Microsoft's New CEO Satya Nadella: 2 Lessons I Learned From Steve Ballmer
Flickr/Heisenberg Media
Microsoft's previous CEO, Steve Ballmer, led the company into unprecedented revenues and profits. But that wasn't enough. He also made a number of missteps which caused him to retire from the job years before he planned.
Nadella takes over a huge and successful company with a lot of issues that need fixing from its culture to its position in mobile.
In an interview with the New York Times Adam Bryant, Nadella said Ballmer taught him two things: 1) He should never compare himself to others, and 2) he never needs to ask how he's doing. If he's not doing a good job, he'll know.
Here's what Nadella said.
"I remember asking [Ballmer]: "What do you think? How am I doing?" Then he said: "Look, you will know it, I will know it, and it will be in the air. So you don't have to ask me, 'How am I doing?' At your level, it's going to be fairly implicit."
I went on to ask him, "How do I compare to the people who had my role before me?" And Steve said: "Who cares? The context is so different. The only thing that matters to me is what you do with the cards you've been dealt now. ... The lesson was that you have to stay grounded, and to be brutally honest with yourself on where you stand."
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- Vodafone Idea FPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP and more
- Strong domestic demand supporting India's growth: Morgan Stanley
- Global NCAP accords low safety rating to Bolero Neo, Amaze
- Agri exports fall 9% to $43.7 bn during Apr-Feb 2024 due to global, domestic factors
- Best flower valleys to visit in India in 2024
- Nifty sees modest gain, Sensex inches higher; Market sentiment remains cautious amid global developments