“…CEOs live in a Lake Wobegon world where every dinner or lunch partner is above average in their deference. How others treat the CEO says nothing, they say. But how others treat the waiter is like a magical window into the soul.”

“When you’re in ‘the zone’ you get your best work done. But how do you get in that ‘zone’ when colleagues, e-mails and IM are vying for your attention?”

“I’ve been working at Microsoft since October, 1999 as a full-time Software Design Engineer. In that time, I’ve worked for three teams in two divisions, and had six or seven different managers. Four products I’ve worked on have shipped, two more are in beta, and I’ve also ‘consulted’ for many other teams across the company, thereby influencing directly and indirectly a large number of Microsoft’s products. Between my experience and my wife’s, I think I’ve gotten a pretty solid feel for what it’s like to work in a product group at Microsoft.”