Satya Nadella’s “Hit Refresh”: A Must-Read for All Shapers, Innovators and Change Makers

At Davos, I had helped organize a Microsoft-Global Shaper roundtable discussion that concluded with Satya paraphrasing philosopher Wayne Dyner’s quote – “When you change the way you see the world, you change the world you see.” To me, it captures the spirit of his book “Hit Refresh”. 

“Hit Refresh” is a reflective memoir that paints a vivid picture of the transformational moments of Satya’s life and that of Microsoft’s. “Plus ?a change, plus c′est la même chose”, the popular French epigram means that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s why transformations are hard – personal, professional or organizational. 

“Hit Refresh” is a celebration of the journey, not the destination. It is not a victory lap or a summary of wisdom that effortlessly emerges in hindsight. It is not a concatenation of buzzwords or a platonic guide to success. It is a compendium of insights by a father, husband and lover of T-C-P (technology, cricket and poetry) who happens to be the CEO of Microsoft. In the book, he reveals his challenges, inspiration and vision for shaping the future of Microsoft and hopefully that of the world-at-large. The writing style is relatable, the examples are evocative and the structure of the book helps one remember the key points of each chapter.

I enjoyed reading and re-reading the book. I hope you do too. These are 10 reflections that might inspire you to “Hit Refresh” 

1.Connecting Personal Passion to Broader Purpose - Finding “Ikigai”: Ikigai is a Japanese concept that defines reason for being as the confluence of ‘who we are’, ‘what we are good at’, ‘what we can be paid for’ and ‘what the world needs’. In “Hit Refresh”, Satya gives concrete examples of finding, exploring and pursuing “Ikigai”. 

I once had a conversation with Satya about his leadership journey. Thankfully he had some time as the customer was running late. His answer was simple, practical and revealing. He said, “I have treated every job I have had as the most important job in the world and given it my all.” 

“Hit Refresh” presents a relatable leadership journey of impact, pain, failure, success, confusions, tough decisions. Thankfully, it is not a couched assertion of glory or a summary of all things perfect in the life of a CEO of a major multinational. 

Satya wasn’t academically that great and didn’t have a career development plan in high school or college. He occasionally took professional decisions based on gut, personal preference or love (yes, it happened. Read the book for details). P.S. All parents who worry about their children not following linear path to corporate bliss can take heart from the fact that the CEO of Microsoft also didn’t. 

Someone once said, “It is the back of the Resume that really counts.” In “Hit Refresh”, Satya feels comfortable being vulnerable thereby challenging the notion that leaders must always present a tough, brave face. 

2.Expanding Empathy Quotient: In the book, Satya mentions that empathy centers him today but the lack of it almost cost him the chance to Microsoft. The key realization for me was that empathy can be nurtured, cultivated and strengthened, just like intelligence, perseverance and stamina. “Hit Refresh” eloquently captures Satya’s journey of embracing empathy as a core component of his being. I found the influence of Zain (his son with special needs) on his thought process particularly moving. There is a sentence in the book that all of us must embrace – “Life’s experience has helped me build a growing sense of empathy for an ever-widening circle of people.” I reckon empathy transcends boundaries of personal and professional. No wonder, Satya shares that empathy, equity and trust are critical to the future of AI and the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

3.Contra-Disciplinary Learning Fosters Creativity – Cohabitation with Marx and Lakshmi: Satya’s father was a civil servant with Marxist leanings and his mother a Sanskrit scholar. In one of the most witty parts of the book, Satya describes how his mother hung a portrait of goddess Lakshmi (Indian deity of plentitude and contentment) in response to his father hanging a poster of Karl Marx in his room. This contra-disciplinary upbringing probably had an influence on Satya. Hit Refresh” has several powerful examples of how Microsoft (as an organization) and Satya (as a leader) combined diametrically opposite streams of thought to push boundaries of innovation. 

4.Pivotal Role of Mentors: In “Hit Refresh”, Satya emphasizes the pivotal role of his mentors at different junctures – his parents; his wife; Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer; Dr. Vairavan and Professor Hosseini; cricket (yes, a sport can be a mentor); Doug Burgum; his Senior Leadership Team that serve as peer mentors and thought partners. He goes on to describe the nature of these relationships along with ways in which he has grown with them. Reading these examples made me realize that the most effective mentor-mentee relationships are symbiotic in that they inspire reflection, spark creativity and democratize inspiration. 

 5.Chief Culture Officer: Satya says that C in CEO stands for Culture. In Chapter 2 of the book, he quotes John Donne to describe the state of corporate ghettoization – “No man is an island,” but he’d feel otherwise had he joined our meetings. Thereafter he lays out a 3-pronged strategy (customer obsession, diversity and inclusion, one Microsoft) for making “growth mindset” a part of company culture. I particularly liked the fact that he spelt out his challenges with having a fixed mindset at times. The point on diversity and inclusion resonated most with me. I believe that diversity of thought, origin, culture, conviction, orientation, affiliation, ability are catalysts of innovation. 

6.The Importance of Why: “He who has a ‘why’ to live for can bear almost any ‘how.’” Philosophers like Nietzsche and contemporary writers like Simon Sinek have continually emphasized the importance of exploring the ‘why’. “Hit Refresh” is the journey of Microsoft’s road to rediscovering its soul, its uniqueness and raison d’etre. There is no substitute for self-reflection and change by envy or competitive zeal is not sustainable. The book encapsulates nuances of how Microsoft came to define its mission, worldview, ambition and culture. The insights are relevant to both mature organizations and startups. 

7.Innovator’s Dilemma: I read several case studies of innovators dilemma in business school but only after being in Microsoft for some time, I realize the nuances of Satya’s seemingly counterintuitive strategy to shift focus from the major revenue driver STB (server and tools business) to the tiny cloud business. “Hit Refresh” does a deep-dive into the innovator’s dilemma and offers pertinent reflections on under-explored aspects of leadership. For example, it is critical to build shared context, trust and credibility but consensus isn’t always feasible.

8.“I was Wrong”: Satya committed an unintentional blunder at Grace Hopper, the largest gathering of women in technology. Responding to a question by Dr. Klawe on women feeling reluctant asking for a pay raise, he suggested that women should trust the system to give them the right raise with time. “Hit Refresh” includes details of Satya’s tête-à-tête with unconscious bias and steps he took to overcome it. In today’s world of loud, clamoring voices competing to be right, it is refreshing for the CEO of Microsoft to say, “I was wrong.”

9.Baggage Weighs Everyone: In the past, Microsoft and the technology industry-at-large has had an interesting relationship with competitors. Whether it is demoing Microsoft software on iPhone, embracing Linux or issuing a joint statement with the CEO of Google on ditching legal jugglery, Satya has pushed a change in attitude towards competitors. In the book, Satya mentions that it is a mistake to write off any relationship as a lost cause. In simple language of “Negotiation 101”, there are no permanent enemies. 

10.Values are Timeless: In this world of tectonic change, products and services may come and go but values are timeless. Trust, truth and tenacity transcend disruptions and revolutions. “Hit Refresh” underscores the importance of equity, inclusiveness and creativity as we embrace being human in the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

I will end by Rilke’s quote in the book – “The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.” I hope Satya’s book allows you to pause, reflect and “Hit Refresh”.