The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management: How to Think and Act Like a Microsoft Manager and Take Your Company to the Top

by David Thielen, Shirley Thielen

Offers an insider's look at the corporate culture and management system of this highly successful company and provides instructional steps on learning, developing, and applying the key principles of Microsoft's managerial style.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

181 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 1999

About the author

I’m a transformational Chief Executive Officer with over 20 years of experience in devising and delivering comprehensive strategies in growth-oriented environments that drive business development, streamline daily operations, and promote company value.

At Windward Studios I established and built a software company from the ground up, growing it into one of the largest document generator applications prior to acquisition. We developed and launched an innovative product that provided clients with a modern and custom program to design complex document templates in a simplified manner.

Windward was created and grown with no funding. That is incredibly rare.

My recent book, I Don't Know What I'm Doing! is my effort to pay it forward. Learning to be an effective CEO is brutally hard. I hope this book makes it a bit easier.

I am writing more on this topic at my blog - https://ceobook.substack.com

Reviews

[Julie Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Motivating in some ways and really frightening in others. It makes me want to stretch to be the best possible professional, but it also leads me to contemplate the downsides of that type of competitive environment.

[Michael Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Very readable. And direct. Each rule is a chapter so it is nice and concise with no waffle. And each rule is worth thinking about. You can mentally reject the rationale if you want to, and that will tell you something about what you value in a culture.

For myself I vaguely remember working amongst all those goal-oriented, task-focused, competitive, sharp-elbowed, gung-ho, A-type personalities. Seems to me one is more likely to achieve something worthwhile if you just get on and do it, and then keep going until it is finished. Most people don't have that luxury, however. And you can't build something the size of Microsoft Office by yourself.

[Christian Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've owned this book for a couple of years, but am reading through it again because its such a fantastic resource for both existing Microsoft employees/managers, as well as those who want to get a better perspective on how the company "ticks."

I would say that aspects of the culture have matured/calmed down a bit. This doesn't mean that people don't have passion, and that there isn't still a pervasive feeling that we (I work for Microsoft) want to take over the world - just that the company has made huge strides to also make it a place where smart people come to stay. Most long-timers will tell you that the company used to be much more cut-throat and competitive internally, and it's definitely a softer company now. But still the world's biggest startup.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it about 10 years ago, but found it very interesting at the time.

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read company profile for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.