From little things, big things grow
I have had to make a big decision recently.
One that impacts many many people, including my family.
I have decided to leave Microsoft Australia and head back to Microsoft Corporate.
This means packing up the house, selling the cars, taking the kids out of school and moving across the world.
It means leaving a group I have been with since 2001.
It also means leaving behind a great team of people that I have hired, including a bunch of newbies that have just come on board in the last few months.
So, why have I done this? Is it just a case of my midlife crisis? Am I doing this to be noteworty for Wikipedia? Is it in protest over the lack of Tech.Ed Flair?
To be honest, it hasn't been one thing, but rather a number of different aspects of my life aligning.
It all started with a management training thing I did back in February. Part of the exercise required I get people to provide words to describe me. One word really hit me - 'wasted'. Was I in a comfortable place, doing a good job, but maybe not doing an excellent job. Was I striving for mediocrity??
It got me thinking. A seed has been planted.
I then had a trip to the US, which involved interactions with lots of people, lots of teams, and a realization that maybe I could make a difference.
However, I needed to know if my family were up for a move. My wife was supportive, so we hatched a plan. A couple of weeks later, we were in Disneyland, and then we spent some time in Seattle. The kids were sold.
The desire was there, the support was there - time to find a job.
This bit happened pretty quickly. Conversations turned into a series of interviews, which turned into a job offer.
Time for that big decision.
I have accepted a new role which is still with DPE, but as part of the Field Strategy Group. It's an internal focused role which acts as the business operation team for DPE. It's purpose is to assist all the DPE teams around the world to 'win hearts and minds' of all the different technical audiences we work with, such as Developers, Designers, Architects and IT Professionals.
From a timing perspective, the time is as good as it good be. All positions in the group are filled. The Australia team has had a series of good (and in some cases world leading) results. We have a pretty healthy developer community in Australia, great community leaders, active user groups. Things are in good shape. I wont say the job is done, but the foundation is there for the team to build on.
This is the week when the news gets out. I have already told me team, as well as my manager and the people I work with on a regular basis. I have also been dropping hints on Twitter over the past few weeks and some folks have started to piece it all together - I guess letting folks know that my house was for sale was a bit of a give away.
I am looking to Tech.Ed on the Gold Coast as my final Australian commitment. Tech.Ed is going to be a blast and for me it will be a special time to catch up with members of the Australian Technical Community on last time.
After Tech.Ed the family and I will head over to Seattle to start our new life. That's just 5 weeks away. It will come quick. very quick.
From the seed being planted in February, to making the move in August, it's been a life changing 6 months.
I guess Paul Kelly says it best:
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Technorati tags: Frank Arrigo
Comments
Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Good luck with it all dude :) SLAnonymous
July 08, 2007
We're gonna miss you Frankie. I'm beginning to think that we should keep your <a href="http://delicategeniusblog.com/?p=466">shame</a> alive to preserve your memory.Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Frank, you'll definitely be missed. If there was ever a spokesman for the Microsoft developer community in Oz it was (is) you, so we'll be counting on you over there to make sure we're not forgotten in the grand scheming that goes on at Redmond. :) Sounds like an awesome challenge and most definitely a change that will invigorate the child gene in you that is always looking for something new and exciting. :)Anonymous
July 08, 2007
That's very sad news (for us) :( Great news for you..sounds like an interesting job news. Keep in touch Buddy!Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Congratulations Frank! I'm sure you'll have a great time over there. See you at TechEd.Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Shows how much I was paying attention - I thought you were moving, but I didn't think you were moving that far! :) Good luck with the new job Frank :)Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Cheers Frank!!! i wish you all the best of luck but lucky for us you'll now soon be in a position to really do some good. Since you'll continue blogging i'm certain it wont be that hard to keep track of what you're up to! best wishes!!Anonymous
July 08, 2007
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July 08, 2007
Good Luck with your new job. Keep up the blogging!!Anonymous
July 08, 2007
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July 08, 2007
All the best Frank - you will be dearly missed!Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Good luck frank...Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Frank Arrigo , one of the most prominent Technology gurus and evangelist in Australia has decided toAnonymous
July 08, 2007
