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‘I was an absent leader barking orders’: Satya Nadella on when he failed an employee as a manager
Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella opened up about his career regret during a conversation with Ali Partovi on the podcast Confessions.
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In a discussion on Confessions with Ali Partovi, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella looked back at his decades-long career, highlighting the crucial lessons that shaped his leadership style. While touching on his upbringing in Hyderabad and key strategic decisions at Microsoft, Nadella was most candid about his early management shortcomings.
When asked by Partovi about his professional regrets, Nadella reflected, “The biggest regrets I have are the times when I don’t have empathy and it’s hard.”
Also Read: Satya Nadella recalls when he was told ‘you need more empathy’ during Microsoft interview
He continued that there are times when, “You don’t understand, don’t listen, don’t see through other people’s eyes. You are judgemental.”
“You are not born with empathy. Life, through every day, gives you the ability to have more empathy for what is happening around you.”
During the conversation, he recalled an instance from when he was a manager. He said, “I remember it was my first job managing people… there was this lady… I could not get myself to recognise what she was struggling with.”
The CEO continued, “I remember she coming to me multiple times even and asking for help… I didn’t care… I didn’t listen… I just wanted the job done.”
Looking back on that moment now, Nadella said he was “stunned” by his ignorance and regretted not having done more to help her before she eventually left Microsoft.
“It has bugged me that what was my impact of not being there is a lead… helping her out when she was asking for help,” Nadella said. “I was mostly an absent leader who was just barking orders vs being the one who was even helping.” He expressed by saying that it taught him that leaders make mistakes, but they should have the courage to learn from them.
What else did they discuss?
The caption of Nadella’s video shared by Patrovi read, “Ali sits with Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella who reflects on growing up in Hyderabad, India with academically accomplished parents, his early obsession with cricket, and a lifelong focus on getting a little better each year. He describes standing up to bullies, being introduced to computing through a Sinclair ZX80, working at Sun, and joining Microsoft in 1992.”
During the conversation, Nadella recalled growing up in Hyderabad in the 70s and 80s, adding that his father pushed him towards the world of software.
The caption further stated, “Satya shares formative lessons about empathy, including an interview moment where he was told to hypothetically ‘pick up and hug’ a fallen child, and how his late son Zain’s cerebral palsy reshaped his perspective on leadership. He regrets early management failures, discusses missed strategic opportunities around search and keyword auctions in the search wars, and emphasizes courage, persistence, and taking risks while empowering others.”
The Microsoft CEO, in a candid conversation, talked about how various incidents in his professional and personal life reshaped his understanding of empathy.
