Microsoft’s Julie Larson-Green is the 2015 winner of the Women of Vision ABIE Award for Leadership, an award offered by The Anita Borg Institute to honor women making significant contributions to technology.
When discussing her leadership style in an interview with the Anita Borg Institute in preparation for the Women of Vision Awards Banquet next month where she’ll receive her award, Julie emphasizes the importance of people management and awareness of technology capabilities. “A lot of people think you have to choose between being a leader of people versus being a leader of technology,” she says. “I don’t know how you can do one without the other. When you’re a technology leader, you have to understand enough about the technology to know what’s possible, and what direction you want to take it… At the same time, your goal is to create something great. You want to bring people together and align them on that. You don’t have to be the expert on every little detail, but you have to know who is, and you have to be able to communicate together.”
As Chief Experience Officer in the Applications and Services Group, Julie Larson-Green has been praised for her focus on customer needs and user experience and is credited with the creation of Microsoft Office’s “ribbon” earlier in her career, the toolbar that sits atop the user interface in Word, Excel and others to provide easier access to program features and helps unify the suite of software.
Congratulations to Julie and all the other winners of this year’s Women of Vision ABIE Awards. It is fantastic to see skilled people in the field of technology gain acknowledgment and appreciation for all their hard work and accomplishments.
Do awards like this inspire you achieve your best in your chosen career? Who do you think should be nominated for next year’s awards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
