Inspiring collaboration stories. Industry insights. And even a live concert with a sprinkle of virtual confetti. Despite its physical limitations, the festival-like spirit of Microsoft Cloud Week persevered. And that’s because we had something BIG to celebrate — working together and creating change through human ingenuity.

Our innovativeness was on full display during Cloud Week and really brought to the forefront the value of limitless learning through shared experiences. Throughout the week, I couldn’t help but think about the Alvin Toffler quote that graced the screen during one of the first sessions: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

Microsoft Cloud Week is great example of how we execute this limitless learning at Avanade and tap into the knowledge base of our partnership with Accenture and Microsoft. We are also reminded that learning is a commitment — one that we all must make to continuously improve and grow. By investing in ourselves and pursuing our passions, we not only stay relevant, we stay innovative. It’s not enough to lead from what we know. We need to lead from what we can learn.

Here’s some of the week’s high points for me:

• In talking about our powerful partnership, Avanade CEO Pam Maynard summed up what makes our workplace culture unique: “As leaders, we can shape inclusivity within our organizations and workforces. It is about having an inclusivity ecosystem … and it starts with our employees.”
• A group of our women leaders shared wisdom on how to bring your authentic self to work every day. Avanade’s Global Advisory Lead Jillian Moore, for example, stressed the need to be open and to communicate, saying that it makes for a much better working experience both for ourselves and those around us. This honesty is what’s needed to push the tech industry forward.
• The Learning & Certification Showcase celebrates the success of our people. It was truly inspirational to hear personal stories of the learning journey; how learning through certifications make daily tasks easier or taught one person new skills and a little bit of humility. Another employee appreciated how Avanade supported him in navigating the intricate world of Microsoft learning and then celebrated and awarded him for earning certifications.

Even though Cloud Week has ended, our journey has not. We continue to prioritize skill-building, inclusion and diversity. As business problems become more complex, we need the talents of a diverse workforce to fuel innovation. We are a team that believes it is better to be “learn-it-all” than “know-it-all.” This growth mindset is why we value events like Microsoft Cloud Week that drive skill-building through collaboration and shared experiences. It’s also why we celebrate risk takers, problem solvers and dreamers and support them by providing limitless opportunities to learn and grow.

We know our best self does our best work. And part of becoming our best self means exploring what’s beyond our comfort zone. This investment in our people and partnerships paid off over the past year when we had to respond to the accelerated digital transformations of the COVID era. Our combined skills, insights and capabilities enabled us to make rapid changes to drive client value when it mattered most. In a rapidly changing world, we need always evolving skills rooted in continuous learning.

I’m really excited about how we’re strengthening our culture of inclusion and expanding our pipeline of diverse talent. It’s a commitment that we’re fully embracing. If you’d like to learn more about how we encourage our people to be their best selves and do their best work, check out Life at Avanade.