Sitting down to a picnic I dip into my picnic basket and reach for a freshly made sandwitch.  Mmmmm... it tastes so good with the cool breeze and warm sun on my face...my ankle..."what the heck?"..."an ant!"  <slapping my ankle>  "Oh crap, more ants!"  "Where are they coming from?", I say as 4 of my napkins and plate get caught up in the breeze and fly off.  "Dag nab it!"  I run off to grab my napkins and plate and upon my return, I find that through all the comotion my sandwitch has gotten that crunchy feel to the outside of the bread.  What was just a beautiful outing has turned into a race to recover.

This is what my life as a lead feels like sometimes here at Microsoft.  I have had to develop skills that help enable me to withstand these times and I am always looking for ways to mitigate the surprises that always seem to show up when things are rolling well.

Time management is becoming THE most desirable skill for a new or even seasoned manager.  I feel like I have made a lot of progress in tuning my work life to be able to absorb the hiccups of normal life as a leader here at MS.  I feel like I have a pretty good work/life balance and managable stress level even in the midst of the most trying times.

I plan to use this blog to outline my thoughts and learnings.  I hope that this exercise will make me a more confident and efficient manager for my direct reports and peers.