I recently had the great good fortune and privilege to join the MVP community. It is like most things, "it looks very different from the inside than it does from the outside".

You gain a real appreciation and admiration for these people and what motivates them. Once you become an MVP you realize that you are a kind of ambassador for what it means. It is therefore important to maintain the high standards that go with that honour.

I was particularly struck by Sean's comment, "In my mind, awards aren’t things to be manufactured in terms of status.". I believe this to be both true and fundamental to "giving". Giving comes from the heart and not the head! Generosity is giving without conditions!

In all my conversations with MVP's there has been great admiration for Sean and his ideals. You cannot effectively lead something like the MVP program and not be the kind of person who would likely be one if he wasn't working for MSFT. That has given me parsonal faith in the program and I am sure many others.

Cheers

Graham Jones, MVP