My 1:1 meeting with Satya Nadella

Growing up, the thought of meeting with the headmaster of your school 1:1 was an overwhelming thought because, you could not help but think "what did I do wrong?" even if the meeting was for something good.

Well, this summer (July 26th, 2018), I experienced that overwhelming feeling and it was not a question of what I did wrong, but, of everything I did right up until this point. I spent time trying to figure out why the CEO of the company that I was interning at this summer, Microsoft, would “love to meet” me, as the email said. I was thrilled because I wanted to meet him as well, of course.

At first, I could not comprehend it. Why did I think this way? because, I was an intern, 1 out of ~ 2,500 Microsoft interns in the Puget Sound area. Yet he was meeting with just me. Up until the point he walked through the door, I was in disbelief that I would actually meet him.

He reached out his hand and I stretched out mine and said “Hi, my name is Akosua.” His response? “I know, I follow you on LinkedIn and I see your posts.” 

I was baffled, no really I WAS SO SHOOK! I got internally excited, like anyone else would. Although, I had planned to introduce myself first then let the conversation flow, but, he already knew my name, I was thrown off and wondering, "what do I say now?"...

This man is known globally, yet he paid attention to me. A girl born in a country, Botswana, that is not known by many people. She was rejected by many companies, just as many people go through. The same girl, who even though she was made to feel inferior, knew that "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent" - so she stopped giving people that consent. She decided to live more authentically than ever before. Live happy and pure. Stress less in order to smile from deep within once again. The girl that lets the BOLD fire within her burn relentlessly. That girl is ME. And I could not have been more excited to ask questions that I had been thinking - this was my chance.

Talking to Satya Nadella, CEO, was incredible. We connected over the fact that we both grew up outside of the United States of America and the fact that Microsoft impacted both our intellectual and technical growth while we were growing up.

The fact that I was talking to the CEO became a small fact in that moment. I was talking to, learning from and listening to Satya Nadella. This man’s humility fills a room like no other. He looks into your eyes when he is talking to you and gives you his full attention - he listens! 

My takeaways from our meeting:

Be humble - not one person is lesser than you, you can learn something from each person you encounter.

Learn - learning is imperative to growth. We are always learning and growing.

Share your story - you never know how your story may impact the next person. You may think it’s just a small thing to you. But to someone, that story can be a ray of much needed hope.

I learnt so much from meeting Mr. Nadella. I am sharing because I think the fact that he exudes so much humility and brings his whole self, mind and heart into a room, is incredible - something we should all try to mimic. 

No title matters if you aren’t present when talking to someone. 

So, to Mr. Nadella, thank you - thank you for leading by example. And for being wholesome whether on stage, or in a one on one with me. 

And to all of you reading this, go in search of people! Not their titles, but, their being. Understand their story and why they think the way they do.

PS: to those who have been constantly asking “why you?”, “who are your parents?”, “What scholarship/fellowship did you apply for to get this meeting?” I am not a scholarship/fellowship winner. My parents are not famous. This was just a blessing. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you too. Just be yourself and never give up on the things you would like to achieve! ??