Definitely our loss and their gain. Thank you so much for your support over the years. Not going to be able to recognise DPE without you and Chuck!!! :-( All the best, good luck, take care, we'll miss you.Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Fortune favours the brave Franky!Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Frankie - you secretly fell in love with MS surface and want to get the the R&D labs! We'll miss you, but great decision! "In life - you can't control the direction of the wind, but you can control the direction of your sails" (my Taekwondo Master said that to me years ago)Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Best of luck dude, it's not going to be the same without you.Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Frank, Microsoft Corporate appear to be poaching a number of our senior Aussies, and with good reason. We are leading innovation, and it is a privelege to know you as one of our leading innovators. It is however a shrinking planet, with faster larger jets the trip over will take fewer hours, and with video conferencing you need not lose touch with people. It is my fervent hope that your new post will allow you the freedom to visit whenever you get homesick. Whoever comes in next has some big shoes to fill, I would hate to think your departure from this role will stiffle the work being done. One can only think the streets of Seattle are paved with gold. All the very best in your new role, and safe passage to you and your family Neil.Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Do well, Frank. I'm sure you will. We'll all remain subscribed to your feeds. RobAnonymous
July 08, 2007
Congratulations Frank, good luck in the 'big house'Anonymous
July 08, 2007
Frank, Congrats. See you around the campus... DaveAnonymous
July 08, 2007
Hey Frank, best of luck in your future endevours. techEd Aus will never be the same. Cheers. JasonAnonymous
July 08, 2007
Good luck Frank, I think you're making a really good move. We'll all miss you.Anonymous
July 08, 2007
All the best with the new venture Frank; hope it works out well for you and the fam!Anonymous
July 09, 2007
Wow Frank, big news and congradulations! Best of luck over there mate. I'm sure you'll end up doing some great work over there, as you've done here in Australia (just don't forget us while you're over there). We're all going to miss you over here Frank, so don't forget to come back for visits! :)Anonymous
July 09, 2007
Frank Arrigo, probably the most prominent blogger and technology guru/evangelist in Australia is leavingAnonymous
July 09, 2007
Well done Frank, and congrats on the regional award. Keep it real! NigelAnonymous
July 09, 2007
Frank, I hope you would like my Number #1 reason to be at Tech.Ed 07. http://bernardoh.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/top-10-reasons-why-you-should-be-at-teched-2007/ No repeat performance, season must end.Anonymous
July 09, 2007
Congratulations Frank . Sadly for Australia, I don't think you can ever replace someone like Frank.Anonymous
July 09, 2007
Frank Every good wish. I love to see people having a go. You've helped me, and I'm sure many people, feel better about Microsoft :) Hope we can still count you as an Aussie blogger. DesAnonymous
July 09, 2007
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July 10, 2007
When I first heard the news, my first reaction was, "Didn't I say he was the next Scobelizer?" Good luck and keep in touch, mate. Somehow, I just know you will.Anonymous
July 10, 2007
Yesterday, I got a chance to get most of the team up on stage and do some demos as part of the MicrosoftAnonymous
July 10, 2007
Yesterday, I got a chance to get most of the team up on stage and do some demos as part of the MicrosoftAnonymous
July 11, 2007
Well, "wasted" in the US would mean stoned/drunk. And in some of your photos, you look stoned.... Also, "notable" on wikipedia means "notable in the US".Anonymous
July 11, 2007
Also, why did you sell your kids in Disneyland? It makes "From little things big things grow" seem almost obscene.Anonymous
July 11, 2007
w00t! I found out this was happening a little while ago, and have been biting my tongue not to say anything. Looking forward to having you around the traps up here mate! Welcome (back) to sunny Redmond!Anonymous
July 14, 2007
Frank Arrigo reported a couple of days ago here that tickets are almost sold out. So if you...Anonymous
July 15, 2007
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July 17, 2007
You know you will be missed by everyone Frank but you need to do what you need to do. Have a safe journey and have a great time back at corp :)Anonymous
July 23, 2007
The final person hired into the team here in Australia has been Greg Willis , who has taken to bloggingAnonymous
August 02, 2007
Weird feeling today. It's my last day in the office. A place I have called home for a long long timeAnonymous
August 02, 2007
Weird feeling today. It's my last day in the office. A place I have called home for a long long timeAnonymous
August 04, 2007
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August 04, 2007
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August 08, 2007
Yesterday the biggest Microsoft event of the year Teched was kicked off at Gold Cost Convention centerAnonymous
August 11, 2007
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August 11, 2007
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November 23, 2007
Well it's probably old news for many people... http://www.microsoft.com/nz/presscentre/articles/2007/newleadership.mspxAnonymous
November 23, 2007
Well it's probably old news for many people... http://www.microsoft.com/nz/presscentre/articles/2007Anonymous
December 10, 2007
Whoa. While writing the last post , I just realised I passed a BIG milestone. Just over FOUR years agoAnonymous
March 28, 2008
11 months ago, I became a Unified Communictions user and I really, really liked it. I even had a coolAnonymous
July 01, 2008
It’s that time of year - The old financial year ends and a new financial year begins. It’s the time we