Stephen Barnes is a US Federal Senior Director, Azure Customer Success at Microsoft at Microsoft. He possess expertise in enterprise software, integration, program management, cloud computing, testing and 10 more skills. Colleagues describe him as "Stephen has been a transformational leader for our business. His laser focus on diversity & inclusion, growth mindset and collaborations has helped develop new strength of the overall Developer DNA. His style of communication and critical thinking have been major asset to my and others personal and professional growth. " and " Stephen is an incredible leader and mentor. He employs a leadership style that perfectly blends autonomy, empowerment, and accountability, which brings out the best in others. His brilliant management approach is unlike any I've experienced in my career. By delegating ownership of specific core priorities to members of the team and rewarding individual and group achievement, Stephen empowers his teams to manage themselves. This approach frees Stephen to focus on the strategic priorities of his organization while his team is given the freedom and empowerment to lead one another. The whole experience is dignifying, as each person is given an opportunity to contribute to the success of others. Instead of competing with one another, each contributor is incentivized to help their peers succeed. This creates a working environment where rewards are obtained when others win. His management style is simply masterful. Unsurprisingly under his leadership, our team experienced incredible growth by focusing on frictionless customer outcomes rather than non-value added activities. Additionally, Stephen is a tireless professional while maintaining a deep empathy for individuals personally. He is competitive and likes to win, but never at the expense of others. In fact, under his leadership, every person is encouraged to represent themselves authentically, and diversity is strongly encouraged. He is highly respected at all levels of leadership at Microsoft and is known as a thought leader within the services organization. I hold Stephen in the highest regard, and I've been stretched professionally by his outstanding example. It is a pleasure working with Stephen, and it is an honor to provide this recommendation. "