Shannon Loftis of Xbox Studios

On the eve of her announced retirement from Xbox Game Studios, longtime Microsoft veteran Shannon Loftis met with Kenning Partner Daryl Ogden to discuss her storied career.  Shannon talks about the early days of gaming at Microsoft, and what it was like to be a woman in that hard-driving environment.  She explains how Microsoft’s culture has changed in the intervening years, and how she has as well.  A timely talk by Melinda French Gates provided some rules to live by for Shannon, guidelines she still shares with the women she supports today.  

Daryl and Shannon dig deep into how she arrived upon own leadership philosophy–one defined by the values of individual development, diversity & inclusion, and respect.  They talk about how to handle failure gracefully, and how to support individuals proactively.  Shannon identifies some of her favorite career moments.  She then examines the challenges posed by pandemic to the culture she and her team had built, and how they overcame those challenges.

In wrapping up, Daryl and Shannon explore the impact of coaching–for Shannon, and for her team.  On the eve of her retirement, she feels good about her team’s readiness to step up to fill the void she is leaving. 

Mentioned in the pod: 

Ages of Empire

The Coaching Habit

 

Contact:

Shannon on LinkedIn

Daryl: daryl.ogden@kenningassociates.com