Scott & Mark Learn To… Reputate

In this episode of Scott & Mark Learn To, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich dive into the art of building reputations throughout the careers. Scott shares a story about directly messaging a distinguished engineer with a technical question, sparking a discussion about when it's appropriate to contact someone you don't know. Mark acknowledges that his title and reputation give him confidence to reach out to others but emphasizes not bothering people with "randomness." They explore when it's okay to say no, why thoughtful questions build influence, and how legendary computer scientist Donald Knuth turned bug reports into prized autographs. Mark shares his approach to unread messages, while Scott reveals his trick for turning good questions into content. Plus, a candid discussion on imposter syndrome—when even the most accomplished minds feel out of their depth.   Takeaways:    The key is knowing when to ask questions versus when to do more self-research Why titles serve as shorthand for expertise, but their importance depends on context. How highly accomplished professionals deal with self-doubt and imposter syndromeWho are they?     View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn  View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn    Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube        Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to           Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   Download the Transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.