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Creating Generational Legacies

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, has re-energised the software giantwith innovation and vision

Great article about where Satya is taking Microsoft, and how he plans to get there!

My Mentor Allen Pathmarajah, kindly shared this article with me. 
Amit Choudhury of the Business Times spent time interviewing Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO of how he plans to lead Microsoft in the 21st Century......

How does one re-energise a massive behemoth like Microsoft, turnover of US$90b, with 100k employees, that has achieved the BHAG (big hairy audacious goal)  of having a windows PC on almost every PC in the world, with continual Windows licence fees! 

This industry does not respect tradition and what you have achieved in the past, says Satya
  • it respects Innovation 
  • it respects Disruption

Having licenced software on PCs does not cut the mustard anymore..... its now about "Mobile First and Cloud First" and "the Internet of Things". Your phone will be just like a remote control for your TV - except it will control everything!! 


How can Microsoft not be swallowed or taken over by the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter? 

It is clear that their needs to change.... massive change!!

Microsoft has made some pretty bold moves to still be relevant in this century... 
  • the $7.9b acquisition of Nokia - a bit of a flop, with Microsoft writing off most of the investment,
  • and now the $26b acquisition of LinkedIn - which I believe will enable them to keep their dominance in the marketplace.
LinkedIn can be the conduit to transform Microsoft's products such as contacts, calendars and CRM on the phone and in the cloud, providing an integrated tool set to the social community where their users will continue use their products every day! 

Microsoft can still be seen as a platform that everyone uses. 

Sataya believes that for Microsoft to be successful and be a major player in the 4th Industrial Revoluton - where collaboration will be king, the Microsoft community need to nail "the 2 book-ends of success":

1. To be crystal clear on what the purpose of Microsoft is, and
2. To have a great culture, that will inspire and enthuse its team to achieve more. What habits, behaviours and attitudes do we want to have to enable us to be the leaders in the 4th Industrial Revolution?
1. What is Microsoft's why? What is Microsoft's Mission?
After more than 25 years at Microsoft, Satya Nadella is CHRYSTAL CLEAR .... 

"Microsoft is about enabling and empowering every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more. We are about being a platform."

2. What is Microsofts Culture? What habits, behaviours and attitudes do we want
This is not so easy. Curating the Microsoft culture, whilst swallowing massive companies like LinkedIn and Nokia, with their own cultures, as well as having offices in every country on the planet. 

How do we cross the Culture divide?

A key factor is to have a base value of honesty, and a thought process of:

"learn it all vs know it all".

So two key drivers to nurture Microsoft's culture will be Education and Collaboration.

Satya Nadella does not see what technology or product that will be used as his key role..... 

says Satya:

"My role at Microsoft is to constantly evangelise and remind ourselves of our Mission, and curate our culture. This is more important than all the technology and strategy choices that one needs to make. I need to find the time and energy of thinking of these two book-ends of success." 


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