Moving from Operations to HR Helped Microsoft’s Chief Security Officer’s Career Path
The term “best” is best understood in context. When I asked Mike Howard to talk about the best things he’s done, it was in the context of choices that best helped his career path.
First, the Chief Security Officer for Microsoft said, “getting involved in Martial Arts was a good choice. It taught me discipline and provided a cultural connection because my mom is Japanese.”
Second, “Becoming a Police Officer was a good decision,” Read about the value of Mike’s police experience, “Microsoft’s CSO on Decision Making.”
Pushing Papers?
Third, Mike explained, “Moving to Human Resources was a great decision for my career.”
After seven years in operations at CIA, Mike said he took a break and moved to HR for a non-traditional rotational assignment away from Operations. He later returned to Operations.
We were on the phone so I felt safe to say what I was thinking. “So you moved from Operations to pushing papers?” I went on to say, “Up until HR, your story is a story of action. I don’t understand.”
Mike said that his friends within CIA didn’t understand either. They warned him that moving to HR would slow his career.
Moving to HR and other areas within CIA did not hinder Mike’s career path – it helped. “It expanded my skill sets, Mike explained, and broadened my perspective. It was a most rewarding experience.” For one thing, he learned about mentoring; something he’s still active in today.
Analysis:
Discipline from marital arts lifted Mike. Furthermore, it connected him with his culture and, in my opinion, at 14 years old, it gave him a point of identity.
Decision making ability was useful.
Diversity of perspective and skill sets aided Mike’s career path and opened doors of opportunity.
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Thanks to Mike Howard for a great interview. I’m glad we connected.
Part 1: Microsoft’s CSO on Decision Making – Three suggestions for making great decisions.
Part 2: The Leadership Secret – What it takes to become a leader.
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What choices have you made that enhanced your career path?
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An intersting post with new learnings on relevance and imporatnce of HR exposure along with 2 other great things like discipline and decision-making skill. I attribute my success to 3 most essential things viz. a learning aptitude, self-confidence with positive outlook and will to contribute with innovation. I may also add other key factor as ability to deal with people at all levels as self-motivating tool. ‘Makng things happen with zeal’ is the practical tip for career success.
An intersting post with new learnings on relevance and imporatnce of HR exposure along with 2 other great things like discipline and decision-making skill. I attribute my success to 3 most essential things viz. a learning aptitude, self-confidence with positive outlook and will to contribute with innovation. I may also add other key factor as ability to deal with people at all levels as self-motivating tool.
‘Makng things happen with zeal’ is the practical tip for career success
Dr. Asher,
Thanks for jumping into the conversation today. Great having you add to the topic.
“Make things happen with zeal” is my takeaway from your comment.
Best to you,
Dan
Dr. Asher is a featured contributor on Leadership Freak. Read his bio at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/dr-asher
Gonna ‘ka-ching’ the “making things happen with zeal”—great attitude!
The choice I made was a general one. My grandpa said, “Anything you spend time on is worth doing well.” I decided early on that rather than jump into the rat race and compete, I would just focus on the job I had and do it as well as I could. I’ve often been promoted ahead of my peers; I’ve never chased a promotion.
Another choice was to study English when I thought my career would be as a soldier. I wanted good communication skills.
Hi Greg,
Super comment. Your path also includes diversity. Love that you studied English.
I have degrees that range from Theology to Construction & Design to an MBA. Diversity enriches my life and perspective.
Continued success to you.
Best,
Dan
I was an HR manager for 3 years in a manufacturing plant. Probably the most demanding job I ever had. It gave me the opportunity to hear and understand the frontline-worker’s perspective. I helped people navigate through terminal illnesses, deaths in the family, work related injuries, discipline issues, legal issues and other matters related to helping people. When I jumped back into operations, the experience in HR gave me an informed perspective of how to connect with and involve employees that worked for me. I learned from their complaints about the common mistakes managers made and did not repeat them in my own conduct.
James,
Thanks for the shout out to the HR folks in the room. I agree, HR must be one of if not the most demanding arena in an organization!
Continued success to you.
Best,
Dan
I agree with Greg Doing whatever is the present task to the best of your ability gets noticed. Like Greg I have never asked for promotions and different leadership positions have been offered throughout my career. Focusing on your goals and treating others equitably and most importantly helping others when possible also gets the attention of superiors. Traits that are in synchrony with your emotional architecture facilitate your over all well-being and success. Simply put being able to be yourself at a job takes it out of the realm of work and transforms it into a calling which becomes personal and is no longer dependent on mandates from your boss or organization and that equates into passion and the fervent personal need to able to do it. You all have a great weekend.
I need to change the email address for my subscription – but couldn’t find a way to do that. I could simply unsubscribe; but now on this page, it’s not clear how to start a new email subscription.
Thank you!
Dear Dan,
I really appreciate the career journey of Howard. Surprisingly, I also fall into same category. I started my career in Indian Air Force in technical cadre, after serving almost for a decade, I joined banking services in managerial cadre in operation area, and after serving for a decade, I went to pursue my masters from AIM, Manila and joined Academics in the area of HR. At present I am pursuing my Doctorate in HR itself. Now, I get more satisfied than before and hope to see myself in repute position in HR. But, my career journey was not planned. I only made my full effort to succeed higher and career took its own shape. Most of things happened unplanned and I embrace, accept and enjoy whatever came to me.
I strongly believe that we can plan our career journey but should be ready to accept whatever it comes in the way. One should not discourage oneself. Effort, courage and determination are the core to achieve anything impossible. We should understand and accept that we can make our best effort, but there are many things beyond our control that can influence our outcome, expectations and desire. That is why we should know, what we can change and what we cannot change.
Jenna:
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Thanks
Really ‘knowing/feeling’ when to jump is probably an art. You can feel it. Whether it is a case of harmonic convergence, just seeming like the right thing to do at the time, if you keep your antenna tuned, you never know what might come in. There are always choices and sometimes we choose not to choose.
Leaving high school an uneducated empty headed kid thinking all I needed was a job and I’d be all set so surprised me with “Oh Man!” This is not good! But through the years of working different jobs in different fields I learned many skills that I thought were meaningless only to discover those very skills became beneficial in winning a few great opportunities. Every skill learned is beneficial even if at first appearance it may seem detrimental to a perceived goal.
Well put Doc, knowing when to jump is key. What is more disturbing is the perception people have of HR. “Mike said that his friends within CIA didn’t understand either. They warned him that moving to HR would slow his career.” This is so common a perception that HR is a dead end job, that has nothing to do with business and only results in either putting mediocre people in the position who just turn the wheel or putting in strong people in the position and frustrating them to leave through lack of taking their contribution or ideas seriously or into consideration. With posts like this people get to see the success of putting the right people on the seat on the bus!