MicrosoftFeed: Meet Leon Tribe – Dynamics CRM MVP from Australia
MicrosoftFeed.com: My name is Leon Tribe and I am the Applications Practice Lead at Praxa, a subsidiary of CDC Global Services. I was born in the UK but moved to Australia and did high school here. Later I studied physics and eventually moved into IT. I initially worked as a server administrator and web designer, then moving into coding and finally into a consulting role. I have been working with CRM systems for a little over ten years now. To round out my knowledge, I also gained an MBA seven years ago.
Leon with a few of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVPs.
I love my work. People are often surprised that I moved from physics to IT but the aspect they both share is in the solving of complex problems, often with many moving parts. The complex interplay of technology and people is an issue I wrestle with every day and I love it. There is nothing more rewarding than helping people come to work and have their technology work with them to produce a great outcome rather than work against them. Technologies come and go but knowing I can assist, for example, charities provide great service to their communities is a legacy I am proud to be part of.
I live in Sydney, Australia and I am married to my beautiful wife, Maryjane and have two children; Orlando and Claudia. I speak English and love practicing my Spanish, which needs a lot of practice.
What does being an MVP mean to you?
It is definitely humbling to be associated with ‘the greats’. On the flipside, it is a great way of establishing credibility at all levels of an organisation from the most technical levels of IT up to the C-Level executives. No one can diminish the value of the MVP award.
It is also important to understand what being an MVP does NOT mean. While all MVPs have some level of technical knowledge, you do not have to be a master coder to be an MVP. My coding skills are rusty, at best. However, functionally, I know Dynamics CRM very well. The MVP award acknowledges my functional knowledge of the product, not my ability to code.
It also does not mean being a ‘yes-man’. While all MVPs love the product and will promote it of their own volition, it is also our responsibility to use our position to ensure the product can be the best it possibly can be. The MVPs are a direct line between customers and Microsoft on what can be improved and what customers need from the product. It is our duty to ensure that information gets to the people that matter and, through the MVP program, we have channels of communication uniquely available to us to ensure that happens.
Ultimately, as with most MVPs, it means being recognised for being passionate about what I do and being willing to share my knowledge so others can use the technology to its best advantage.