type of folks I LOVE to see hired here at Microsoft.

via John Porcaro here and Shawn Morrissey here