How happiness & grit can help us achieve our full potential

Kicking off our new fiscal year 

At the beginning of each fiscal year, we have the good fortune of bringing our sellers together to launch our new initiatives, celebrate successes, and recognize outstanding achievers. One of my favorite kickoff events is our Strategic Account Summit, which brings together the sales teams that partner with our most strategic customers around the globe.    

Although we knew we would have to deliver the event virtually this year, we didn’t for a minute consider cancelling....as many of us are yearning for that connection with our peers, now more than ever.

It was a different experience for all of us to learn how to deliver a world class event from our video cameras at home, and I am incredibly grateful to my amazing team that supported this effort. We learned a lot, and we had a fantastic time filming several of the sessions (see the fun blooper reel, here.) A perk of going virtual was that it enabled even more of our Microsoft teams to join from around the world, reaching 2x more participants than we would have with an in-person event. This year especially, my primary goal was to energize and inspire our teams with the opportunities coming our way in the new fiscal year.

We had a full, but quick-paced agenda, which included the opportunity to invite two guest speakers – ones that my teams found so inspirational and motivational that I wanted to share a few highlights from our conversations.  

Shannon Polson: Going for grit 

Grit has always been a concept that resonates with me. Having the resolve and perseverance to push forward when things get tough or when you hit roadblock after roadblock. I get very inspired by it, and even more so during these times. 

Shannon is a huge inspiration and source of true grit, and I was especially pleased to have her join us to discuss what it means to have grit, especially amid moments of challenge, change, and uncertainty. Shannon is really no stranger to grit; she became the youngest woman to ever climb Mount Denali at age nineteen, is one of the first women to fly Apache helicopters, serving on three continents and leading two flight platoons. The best part - she’s also a former Microsoft employee!

Grit, Shannon says, is the best indication for success. But it doesn’t exist on its own. It’s worked towards and owned; it takes practice. You train for it by challenging yourself to do difficult things and applying those lessons and skills throughout your life. It’s so important for us to apply our life lessons to every facet of what we do for ourselves, communities, and customers! 

Finding your purpose and keeping a grounded sense of optimism are two of Shannon’s biggest steps for success. In hand with ‘The Grit Triad,’ which Shannon described as being present, while thinking about the future, and considering the past, these components can help propel you along that purpose. If you’re interested in learning more about what Shannon has to say, she has a book called The Grit Factor releasing in September!  

Shawn Achor: Pursuing happiness & success together 

Living and working during this time of health and economic uncertainty has turned the world upside down for a lot of us. Our state of events leaves me thinking about positivity a lot and looking for opportunities to uplift others. That’s why Shawn Achor, a happiness researcher and New York Times best-selling author, was the perfect person to offer some guidance for navigating the months ahead.  

Shawn taught us that how we respond to change has a lot of power over how we show up in other ways. And not only do happiness and success go hand-in-hand, but we’re also more in control of this than we give ourselves credit for! 

Many of us think “If I work harder, I’ll be more successful. In return, I’ll feel happier.” But what Shawn’s research actually shows is that the opposite is true: happiness drives success. When the human brain begins to prioritizes positivity, business, educational, and personal outcomes improve!  

One of the easiest and most powerful ways to practice optimism is gratitude. Shawn shared that a couple of simple, daily routines, like scanning for three new things you’re grateful for each day or spending two minutes writing a thoughtful email to someone new in your life, can lead to a surge in positivity and productivity. If that wasn’t enough of a selling-point on its own, these habitual tasks also lessen stress, increase in emotional well-being, and yes, even success in sales and numbers at work. 

What I love about this – is it’s easy to put things into practice. I love the idea of scanning and training your brain for happiness; my team and I are making a concerted effort to text each other 3 great things every day. I encourage you, your teams, and families to give it a try!  

Looking forward: the future is ours. 

As uncertain as the future may seem at times, I’m equally inspired by the opportunities in front of us. Seeing how our teams and customers have rallied and come together these past few months to overcome huge challenges brings me hope that the future is ours.With the routines of practicing our grit and positivity, I have no doubt that together we will rise.