Hey everyone!
So here it is!!!
Mr Kevin McDonnell's Tech Trump Card and mini-interview.
I first met Kevin at the South Coast Summit 2022 when I went to see his talk: 'Is the intranet dead?' I say 'met', we didn't meet, I attended his session, that's it. But I have been added to group chats that involve Kevin and he's a very supportive and funny person. We are also in conversation about a new User Group in Kent! So watch out for news on that!
He is a Viva champion and an MVP, he also loves to help and share his knowledge, so if you ever need any support, please do not hesitate to contact him.
If you missed Kevin's talk at the SCS, please do read through my summary of the session and event as a whole here, https://laurawebbportfolio.wixsite.com/webbsidestory/post/south-coast-summit-2022-where-is-it-and-don-t-say-the-south
Right - mini-interview time!!!
Here he is!
Hey Kevin!
So tell me...
What's a typical day look like for you?
Wake up, enjoy a few mins peace in the shower before the kids wake up. Get the youngest to school and the other two out of the house. Run through my ToDo and set aside three tasks to do outside of meetings. Meetings. More meetings. A little bit of work. Lunch. More meetings. PowerPoint deck. Look longingly at VS Code. Cook dinner. Kids to bed. Open VS Code then fall asleep.
What is your favourite Microsoft 365/Power Platform/Dynamics 365 app or feature, and why?
I genuinely love that you can set goals in Viva Goals with real live data to supply the key results for the OKR - no more arguing with what you thought was the result, it's data-driven.
What do you love most about working in the tech/Microsoft industry?
The surprises - whether it's new tech you didn't expect, something working better than you expected or someone finally "getting it" when you never thought they would.
How did you get into the tech/Microsoft industry?
I had always loved computers, from my trusty Acorn Electron through to my recent Mac Mini. I thought a career in engineering might beckon but university put me off. Instead, I found myself building a website for the college and then applying for IT internships at banks. That put me through graduate programs and from there, learning about the power of SharePoint to allow people to help themselves.
What single bit of advice would you give a newbie to the tech/Microsoft industry?
Be prepared to always be learning. The new ideas don't stop and you should always be ready to pick up more information. The good news is that things come in circles so what you learn will almost always come back again!
If you had an autobiography, what would you title it?
365 shades of grey
Name one hobby or other interest you have outside of tech.
Cub Scout Leader
Name one thing that you would like to have achieved within the next 5 years.
Inspire more people to want to share what they have learned with others. (And I would truly love to make an in-person MVP Summit but not sure I'd count that as an achievement!)
Do you have any role models within the tech/Microsoft industry? If so, could you name a few?
So so many! Jeff Teper for his longevity in powering SharePoint, Dona Sarkar for showing how to make magic happen, Al Eardley for always being calm and grounded, Chris Huntingford for being crazy and all over the place, Luise Freese for always learning and growing and Zoe Wilson for showing how you can be senior yet still have fun.
Are there any sites that you would like to share with the community?
Is there a little note that you would like to add for the community?
Want some advice on how best to start sharing as part of the community? Contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Want to start sharing on a podcast? Book an appearance at https://aka.ms/GHBP
Fantastic answers, thanks so much Kevin!
I think that an MVP summit would indeed be an achievement if it's something you really want to do Kevin!
And I love that you like SharePoint. Nobody seems to like SharePoint. I like SharePoint.
So if you want to know more about Kevin and what he is passionate about, please do check out Kevin's sites and contributions above.
There is a lot there to take a look at, so there isn't really an excuse to not take a gander at at least one site.
That's it for this week folks! thank you for reading/listening!
There will be another next week! So keep an eye out!
And if you want to join the Tech Trump Card collection, check out my Tech Trump Card page on this portfolio site, click the 'Want one?' tab and sign up!
Thanks! See you next week!