Staff Reporters
Feb 17, 2010

Q&A: Michael Mclaren on wrestling with Microsoft

Michael Mclaren, regional director of McCann Worldgroup, has tireless determination.

Q&A: Michael Mclaren on wrestling with Microsoft
What is your current state of mind?
Slightly crazed but definitely optimistic.

What is your greatest fear?
The feeling that there is nothing that is worth listening to on my daughter’s iPod. That’s when you realise you’ve actually turned into someone from your parents’ generation…“That’s not music - that’s just noise!”

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Getting my work/ family priorities in the wrong order.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Hubris.

Who is your hero? Why?
It used to be Tiger Woods because he always wanted to get better - but I’ll definitely have to come up with a new one now!

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Confidence.

On what occasion do you lie?
Very rarely - and only when it might actually help the other person.

Name one thing about yourself that few people know.
I’ve spent a month in a submarine. It’s pretty weird down there.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“At the end of the day…” Puke!

What’s your most evocative childhood memory?
Being unexpectedly pulled behind a bush by a girl called Joanne during an excursion in sixth grade and being kissed right on the lips!

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Professionally, successfully wrestling with Microsoft. Personally, 15 great years of marriage and counting.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Tireless determination.

Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?
Winston Churchill. His sheer willpower lifted everyone around him.

What makes you happy?
Hanging with my kids.

When did you last cry and why?
Last 15 April. Tax Day in the US!

What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Approaching senility.

What’s your best joke?
Two potatoes were crossing the road. One was run over by a car. After taking the injured potato to the hospital the doctor says: “Well the good news is that your friend is going to live, but the bad news is he’s going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life.”

This article was originally publishd in the 11 February 2010 issue of Media.

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