Q&A with Microsoft’s Ross Smith

Nothing. If your work keeps you awake at night, you might have the wrong job.

…but I dream about a global world of work, where games, fun, and collaborative “play” are more integrated into “work” — where adept, agile organizations are working to build a magical tomorrow. Personally, I believe we are in the midst of one of the most exciting times ever, where technology changes are touching all parts of our lives.

Over the last year or so, RSS has become my new BFF. It’s great to see such a wide array of blogs, news, and websites. Here are a few that I enjoy that readers might not be familiar with:

• www.hackmanagement.com
• www.primalmanagement.com
• www.leadershipnow.com
• www.trustedadvisor.com
• www.careerinnovation.com

My favorite books include:

• Gary Hamel’s “Future of Management”
• Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way”
• Joseph Campbell’s “Hero with a Thousand Faces”

And my co-authors would remind me to mention our own, The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention, which does have a chapter on our work on productivity games.

Have a strong respect for diversity.

A diverse team that trusts and respects one another will accomplish great things because of the contribution across a wide variety of perspectives. As the world gets smaller, it’s only natural that we’ll be working with people from around the globe who are different than we are.

I think HR’s role is that of a trailblazer — getting ahead of the organization to scan the horizon for changes that will have impact. The organization is likely heads down in the “day job,” and not aware, or able to learn, about demographic, technological, or societal trends that will influence their work in the future – and this is where HR has a tremendous opportunity — perhaps even a responsibility — to contribute to the effectiveness and productivity of the organization. 

By staying out of their way!

I recently did a post on “minimalist management” — how managers can work on “adding less value.” Today’s savvy workforce, powerful Web 2.0 tools, and the availability of information help create a climate where innovation and productivity come naturally — and too much “management” discourages or inhibits risk-taking and experimentation. Look at the creative contributions on YouTube, the explosion of blogs, Flickr, etc — the DIY culture is pervasive, and the ability for anyone to research and access best practices means that innovative and productive teams can flourish when managers spend less effort managing — and more time coaching, guiding, and supporting.

As Gen Y and Millennials enter the workforce, they bring with them some amazing new talents, a new culture, and a level of comfort with technology unlike those before them. The challenge for an organization is how to accommodate — or even better, to leverage — these new skills. We felt that trying to create an environment of trust and fun would be a great place to start.

42projects is an ambiguous, fuzzy, and situational initiative. It’s different things to different people, and that’s OK — each situation is unique, and each person might need something a little bit different. There is no single, magical solution to having a great team — so we wrap things up in a package we call 42projects to build a brand that stands for trust, collaborative play, and management innovation — in order to best serve employees of every generation.

Using productivity games, and collaborative play, to encourage people to try new things has been incredibly productive. I feel that with our team, and those across the company that participate in games like Communicate Hope, there is a sense that work is different — perhaps a little more fun — because we’ve added game mechanics to the rigor of a few of our daily tasks. 

Last year my mentor, Prem Kumar, wrote a paper on the value of reverse mentoring, which sparked a lot of dialogue at Microsoft. Over the last year, I’ve learned a lot from Prem. Each month I travel across campus to meet in his office, at his convenience, to get his suggestions on how I can be a better manager to his “generation” — which represents roughly 90 percent of our team. The biggest value, for me, has been a re-calibration of values — I’m in my late 40’s, focusing on college tuition for my kids. Prem and his peers are in their 20s, and focused on changing the world. I realized that he and I are very similar in our goals, values, aspirations, and hopes for our work life, but think differently about how we want to achieve them. That awareness helps me tremendously when I think about our team.

There’s a lot of talent in your organization. Trust them — and they will deliver. They really don’t need you to “manage” them — they are far savvier than you may give them credit for.

As W. H. Murray noted in “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition:”

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!"

What a great question! My short answer is “productivity games.” When we look at the explosive growth in social gaming — and the shift in demographics — away from the teenager in the basement to the high-level manager in a meeting who’s contemplating a birds and pigs strategy on their mobile — it seems clear to me that games in the workplace are likely to be a big part of the future of work.

Diversity and global reach are critical. The most successful companies will be ones that can harness and engage a global workforce. Innovation will come from downtown New York, a small village in India, Beijing, London, and a mountain top in Costa Rica — and those companies that can build organizations that can consume innovative ideas around the globe will be the ones that succeed. 

Thank you so much for your interest in our work (and for reading this far!) – We appreciate the interest and would love any suggestions, comments or feedback… Thanks! - Rosss