What kind of business are you in?

The simple questions can be the HARDEST ones. Whether you are in business for yourself as an entrepreneur or a cog in the corporate wheel, the question still applies.

I’m in the business of HELPING PEOPLE. This applies to my corporate job and my non-corporate personal endeavors regarding personal development.

At Microsoft, my job is that of Product Planner for the Windows organization. Windows, as you probably know, is one of the most successful products and “businesses” on the planet. Despite it’s shortcomings, nobody can doubt this.

Where do I come in? It’s my role to make sure that we are building new versions of the product that EXCEED the needs of our customers while meeting our business goals. I work closely with our development teams to vet new ideas, scenarios and concepts with end-users and large enterprises alike.

In this regard, my job is to HELP OUR CUSTOMERS by making sure we are building features that will delight the. It is also my job to HELP OUR ENGINEERS by scoping the vast amount of possible features to the few that will really matter.

So yes, I am all about HELPING PEOPLE. I don’t write code. I don’t create marketing plans. I don’t sell a single product. But…through my efforts, I do aspire to help other people accomplish those tasks with greater levels of effectiveness.