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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has two, among others, things in common with the Indians: First his ‘desi’ roots and, second, his love for cricket. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is currently underway in India, and Nadella has shared his views on the ‘gentleman’s game’.
While talking about his love for cricket, Nadella said that the game is more than a religion.“As an Indian and a South Asian, I think it’s more than a religion. For all of us, it’s what we grew up with,” he said in an interview.
Nadella also shared instances where he was inspired by his teammates and the captain in high school taught him life lessons that developed into leadership qualities. When asked, “What is it you have learned from cricket about leadership?” Nadella shared three separate instances.
‘Learn from competition’
Nadella revisited a moment where he was playing a league match in Hyderabad where he grew up. He admired the game of a player from Australia.
“And I distinctly remember my coach standing behind me and saying, ‘Hey, don’t just admire from a distance, go and compete!’” he recalled. Nadella said “that was a great way of saying: when you’re on the field, how do you go in there and give it your all. Learn from your competition, but don’t be in awe of your competitors.”
He remembered another incident where he discussed a player who was not happy with the decisions the captain took, so “he was dropping these catches on purpose just to make a point.”
“That really influenced me a lot: this one player brought the entire morale of the team down on purpose just because he was not happy about things. And I do think that, from time to time you get into situations in the workplace where you have one person who is not really bought in, and that’s something you really have to act on,” he said.
‘Confidence’ is the key
For Nadella, confidence is one of the key things for leadership. He remembered an instance where his captain took him off on his bad day, “got a breakthrough or a wicket” and called him back for the bowling attack.
Nadella went on to get a bunch of wickets in that match, and when he asked why the captain let him “play again even though I was having a bad day.”
The captain said that he needed Nadella “for the rest of the season, so I didn’t want to break your confidence.”
“So, in some sense, if you’re leading a team, you don’t just want that team for one time, you need them for the duration. When I look back, there are lots of incidents that have given me a bunch of lessons to take away,” he added.
While talking about his love for cricket, Nadella said that the game is more than a religion.“As an Indian and a South Asian, I think it’s more than a religion. For all of us, it’s what we grew up with,” he said in an interview.
Nadella also shared instances where he was inspired by his teammates and the captain in high school taught him life lessons that developed into leadership qualities. When asked, “What is it you have learned from cricket about leadership?” Nadella shared three separate instances.
‘Learn from competition’
Nadella revisited a moment where he was playing a league match in Hyderabad where he grew up. He admired the game of a player from Australia.
“And I distinctly remember my coach standing behind me and saying, ‘Hey, don’t just admire from a distance, go and compete!’” he recalled. Nadella said “that was a great way of saying: when you’re on the field, how do you go in there and give it your all. Learn from your competition, but don’t be in awe of your competitors.”
He remembered another incident where he discussed a player who was not happy with the decisions the captain took, so “he was dropping these catches on purpose just to make a point.”
“That really influenced me a lot: this one player brought the entire morale of the team down on purpose just because he was not happy about things. And I do think that, from time to time you get into situations in the workplace where you have one person who is not really bought in, and that’s something you really have to act on,” he said.
‘Confidence’ is the key
For Nadella, confidence is one of the key things for leadership. He remembered an instance where his captain took him off on his bad day, “got a breakthrough or a wicket” and called him back for the bowling attack.
Nadella went on to get a bunch of wickets in that match, and when he asked why the captain let him “play again even though I was having a bad day.”
The captain said that he needed Nadella “for the rest of the season, so I didn’t want to break your confidence.”
“So, in some sense, if you’re leading a team, you don’t just want that team for one time, you need them for the duration. When I look back, there are lots of incidents that have given me a bunch of lessons to take away,” he added.
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