Leaving Seattle after the MVP Summit

I’m at the airport right now, waiting for my next flight, as I am leaving Seattle after the MVP Summit. It was a blast and I got to meet up with very talented, experienced and driven people once more. Thank you all for the very warm welcome and the care you took of us during our week here.

We discussed technology and business all day long at length and in depth. On to of that we provided feedback on the good, the bad and the ugly as we see it in real life. We got briefed and asked for our insights and input on a variety of trends in both business and technology. Since the content of the MVP Summit is strictly under NDA you will not find out anything about the content. Which begs the question, where is the value?

Where is the value?

For an MVP the value lies in the fact that the MVP Summit helps us become very well connected professionals with a global network of experts. We can leverage this network to learn and grow, get help and help others out. In this modern and connected technology-driven world no one exists and grows in isolation. It is fun to see ourselves progress as well as see new blood join us and grown at an amazing rate. It gives me faith that the future influx of talent is secured.

MVPs put in a lot of effort in lifelong learning and developing skills in both existing and emerging technologies. When you like to learn, this is a fun thing to do. As an employer, you get to tap into that pool of talented both directly and indirectly. When you have such talent, support it, give it room to grow. You’ll have allies for life even if they move on. Intrinsic motivation is the best there is, and you’d be downright silly not to leverage this. The cost is is perhaps 3 to 4 days of expert consulting and as such basically, a non-issue if you’re smart about it.

Tapping into that talent

That value MVPs provide is available to those that employ and hire us. To the management that hires smart people and listens to them. Those that let talent, professional drive and skills thrive. Organizations, where good ideas and result driven approaches are valued, will thrive and outperform those run by politics. Those are the places were talent is welcomed and can shine. Most MVPs work in such companies or actually run their own companies to make sure their talent can be put to use.

For now, I am continuing my journey of investing in myself and learning by collaborating with to some of the top players, small and large, in hardware and software in a very diverse hybrid world. I will be sharing what I learn along the way in life Belgium, Holland, Germany, Slovakia, … in person. And, thanks to the connected global community, with anyone that joins our community efforts online.

Conclusion

If you have an employee that gets awarded Microsoft MVP, take note. These people are in your talent pool! That is very good news. Support them, retain them, value them and their efforts. These profiles are not readily available, hard to attract and harder to retain. Not because they are over demanding spoiled people, but because they love what they do, are smart and realize when their efforts are not appreciated, recognized or rewarded. Take care of your talent and they will take care of your business. It is not a one-way street.