My Path Back to Yammer

Some of you might know me from my time at Yammer as a member of the Customer Success team. And before that, I was part of a team at Cargill that helped to bring Yammer mainstream into the organization. These experiences really helped to shape my perspectives on what it takes for people and technology to come together to transform a company culture. I loved being a part of a team that was on the front lines helping to transform the way that people and teams get their work done.

But, there’s something you should know about me. For the longest time, I’ve had a desire to be in a product role. I’ve wanted to be in a role where I can be part of influencing the direction of a product. During my time at Microsoft, I explored opportunities related to Product Management and Product Marketing. Due to the nature of these roles, there was usually a requirement that I relocate to San Francisco or Redmond. While those are both great cities, neither were in the cards for my family right now. We enjoy our life in Minneapolis.

Late in the summer, I became aware of a new role opening up back at Yammer. The role was Yammer Product Evangelist. It was one of those moments when you read a job description and think, “Did they write this for me?” It read:

“Are you passionate about fundamentally changing the way people work?” Check.

“Are you a natural storyteller and technologist who loves engaging with, educating, and inspiring others on a daily basis?” Check. Check. Check.

As I began to explore the role further, I became more and more excited about the possibility of returning to Yammer. Each person I spoke with was steadfast in the mission of building products that help teams work in more productive and effective ways. For the better part of a year, the market had been wondering about what the future held for Yammer. But everyone I spoke to exuded confidence and shared examples that conveyed positive momentum.

That positive momentum needed a voice. Someone that could help Microsoft customers, partners, and stakeholders understand Yammer’s ongoing vision, mission, and direction. Someone that would inspire people and teams to embrace working out loud, help companies adopt new models of working, and help the Product team continue to learn from valuable customer feedback.

I’m honored to have been selected to be that person. This role, Yammer Product Evangelist, matched many of the criteria for where I wanted to go with my career. It reports into the Product and Engineering group at Yammer, so that fulfills my desire to be closer to product. I get to talk to people about something I’m naturally passionate about. I get the opportunity to return to Yammer during a time where there is tremendous growth in uptake and product development. I even get to stay in Minneapolis and be a remote member of the Yammer Product team.

Last week at Microsoft Ignite, Yammer continued the upward trend. It was great to catch up with friends and colleagues that I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. I’m very happy to be back at Yammer and I look forward to meeting many more of you in my new role.