derek wesley russell

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53 | Leadership, Navigating Fear, Finding Empathy | My Top 10 Learnings from 3 Years at Microsoft


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53 | Leadership, Navigating Fear, Finding Empathy | My Top 10 Learnings from 3 Years at Microsoft Derek Russell

Today's episode is a solo discussion, culminating the top 10 learnings I've pulled away from a little over 3 years working at Microsoft US. These learnings were the outcome of numerous collaborations with amazing colleagues, mentors, and leaders within the Microsoft ecosystem and network. None of these were possible without the incredible opportunities provided by a thriving culture that is incentivized on empathy, creating impact for others and leveraging the impact of others, and a dynamic sense of doing things that are good for the world.

 

Top 10 Learnings:

 

1.      What makes you fearful, is a worthy pursuit

2.      Lead with empathy

3.      Establish a routine

4.      Be clear about your values, and do your best to align your work, with your values

5.      Don't start your day until you finish it

6.      Write a damn good email

7.      Lead every human engagement with positivity & energy

8.      Do your best to include the smallest voice in the room

9.      Have a distinct and specific vision, and revisit often

10.   What is your legacy?


***Navigate the episode***

[03:10] What makes you fearful is a worth pursuit

[07:58] Lead with empathy

[11:30] Establish a routine

[15:43] Be clear about your values

[18:10] Don’t start your day until you finish it

[22:14] You have to track you time if you want to manage your time

[27:44] Lead every human engagement with positivity and energy

[29:00] Do your best to include the smallest voice in the room

[30:40] Have a distinct and specific vision and revisit that vision often

[34:37] Determine what your legacy is


***Resources and Links***

Waking Up App by Sam Harris - https://wakingup.com/

Jim Rohn - https://www.jimrohn.com/

The Social Dilemma (Netflix) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Dilemma

Kate Johnson (Microsoft President) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejohnsonatms/

The Values Deck | A Card Sorting Game to Explore Your Personal Values

Books Mentioned:

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Miracle Morning Millionaires: What the Wealthy Do Before 8AM That Will Make You Rich by Hal Elrod

https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459