'Don't Wait For Your Next Job To Do Your Best Work': Microsoft CEO Shares His Best Career Advice

From starting as a young engineer at Microsoft in 1992, to becoming its CEO, Satya Nadella has come a long way in the last three decades.

After climbing up the corporate ladder for two decades, Nadella became the CEO of Microsoft in 2014. But did he expect or plan such a thing to happen? Seems not.

Becoming Microsoft CEO Was Not Even A Thought

Reuters

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella never expected to lead one of the world¡¯s largest, most powerful tech companies, i.e Microsoft. He was just excited to work there as soon as he stepped into its office.

¡°I remember distinctly walking into building 22 at Microsoft thinking that¡¯s the greatest job on Earth I [could] have and I don¡¯t need anything more,¡± Nadella, 55, told LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky in an interview last week, as per CNBC.

Becoming CEO was ¡°not even a thought¡± in his long-term career plan, CEO Nadella said. Instead of being forward-minded, Nadella says he was focused on excelling in the role he had at the time. One of the most important lessons he learned in his decades at Microsoft ¡ª and his ¡°best career advice¡± ¡ª is simple: ¡°Don¡¯t wait for your next job to do your best work.¡±

¡°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,¡± he explained. ¡°I felt the job I was doing there was the most important thing. I genuinely felt it.¡±

Instead of viewing your current job as an obstacle to achieving your career goals, Nadella recommends looking at it as an opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment to work, as well as your willingness to learn.

Throughout his tenure at Microsoft, Nadella had to constantly adapt depending on the teams he worked with and the divisions he managed, all while keeping pace with fast-changing technologies. He led the development of some of Microsoft¡¯s complex products, including Bing and Xbox Live.

¡°You cannot grow if you don¡¯t think your growth comes because of what you¡¯re doing,¡± he added, as per the report.

Also Read: From Sundar Pichai To Satya Nadella: How Big Tech CEOs Justified Layoffs

Nadella¡¯s Advice If You Are Feeling Stuck At Work

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If you¡¯re feeling stuck at work or struggling to find meaning in your job, Nadella has advice for that, too. During his 30s, a conversation with Doug Burgum, the current governor of North Dakota, made him think about his purpose at Microsoft, he said in a May 2018 interview.

Burgum pointed out the importance of thinking about a deeper meaning to work, one that¡¯s more than transactional, since we spend so much time at our jobs.

What's His Motivation To Work For Microsoft

It led Nadella to ask himself: ¡°Why am I at Microsoft? What is it that gives me the energy at Microsoft, day in and day after?¡±

That motivation came, he said, from ¡°curiosity, a love of ideas, and the ability to translate that into impact.¡±

Asking yourself those same questions about your job and company can help you evaluate if your job is aligned with your passions and the impact you want to have on the world.

Also Read: Big Regret? How Bill Gates' Microsoft Missed Out On $159 Billion By Selling Apple Stock Too Early

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