“Don't wait for your next job to do your best work.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shares how he paved his path

The Path is a video series where I chat with some of the most influential leaders in the world exploring the successes, missteps, and key pivotal moments that shaped their professional paths. It’s through these authentic stories that we can learn how to navigate our own career journeys.

My next guest is CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella , who also happens to be my boss.

In 2014, after serving as Executive Vice President of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group, Satya became the third CEO in the company’s history. I know Satya as someone who leads with empathy, prioritizes company culture, and is a mentor to many. But I wanted to take a step back to learn more about how he came to be the world renowned leader he is today.?

There’s always room to grow

Growing up in India, Satya’s parents allowed him the space to be able to discover his passions. He credits them for that opportunity, as well as the confidence he gained from that kind of independence.?

In those early years, Satya was mostly focused on playing cricket, but he remembers the first time he started using a computer. It didn’t take long for his passion for computing to develop. He told me, "the malleability of software was the thing that got me hooked."

In college, Satya studied electrical engineering and went on to get a Master’s degree in computer science. He then entered the tech world with an engineering job at Sun Microsystems, one of the most innovative companies in the computer industry at the time. As a young engineer, he applied his sense of curiosity to the tasks at hand and began to develop the skills that would shoulder him along his career path. But it was his next job at Microsoft where his inquisitive spirit and passion for innovation really accelerated his achievements. He said, “I remember distinctly walking into building 22 at Microsoft in 1992 thinking that's the greatest job on earth I have and I don't need anything more.”

Growth comes from what you’re doing now

Satya joined Microsoft in 1992. His timing was ideal. It was the dawn of personal computing and he was thrilled to be a part of it. He explained the feeling of empowerment that came from using a computer for the first time and his desire to make that available for others. He said, “I individually felt that I wanted to make sure that everyone else can feel because of computing, that freedom you get to express yourself.” That devotion propelled him forward, working on one innovation after another, from Windows NT and Bing to Microsoft Office and Xbox Live.

On each project, at every level, Satya was focused on the moment and the task at hand. He said, “There was never a time where I thought the job I was doing, all through my 30 years of Microsoft, that somehow I was doing that as a way to some other job. I felt the job I was doing there was the most important thing. I genuinely felt it.” It was that enthusiasm and commitment, and a willingness to take on more responsibilities to expand his role, that ultimately helped him move up through the company.

Leadership is a privilege

When Satya first stepped foot in the Microsoft offices, becoming CEO wasn’t even on his radar. His path throughout the company wasn’t linear, but in each role in various parts of the company, he was learning. That prepared him to be where he is today. He told me, “It's not like the day before I was CEO somebody said, ‘You're gonna be CEO.’ At some point things happen. You are the CEO and the question is, have you prepared all your life to be there?”

Since taking on the role of CEO, he’s transformed the company culture and redefined its mission to empower others to achieve more through digital technology. For him, leadership is a privilege that he strives to earn every day. He said great leaders create energy, bring clarity to ambiguous situations, and can work with what’s in front of them despite any constraints. “Leaders also don't wait for the perfect pitch,“ he said, “or the perfect weather to perform, you gotta take the hand you've been dealt and with all the constraints.”

He’s also established a growth mindset. His curiosity helped him learn how to develop well rounded skills, lead with empathy, and learn how to adapt to changing market conditions – all of which have helped position Microsoft for long-term success.

My key takeaways...

I’m lucky enough to see Satya’s enthusiasm, wisdom and leadership in action on a regular basis, but the opportunity to have this kind of conversation with him is very special and inspiring. Here are some of the key points I'm taking away from our conversation...

• Do your best work now. Reframe your job to be the most important thing you could be doing at any given time and get satisfaction out of it. Satya said, “You cannot grow if you don't think your growth comes because of what you're doing.”
• Curiosity plus ambition is a recipe for success. Let curiosity take the lead as you make decisions and move forward.
• Leadership requires clarity, energy and knowing how to unconstrain your team. Satya offers this advice on becoming a leader: learn how to provide clarity amidst confusion and uncertainty, create energy in broad swaths, and unconstrain yourself and your team.

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