Working with Microsoft-focused identity admins, I noticed a couple of common themes with these fellow identity people that make them feel like they can't make any right decisions anymore, they got stuck somehow and feel miserable all the time… In their minds, a perfect storm is raging.

Identity professionals in this state are experienced as none-productive, perhaps even as 'the devil'. However, the strongest feeling I have for their situation is empathy.

I can also see some clear paths forward… even ones that don't require copious amounts of caffeine, alcohol or other (non-) stimulants.

Accelerating change is overwhelming?

Especially in the Identity space, change is ever accelerating. For some people, the speed of change is becoming unbearable. When you spend over 50% of your working time to keep up with product releases, product changes and product renames, it can overwhelm. Especially when the first years of your career Microsoft's identity changes only meant a new version of Active Directory roughly every three years…

Because Identity touches everything, identity admins also feel they need to remain generalists of some sort, keeping up to date with not just Microsoft Entra ID-related news, but also Azure- , Microsoft 365- and Dynamics 365-related news, along with all the possibilities of cloud and hybrid management opportunities for devices and Windows Server installations… and maintain the necessary certifications, of course.

The facts are:

Nobody expects you to know everything

In a slide deck a couple of years ago, Sami Laiho pointed out that there are only perhaps 100 people worldwide who know almost everything about Windows. He did not consider himself as one of these people, although everyone I know points  to him for answers.

There is no shame in saying 'I don't know'.

There's no shame in seeking help

Seeking help and asking for feedback is a skill. Not everyone possesses this skill. For those whom this skill comes naturally, they feel it's a sign of strength. They don't hold back to ask  'stupid questions', to remain unstuck and be the best versions of themselves.

Microsoft certifications don't define your worth

Within Microsoft partners, certifications by employees define partnerships levels. Managers in these organizations emphasize certifications not just in your best interest, but also in the best interest of the Microsoft Partnership Network (MPN).

If your manager wants you to achieve additional Microsoft certifications, make sure you are compensated in time and/or money.

Fear of failure (atychiphobia)?

The technologies that haven't been renamed from Azure AD to Entra and Entra ID present a peek in Microsoft's decisions regarding the futures of these services and products. When you're currently relying on Azure MFA Server, Azure AD B2C, the Windows Azure AD Connector for Forefront Identity Manager or the Azure AD Content Pack for Power BI, your organization relies on services and products Microsoft is actively discontinuing or is about to announce to do so.

As an early adopter of many Microsoft identity products and services, it might feel that you are getting burned. For many Microsoft Identity professionals it has led to the conclusion that they will never ever embrace public preview features and/or insider releases, again. That might be a healthy stance. However, some identity admins feel blocked even embracing generally available features and RTM releases of Windows Server. Entra ID Domain Services runs the Windows Server 2012 R2 functional level, but when you as an admin still run Windows Server 2012 R2 in your own datacenter, you're the proverbial dead man walking…

The facts are:

Failure doesn't exist

You just tried your hand at your first attempt. That's all. There's always the second attempt to get it right. Or a third. Only after so many attempts you can start to see that it's impossible. But because you tried it in three different ways, the problem isn't you.

Cleaning up pays dividends

Many IT professionals feel buried in technical debt. You can't make many wrong decisions when you remove technical debt as a priority. From my experience, cleaning up outdated and stale technologies, objects, applications, services, systems and processes has always been more beneficial to the organization then simply deploy additional stuff. Also, it made new implementations more straightforward.

Taking everything too serious?

I come across admins that have a harder time coming up with new Domain Controller names than names for their children. I kid you not.

The facts are:

Technology is only temporary

That Domain Controller you are deploying is only around for a couple of years, people. Then, we transition it to a fresh Domain Controller running a newer version of Windows Server, or we decommission it. I'm not saying you can go all out on Domain Controller names (it helps to be able to distinguish between Domain Controllers and the other mere mortal hosts on the network), but you don't have to fold your mind into a pretzel to come up with a name or naming convention that suits your organization for thousands of years to come.

It's a marathon, not a sprint

Don't fret your job. Don't blow yourself up by trying to do everything. IT is work that remains to be work that is performed by humans. For years to come this will remain true.

As we as IT Professionals gain experience, we increasingly offer common sense-based value, still  outpacing ongoing automation initiatives.

Are you sure your brain isn't playing tricks on you?

'Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.'
– Ernest Hemingway

Our minds are complex. Undeniably, a larger percentage of people working in IT than people not working in IT have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD), either diagnosed or not. This condition has certain effects.

The facts are:

People with AD(H)D typically assume responsibility

People with AD(H)D) typically like to do what they feel they're good at. They'll try to do that as much as possible to avoid other tedious or uninteresting work. When that suddenly doesn't feel as something they're good at, it feels like they won't ever feel happy again in their work. It's the AD(H)D brain playing tricks. Luckily, it's easy to spot: just like within the thinking of adolescents, the mind deals with absolutes like 'everything', 'nothing', 'never', 'always' and 'all the time' when playing tricks. Ignore your mind when it serves up that kind of language.

People with AD(H)D feel guilty

When people from a very young age are told  that they need to change to fit in, e.g. sit still in class and pay attention for hours on end, it instills a feeling of negative self-awareness and negative self-image. It's always them. (please refer to the previous item). It's admirable to see how people actually get anything done with this mindset, but they actually pull it off. It should be something they are proud of, but that too, it seems, gets lost in a sea of negativity, blame and guilt. You are good enough.

Keep up the good work!

You got this. 💪