When Satya Nadella took over Microsoft as it’s new CEO in early 2014, he made it clear that he’d shake up the company’s culture to address the challenges of the coming modern era.
Nadella has pushed the “growth mindset,” as his key principle which lays emphasis on the belief of learning from others, and learning from your own mistakes, so as to move quickly and get on the right track of moving forward.
In an interview with Bloomberg’s Dina Bass, Nadella shared that it was the 2007 book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” by Carol Dweck Professor of Psychology, Stanford, that gave him the “intuition” to make “growth mindset” the philosophical core of the change he’s trying to create at Microsoft.
Nadella added:
“In the book there’s this very simple notion that Carol Dweck talks about, it is that if you take any two people, one of them will be a learn-it-all and the other one, a know-it-all, in the long run the learn-it-all will constantly trump the know-it-all, even if they start with less distinctive capability.”
The book goes profounder into that idea and presents how some people have a “fixed” mindset with a belief that their talent comes from inside and thus don’t need to work hard – while the others with “growth” mindset, and the belief that their ability can be enhanced by working hard.
“It’s not the people who start out the smartest, end up the smartest, always.” writes Dweck in “Mindset.”
Microsoft is trying to change how it thinks about output and efficiency. Nadella has been reevaluating some of Microsoft’s assumptions, including how it deliberates with theirrivals like the Linux operating system, as it tackles new challenges everyday.
As Nadella tells Bloomberg: “I need to be able to walk out of here this evening and question myself, ‘Where was I too closed-minded, or where did I not show the right kind of attitude of growth in my own mind?’ If I can get it right, then we’re well on our way to having the culture we aspire to.”
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also believes in Dweck’s theories, a way for anyone to learn anything. This is kind of funny as he was known for disagreeing with some ideas by saying “that’s the stupidest f—ing thing I’ve ever heard.” during his tenure as CEO.
After nine years on the stands, Nadella’s recommendation has pushed “Mindset” to bestseller status on Amazon.
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Author: Technology and Beyond
