2 Lessons New MSFT CEO Nadella Learned From Ex-CEO Ballmer
by Business Insider | February 21, 2014 9:00 am
Success versus failure. It’s a topic that’s clearly weighing heavily on the mind of Microsoft’s (MSFT[1]) new CEO Satya Nadella.
Microsoft’s previous CEO, Steve Ballmer, led the company into unprecedented revenues and profits[2]. But that wasn’t enough. He also made a number of missteps[3] 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.[4]
In an interview with the New York Times Adam Bryant[5], 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.”
See Also:
- In A Huge Shift, Microsoft Might Release Office For iPad Before It’s Out For Windows 8[6]
- 7 Photos That Show New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s Fantastic Sense Of Style[7]
- Microsoft PR Chief Shreds New NY Times Columnist Over His Advice Column[8]
- MSFT: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=MSFT
- unprecedented revenues and profits: http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-earnings-2014-1?utm_source=investorplace&utm_medium=referral
- made a number of missteps: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-ballmers-most-epic-mistakes-as-ceo-of-microsoft-2013-8?utm_source=investorplace&utm_medium=referral
- its position in mobile.: http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphones-versus-pcs-2013-8?utm_source=investorplace&utm_medium=referral
- with the New York Times Adam Bryant: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/business/satya-nadella-chief-of-microsoft-on-his-new-role.html
- In A Huge Shift, Microsoft Might Release Office For iPad Before It’s Out For Windows 8: http://www.businessinsider.com/office-for-ipad-sooner-than-you-think-2014-2?utm_source=investorplace&utm_medium=referral
- 7 Photos That Show New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s Fantastic Sense Of Style: http://www.businessinsider.com/satya-nadella-is-very-stylish-2014-2?utm_source=investorplace&utm_medium=referral
- Microsoft PR Chief Shreds New NY Times Columnist Over His Advice Column: http://www.businessinsider.com/frank-shaw-disagrees-with-farhad-manjoo-2014-2?utm_source=investorplace&utm_medium=referral
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/02/msft-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-stever-ballmer/