When Satya Nadella became the CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he took over one of the largest companies in the world. But despite Microsoft’s success, Nadella believed the company needed a different mindset to stay ahead for the long term.He believed that people should not assume that they know everything and instead, should be encouraged to be curious, ask questions and continue to learn.“We have to go from knowing everything to learning everything,” Nadella said in describing the culture he wants to create at Microsoft.“If you take two children to school, one of them has innate talent but is a know-it-all.” Learning-it-all is better than knowing-it-all,” Nadella said in 2019 on the Hello Monday podcast.A decade after becoming CEO, Nadella’s philosophy of learning remains one of the most closely associated philosophies of his leadership. It has led Microsoft’s transformation into one of the world’s most important companies and continues to shape the company’s approach to artificial intelligence.
Curiosity won’t kill the cat
For Nadella, being a know-it-all doesn’t mean knowing less. It’s about accepting that no one has all the answers, especially in an industry that changes as quickly as technology.The CEO of Microsoft has often said that curiosity helps people change, solve problems and find good ideas. Nadella thinks that workers who continue to learn can grow with technological change and will not be left behind.The philosophy is still there, especially with artificial intelligence changing the workplace and many people are being threatened by it. AI tools are changing the way people write, write, analyze data and make decisions. In such an environment, learning new skills may be more important than relying on skills alone.
A book that touched his mind
Nadella has credited psychologist Carol Dweck’s work on ‘growth mindset’ as an inspiration and a catalyst for leadership style. According to Dweck, talent is not fixed and can be developed through effort, learning and persistence. Dweck says that successful people in business, sports and the arts started out as average, but she believes they can learn and become better.This philosophy is also found in Nadella’s 2017 book Hit Refresh. In the book, he explains how embracing a growth mindset has helped transform Microsoft’s culture after years of internal competition within the company.He wrote, “The most important thing in our business should be the curiosity and the desire to meet the needs of the customer that are unknown and unrelated to the technology.”
A warning about success
Nadella has also warned that success can sometimes become a barrier if people stop learning when they reach a certain level.“Success can make people break the habits that made them successful,” he said, reminding experts that staying motivated is often more important than being relaxed.