Leading Microsoft Ecosystems at Scale in the AI Era

Nina Harding talks about her long career, which includes working at big companies like Oracle, SAP, Google, and twice at Microsoft. Throughout these years, she has always focused on how different companies work together, which she calls "partnerships." She has seen how these partnerships have changed significantly over 30 years. When she started in the early 1990s, she saw how new computer programs and databases were just beginning to be used, and this helped her understand how the digital world would grow. Because she worked for both huge companies and smaller new companies, Nina learned special ways to help partners use big market opportunities and create new things together.

Nina has noticed a significant shift in how companies work with partners. It used to be that companies focused on just a few special partners. The goal is to get a whole "ecosystem" of many different partners to work together and succeed. This raised a question: should companies tell partners exactly what to do, or should they let partners help lead the way? Nina says that at Microsoft, working with partners has always been a key part of how the company works, right from the start. This means that when Microsoft creates new products or sales plans, it always includes partners to ensure customers get what they need.

Microsoft, led by Nina, tries to build strong trust and long-lasting relationships with its partners, not just work with them for quick wins. This commitment shows up in many ways. Microsoft helps partners learn new skills and provides training. They also bring partners into their sales meetings and events. They ensure partners are part of how Microsoft sells its products and services and offer special rewards to help partners do well. This way of working together is based on the idea that "we are better together." It allows the whole Microsoft world to work as one team, ensuring everyone wins.

Nina Harding discusses how big companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Google have similar parts. No matter the company, she always has to work with different partners, like those who sell products or create new software. She needs to understand what each type of partner needs and how they can all help each other. Partners always want to know the big company's plan and how they can fit into that plan. Nina feels her job is similar to being "the president of a country," where she has to manage a huge global group of partners and ensure everyone works well together.

When Nina starts a new job, even if the company is already doing great, her first step is to listen carefully. For the first 100 days, she talks to many partners in groups and one-on-one. She asks for honest feedback—good, bad, and even ugly—and looks for new ideas. This helps her figure out what needs to change. Nina says she likes to shake things up a bit, but always in a good way, to make things better for the partners. This way of leading helps the company be flexible and quickly adapt, which is very important in today's fast-changing world.

Nina believes in "building with" partners, not just making plans inside the company walls and then telling partners what to do. She invites partners to share their ideas, test new plans, and even look at early drawings of new systems or websites. They also discuss how to set up rewards and deals together. This means partners are part of the process from the very beginning. This open and honest way of working builds a lot of trust. It ensures sales plans and other programs help the partners succeed, especially as new technology like AI changes everything.

Nina Harding returned to Microsoft in October 2022, when many people started hearing about ChatGPT. However, Microsoft had begun working with OpenAI, which made ChatGPT years ago. When Nina arrived, the main question for her team was no longer just about sales numbers. Instead, it was about figuring out what partners needed to be successful with this new AI technology. This meant helping partners learn new technical skills, improve their sales methods, and create better marketing. It was a massive shift in how they worked, making partners more like "imagineers" who help customers dream up new solutions with AI.

To help its many partners adopt AI, Microsoft has put a lot of helpful tools and programs in place. For example, they have a program called "Level Up." This program offers online learning paths that partners can follow at their own pace. It includes hands-on practice, guided lessons, fun badges, and awards to motivate people. Over a million people have used this program to learn about AI. Microsoft also holds special "AI partner training days" where people can meet and talk about AI. The company has hired more technical experts to help partners build their skills and update their products with AI. This significant effort ensures that everyone in the Microsoft world is ready for the new age of AI.

Nina says that AI is spreading uniquely because both everyday people and big companies are starting to use it at the same time. This differs from how past technologies spread, which often began with governments or big businesses. She sees that younger people, even kids in school, use AI naturally in ways adults might not think of. This means that customers are pushing companies to use AI more. Microsoft is purposefully helping its customers use AI to do more, whether making employees' jobs easier, improving how customers are served, changing how businesses operate, or finding new ways to invent things. This shows how AI is truly changing everything.

AI allows anyone in a company to help make changes, not just the top bosses or outside experts. This differs from before, when consultants often planned changes and took a long time. Nina gives an example of a marketing person on her team who used AI to create a tool in just 30 minutes. This tool made it much easier to understand how Microsoft offers rewards to its partners. This shows how AI is helping to make everyday business tasks faster and easier, letting people focus on more important work. It means that everyone can now help bring new ideas to life, no matter their job.

The idea of "change" itself has also changed. In the 1990s, when big companies tried to change things, people often worried about losing their jobs. They didn't know what the future would look like. But today, change is seen as a way to make things better and more powerful. It’s easier now because the new technology is simpler, and people are excited about it. Nina points out that ensuring data is safe and organized when using AI is still essential. Today, learning quickly and using different skills is more critical than just knowing one thing very deeply. This helps companies be more flexible and takes away some of the old fears about change.

Nina talks about how partners like "3Cloud" use AI innovatively. Instead of just selling technology, they first speak with customers to understand their problems and what they want to achieve. They then find one or two quick projects that can show significant results. Only after that do they talk about the technology. This way, customers feel more confident because they see the real benefits first. This kind of approach helps customers overcome any worries they might have about new technology. Microsoft also uses AI internally to improve things for partners and employees, like helping plan partner goals, prepare reports, and find new business ideas. This shows how AI is making work easier and more effective for everyone.