Zach Skyles Owens

Back in March of 2008 I wrote a series of posts about doing business in China, high context communication and Guanxi.  These were inspired while I was attending an internal Microsoft event.  Earlier this year during a similar event, inspiration struck again and now I’m moving to Beijing!  I’ll continue to focus on driving adoption of Microsoft’s data platform, Cloud and Web technologies with a laser focus on the Chinese market.

I see this move as a pivotal next step in my personal development and understanding of culture, technology and emerging markets.  This type of opportunity is exactly why I came to Microsoft back in 2007.  When I go back and read my post, Todo Tiene Su Final, recounting my experiences going through IE’s Global MBA, I’m reminded of the inspiration I felt moving into that big transition in my life. 

The past three years living in Seattle, working as a Technical Evangelist at Microsoft have been incredible.  Some of the highlights that stand out are:

• Being mentored by one of the world’s best technology evangelists, Roger Doherty
• Working with a world-class team including: Neil Hutson, James Conard, David Aiken, Ryan Dunn and Vitorrio Bertocci
• Partnering with Anthony Carrabino to drive BillG’s TechEd 2008 data platform keynote demo delivered by Dave Campbell
• Bridging the gap with the PHP developer community and SQL Server
• Working with Thomas Lewis to deliver the WordPress on SQL Server patch
• Driving evangelism of our Cloud database service, SQL Azure
• Helping launch Microsoft’s information service “Dallas” by driving a segment of Ray Ozzie’s PDC 09 keynote and delivering the session
• Presenting for the first time in Spanish, delivering 2 sessions for the SQL Server 2008 R2 launch in Lima, Peru; thanks for the opportunity Jorge
• Connecting to the Microsoft developer community through Channel 9
• Burying myself in the Seattle salsa scene, dancing with Salsa Salvaje and Mambo U…  on2 baby!
• Climbing some of the worlds most beautiful peaks throughout the Cascades

I’m really going to miss the amazing Seattle summer, my friends and family, and being so close to Maui; but I’m ultra grateful for the opportunity Microsoft is providing.

I have so much to learn, not the least of which is Mandarin!  After doing some research I decided to use fluenz and I’m really impressed by it.  The passion and attention to detail the fluenz team has put into developing their products is immediately clear.  It should be an inspiration for all of us dedicated to delivering high-end user experiences.  My goal is to be conversationally proficient by end of this year.  Wish me luck

In addition to learning the language and diving deeply into the technology scene I’m planning to doing some bicycle touring and mountaineering which should be a great way to experience the country.  I’ve been getting really into photography lately and I’ll try to post more pictures here.

I find it really interesting how opportunities in life unfold.  For me it’s always been about throwing myself out there and being open to new experience and adventure.  If living in China is anything like my experience living in Spain, I’m sure it will be life defining. 

If you are in China and want to connect, just let me know!

The title of this article pretty much sums it up… “Todo Tiene Su Final��? translates to “Everything Has an End��?. This is a really famous salsa song by Hector Lavoe. Today has been a big day for me. It was my last day at my current job and I ended the last class of my MBA about fifteen minutes ago.

None of it has really sunk in yet but I am full of conflicting emotions. The past year and half during my MBA at the Instituto de Empresa has been a time of deep personal evaluation and growth. Recounting some of the significant events:

• Accepted at one of the world’s best business schools
• Finished Lanzarote Ironman in the Canary Islands
• Attended PMI Global Congress in Madrid
• Attended IE Conference in Madrid
• Promoted to project manager position
• Attended PMI Global Congress in Seattle
• Attended IE Conference in Mumbai
• Visited Thailand
• Attended another IE Conference in Madrid
• Landed a dream job at Microsoft
• Completed my MBA

Wow… As I type it out, I really can’t believe it is coming to an end. Everything is packed and I moving off Maui to start the next chapter in three days.

I generally don’t share things quite this personal on this blog but I know that many of my classmates have gone through a similar transformation over the past couple of years and I hope some of these little things can help bring some closure.

I’ll miss my Friday evenings with my international crew from: China, India, Morocco, Japan, Germany, Russia, Dubai, South Africa, Colombia, Spain, Italy, UK, Bulgaria and Serbia.

Do not be afraid of death.

Be afraid of a life half lived.

The more people around the world become aware of Eric Volz’s case, the better chance he will have of getting out of Nicaraguan prison with his life. It doesn’t take long to listen to facts to believe that this man was unjustly convicted of this murder.

Please take a moment to watch this video, checkout his web site, make a decision for yourself. Then please write to your government representatives.

Website
http://www.friendsofericvolz.com/

U.S. Senators
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

U.S. Congresspersons
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Looking back to where I was a year ago… It has been a great year. I’d say the single decision that has had the most impact is participation in the Global MBA program at the Instituto de Empresa. Being a student in this program has given me the opportunity to travel to Spain, India and Thailand all within the last year. In May, I’m planning to attend another Community Integration Day in Shanghai, which should be a great experience.

As a matter of fact… I’m jumping on a plane and heading back to Spain this weekend! I’ll try to do a better job posting then I did after my trip to India. I still have notes about a bunch of blog entries I want to write about that trip.