I’m Open to Work, Open to Learn. Not because I’m done where I am. Not because I need a change. But because staying open is how we stay relevant.

After 20 years at Microsoft and nearly 30 years in the IT industry, I’ve learned something simple and uncomfortable: The biggest career risk is believing you’ve already arrived—or thinking you can no longer grow where you are. When that happens, it’s easy to get comfortable, stop exploring new paths, and, most importantly, stop learning.

The biggest career risk is believing you’ve already arrived

Titles fade. Trends shift. Technology evolves faster than ever. What endures is the mindset to adapt—and the courage to keep moving forward.

For me, being “open” isn’t about leaving or changing roles—it’s about staying curious, staying relevant, and staying committed, even within the same company.

In 2026, I’m setting my mindset to stay open to learning, use AI to increase productivity and accelerate time to value, and remain fully laser-focused on delivering results that matter—starting with my current role, which I truly enjoy.

I refuse to be replaced by younger people.

Not because I fear them—but because experience still matters, shaped by decades of judgment, pattern recognition, context, and accountability.

At the same time, I’m fully committed to onboarding them, mentoring them, and openly sharing what I’ve learned. As a people manager, one of my strongest convictions has always been that diverse talent is not optional. Teams perform better when they bring together different backgrounds, generations, and perspectives, because diversity challenges assumptions and unlocks better ideas. For me, this will be a non-negotiable condition when hiring opportunities arise.

As a parent of two incredible children, I’m constantly challenged to explain WHY we do things the way we do. Over time, I’ve learned a simple rule: if you can’t explain it clearly, there’s probably room to improve it. Staying open to learning from younger voices isn’t just smart—it’s empowering and ultimately drives better outcomes.

Likewise, I will keep learning, absorb knowledge, and gain meaningful insights, while being guided by people with more senior experience than mine.

Strong organizations—and strong leaders—don’t choose between youth and experience. They combine them intentionally, creating an environment where ideas are questioned, knowledge is shared, and everyone grows.

I also refuse to be replaced by AI.

Instead, I use AI—every day. Not as a shortcut, but as a discipline. To be more productive. To outthink my own biases. To generate and challenge ideas. To brainstorm and pressure-test decisions at speed. To systematically close the technical gap with deep product specialists—the real gurus. And most importantly, to learn how to ask better, harder questions.

I continue adopting AI daily, extending its use through the agents available in the Copilot Agent Store—the centralized marketplace within Microsoft 365 Copilot, now featuring 70+ agents built by Microsoft, trusted partners, and customers—while equally committing to leverage the specialized agents developed within my own organization, particularly across Sales, Delivery, and post-sales/support. Not as experimentation, but as sustained practice. To elevate productivity. To accelerate technical readiness. And to model the very transformation we promote with customers.

Using AI with discipline forces clarity of thought. It demands sharper framing, stronger reasoning, and better decisions. Over time, this compounds into advantage—not because AI replaces us, but because it amplifies how we think and how we act.

AI is not here to replace me. AI is here to raise my bar.

Don’t agree? Then consider this: if you refuse to use AI, you won’t be replaced by AI itself—you’ll be replaced by someone who uses it effectively. And if not, then yes, eventually by one of those increasingly capable AI agents. The choice isn’t whether AI participates in your work. The choice is whether you do.

Relevance Is a Choice.

I didn’t survive almost three decades in technology by defending my past. I stayed relevant by learning faster than my comfort zone, by reinventing myself across roles:

• Software Engineer (*) — where I began using shared libraries as development accelerators and learned the importance of understanding the big picture in order to build reusable IP that scales.

• Proposal Manager & Team Leader (*) — where I learned the importance of creating detailed proposals, clearly defining scope and assumptions to set the right expectations for outcomes, and understanding that IT professionals are ultimately responsible for delivering on our promises (at that time, proposal managers were also part of the delivery team).

• Development Consultant — where I learned that delivering technology alone was not enough; as a software provider, our role is to transfer knowledge and best practices to enable scale.

• Enterprise Architect — designing actionable three-horizons roadmaps tightly connected to the customer’s vision and strategic imperatives.

• Go-To-Market (GTM) Leader for Emerging Technologies (Blockchain, IoT, AI-based chatbots) — connecting technology to repeatable use cases, proving value early, and showing the way before solutions move to the mainstream.

• Chief Technology Officer (CTO) / Architect Manager — serving a high-performance, diverse team, enabling each person’s unique experience and values to accelerate Microsoft’s growth and demonstrate the full potential of its technology.

• Data & AI Solution Sales Leader — delivering outstanding results beyond quotas and budgets, growing the business without burning out the team, advocating for people, and putting customers first—because this is a true win-win game.

• Principal Solution Engineer — back in the details, close to customers and close to the truth.

(*) before joining Microsoft.

Every transition required humility. Every step demanded performance. None of it was accidental.

High Standards Are Non-Negotiable.

Being open to work does not mean being passive. It means committing—again and again—to high standards.

For me, that means:

• Delivering results, even when conditions aren’t perfect. And when we don’t make it—which is different from failing—we make sure we tried, learned, and shared the risk together.

• Mentoring at least five people every year, consistently and intentionally.

• Actively engaging with startups, exchanging experience for fresh ideas—without bureaucracy or bias.

• Supporting my team, my customers, our business partners, and my community—also beyond the professional environment, which is why I actively volunteer with AYSO, helping develop young people through soccer.

• Investing in my health and energy, because longevity is not a perk of leadership—it’s a responsibility.

In 2025, I lost 15 kg, improved my health, reduced stress, and gained clarity. Because the future belongs to people who can perform sustainably, not just intensely.

The Real Secret of Success

It’s not youth. It’s not titles. It’s not even AI.

The real secret of success is this: never stop learning—and never close yourself off to what’s next.

I believe that the future belongs to those who stay open: open to learning, open to change, open to growth.

I remain fully committed to Microsoft, intentionally focusing on my current role as a platform to keep learning, evolving, and staying ready for what’s next — so I can continue to perform at the highest level for years to come.

At the same time, I’m always open to thoughtful conversations with organizations and leaders that align with my values — especially those committed to responsible technology, meaningful impact, and long-term value creation.

This is my manifesto for 2026 and beyond. ¡Vamos!

I’m open to work because the moment we believe we’ve arrived is the moment we stop moving forward. It reminds me of a simple—but timeless—quote by Albert Einstein:

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

So yes, I’m open to work. What about you?

I’ve explored similar themes in other pieces on leadership and career development—these may be of interest to you:

• Why I Choose Discipline, Vision, and Love (April 13, 2025)

• Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion in Tech (July 22, 2024)

• Driving Innovation on the "Path to Yes" in Business (December 26, 2023)

• Unlocking Peak Productivity: Harnessing the Power of Vacation Recharging (August 3, 2023)

• Moving a Mentoring Relationship to the Next Level (July 28, 2022)

• Do I have Impostor Syndrome? (June 8, 2022)

• My Seven rules when Leading in Technology (January 22, 2021)

• Why organizations need Value Realization? (December 10, 2019)

• Are you a Generalist or Specialist? (February 1, 2019)