5 Minutes With Managing Director of Microsoft Steven Worrall

Managing director of Microsoft Australia and New Zealand Steven Worrall says he’s focused on learning from failure.

My first job was driving a forklift at Flemington Markets in Sydney. My father owned a trading business and used to buy and sell hard vegetables. I started there when I was in Year 10 or 11 and did a couple of days a week [before school], starting at 3am. It was a very strong community, as you can imagine; a lot of immigrants were in that field and I saw how hard people worked every single day just to survive. It was a good introduction to business because it was very much about relationships and working with people.

My first negotiation was right there, at the markets. Dad might be on the phone so I’d have to negotiate with whoever had come in to buy their five or 10 bags of potatoes. These are the customers who’ll be back again tomorrow so you’re in it together. In the early days of the tech industry, we used to talk a lot about “winning”. But I think that’s misleading and not helpful. It should be about, “How are you helping the customer achieve their outcomes, which inevitably enables them to do something for their customer base?” That’s what I learnt from that period at the markets: these are customers who are going to sustain you so you need to support them.

My first significant mentor was David Thodey, who was my leader at IBM in the 1990s [and is now chair of Xero]. I’ve had lots of great mentors over the years, no question, but the thing that stands out is that David was genuinely interested in me – in my wellbeing, my development and my path, not just what I could do for him in the business. I’ve really tried to replicate that in my own career.

My first professional win was making a big sale. You go through a pretty rigorous process in terms of sales training at IBM, which was fantastic, but ultimately it’s all about the client and what they’re trying to achieve. You’ve got to get in sync with the client. That was one of my first “aha” moments. There was a point where it started to become clearer and I became more effective because then you’re not selling – you’re actually working side-by-side with your client.

My first failure came when I was put onto a large account that I wasn’t ready for. I wasn’t mature enough to realise all I needed to do was ask for help. So I failed spectacularly. It was embarrassing because you’re in a situation where you’re leading a team and you’re not leading it to success. Personally, it wasn’t much fun but it was a really good lesson. And there are still times when I reflect and think, “Actually, I could have asked for more help. There are different ways I could have approached that situation.” The challenges now are, to be fair, more complex and bigger than they were 25 years ago but I still make those mistakes. It’s usually when I’m under stress, not thinking clearly and not present enough to say, “I’ve seen this pattern before. Okay, I need to slow down.”

My first leadership test was when I was promoted to be a sales manager. I was trying to be a role model of what I thought a successful leader looked like at IBM, based on what I saw around me. It was probably not until my third management role that I started to feel like I was getting into a bit of a groove about who I was as a leader. It was less of me telling, more of me listening, then us as a group working out how we can make the best of what we have. It was simply being true to myself. Not surprisingly, that slight shift creates a better environment for creativity. We all know the feeling that you get when you’re under pressure – you’re not breathing properly, you’re not present and you’re not at your best. I had to find my way through that.

My first proud moment was when I worked out who I was as a leader and what was working and what wasn’t. We had great success in the team but what I was most proud of was the connection. We had so much fun. I was proud of the results but I was prouder of the sense of camaraderie and the fact that we’d delivered some amazing results together. It was intoxicating and it spurred me on over the years to make sure I try to create that experience for everyone in the groups I lead.

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