Comments on: so why am i working for microsoft?

By: Cristian_fc

Cristian_fc — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:25:09 +0000

At last…
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By: Anastasia_jd

Anastasia_jd — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:25:00 +0000

And some more..
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By: Kris Fuehr

Kris Fuehr — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:58:01 +0000

Mark: Regarding your comment about not being able to do that for Microsoft. Don’t be surprised… Hugh is great at telling “the” story, not “our” story and that’s the beauty of Hugh. He tells it like it is and we’re listening. Steve Ballmer saw his work and smiled. Hugh is converting a culture. Today at Web 2.0 Expo, we met with around 500 people at our booth. Everyone gets the blue monster — we all nod. In our case, we all are stirred to make it happen.
[Your work with gapingvoid itself and Stormhoek is powerful because you own the experience and can shape it
You won’t be able to do that for Microsoft — but that’s not to say you shouldn’t try (I still am!). Best of luck — perhaps we’ll meet down Reading way one day.]

By: Scamp

Scamp — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 06:21:36 +0000

Good luck with the gig, Hugh, I’m sure you’ll learn interesting things from it.
They seem like a pretty good company to me. And like another poster, I respect them more for hiring you.
By the way, let’s not forget that, away from the cutting-edge of tech people / blogosphere etc, their products work pretty well and they have a, what, 95% market share. So they’re doing ok.

By: steve clayton

steve clayton — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:33:43 +0000

love this thread and the enthsuiasm for what Hugh can bring to Microsoft. I’m busy holding back the muzzlers Alex
Microsoft and Shakespeare…who woulda thought it?
I can’t tell you all how much I’m enjoying the conversation and watching it develop. I really wasn’t sure where this would go but knew something would happen. I agree with Mark here that the challenge is the grassroots approach we have here vs a more top down approach. Maybe I’m too optimistic to think it can change this company and the way people perceive it but I’m going to keep trying to see how far we can take this ride. Being part of something many people say is impossible…it’s the best challenge I’ve had in 10 years at Microsoft!

By: Alex Grech

Alex Grech — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:12:44 +0000

I can’t stop laughing actually… I can just see the gleam of mischief. Just hope they don’t try and muzzle you too soon, though..

By: Katharine Newman

Katharine Newman — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:23:53 +0000

You know, Microsoft is lucky to have you.
I like them better all ready, on instinct.

By: RKR

RKR — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:50:05 +0000

To me, the company is reminiscent of the Roman Empire. Bill “Shakespear” Gates is fortunate to have Hugh as his Mark Anthony.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears… You all did love him once, not without cause: What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason…”

By: Mike Peter Reed

Mike Peter Reed — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:09:10 +0000

It would be interesting to see Microsoft pulled back into the world of humility. It’s my opinion that a company’s culture is ultimately set at the top whether it’s a start-up or a multinational. I also find it highly amusing that Steve Jobs has often accused Microsoft as having no culture and no taste.

By: Tom Raftery

Tom Raftery — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:05:15 +0000

Congrats on landing the gig Hugh — I’m delighted for you, although I don’t envy you the task you have set yourself!

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:41:07 +0000

When I worked for Microsoft and helped launch a certain Windows version, the head of the team gave me as a joke ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’, as I’d pretty much been the liaison between all of the people who didn’t know how to talk to customers and partners and all of the customers and partners themselves. I was a PR person facilitating communication. It’s surprising how many people need to apologise within Microsoft for not knowing how to communicate effectively…and if you can help them re-connect and listen Hugh, this will help them no end.

By: steve clayton

steve clayton — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:25:48 +0000

Richard — right on. We do need to stop being so damn apologetic and that’s absolutely what Blue Monster is about for me. i talked about this in a fairly candid video I did to explain it a while back (on my blog if you’re interested). As my quote on Hugh’s sidebar says
“for too long, microsoft has allowed other people tell their story on their behalf– the media, their competition and their detractors, especially– instead of doing a better job of it themselves”
this is what it’s all about. Microsoft, it’s customers and it’s partners telling the story about the good stuff we do together. the press love reporting bad news and whilst I’m not saying we deserve zero criticism, it’s time to get some balance back.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:22:32 +0000

I’ve been working as a consultant to Microsoft in the UK for six years now, specifically in relation to its UK PR. There’s often a huge cultural inertia that’s difficult to breakthrough, but I think that some of the company’s best work is achieved when that cut-through takes place.
The biggest challenge for me though will be the potential disconnect between the gapingvoid Microsoft experience and the rest of the world Microsoft experience. Your work with gapingvoid itself and Stormhoek is powerful because you own the experience and can shape it (whether that’s a cartoon or getting in a car and visiting every Tesco supermarket in the country!).
You won’t be able to do that for Microsoft — but that’s not to say you shouldn’t try (I still am!). Best of luck — perhaps we’ll meet down Reading way one day.

By: Richard Stacy

Richard Stacy — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:17:59 +0000

I think Microsoft hired you to get a little “Scoble-juice” back and get some conversation going off-piste — but I could be wrong.
One thing you should try and get Microsoft people to do is “STOP BEING SO APOLOGETIC”. Whenever you put a Microsoft person on a platform — they always feel the need to apologise, or make awkward jokes. Do Yahoo people apologise for being from Yahoo? Likewise Google? Is this what the Blue Monster thing is about (could it become part of it)?
Good luck.

By: Ian Green

Ian Green — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:08:37 +0000

Hey Hugh,
Congratulations. That’s a pretty big gig. I think part of the problem for MS is the prevailing received wisdom out there about them and quite often the RW is wrong (see Freakonomics.
I think you have to stick with the Hughtrain rather than go down the Smoozetrain track — and there is a danger that those sort of accusations will be made. Be true to yourself and I think you can turn around the RW about MS