Ep. 98, From engineer to manager: Mike Kanakos on transition, lessons, and community
Aired January 1, 2024 | 49 min
We sit down with Microsoft MVP Mike Kanakos to explore his journey of transitioning from an engineer to a manager. Mike candidly shares valuable lessons learned, from navigating newfound responsibilities to embracing a mentorship role. We delve into the pivotal role community involvement played in his managerial growth, discussing insights from successful teams and best practices that informed his approach. The discussion also unveils exciting changes ahead for the Research Triangle PowerShell User Group, which Mike leads. As a bonus, we get an insider's look into Mike's favorite PowerShell modules.
Meet our guest
Mike Kanakos
Mike Kanakos, a three-time Microsoft MVP award recipient, currently manages the Foundational Services and Automation team at Align Technology, the company behind Invisalign braces. Leading a team focused on developing automation tools for Azure AD, Active Directory, and Single Sign-On, Mike's goal is to automate processes and eliminate tedious tasks for various teams.
Beyond his MVP status, Mike is the leader of the Research Triangle PowerShell Users Group and serves as the Director of Community Engagement for PowerShell.org. He shares his expertise on PowerShell, Cloud services, and automation through his blog www.commandline.ninja. In his spare time, he navigates through maintaining a home assistant setup.
Meet our host
Andrew Pla
Andrew Pla, a seasoned IT professional with over 10 years of experience, has spent the last 5 years mastering PowerShell. An ardent member of the PowerShell community and a Microsoft MVP, he loves sharing his knowledge and leveraging automation to solve complex problems. You can always find him connecting with others on the PDQ Discord and troubleshooting, with the firm belief that a problem shared is a problem halved.
