Leadership Possessing the Dual Aspects of Change and Constancy

Satya Nadella hails from India. Notably, not only the CEO of Microsoft but also Sundar Pichai of Google, Arvind Krishna of IBM, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, and Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology are of Indian origin, leading global IT corporations. This highlights the leadership qualities necessary to navigate the rapid changes and uncertainties of the 21st century.

Those who have overcome the whirlwinds of change amidst the poverty and uncertain environment in India have been able to develop resilience and adaptability. On the other hand, individuals from India’s elite class have been raised with teachings about the immutable values of human nature and the universe’s order from Hindu classics like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. It is believed that these elites, possessing both capacities, have made significant strides in the United States, even reaching the vice-presidential level.

The 21st century, despite the conveniences brought by advanced science and technology, is marked by relentless competition and ideological clashes, creating a world full of anxiety and uncertainty. There’s even fear that AI might surpass human capabilities, leading to a future where humans are dependent on it.

In such times, the role of a leader in any organization becomes increasingly crucial to ensure steady growth and continuous performance. Leaders must possess two opposing capabilities: insight into unchanging essential values and the flexibility to read and lead through changes. The achievements of CEO Nadella, who under the banner of “Cloud First,” focused all of Microsoft’s efforts to reclaim the world’s top market share and boldly invested $13 billion in OpenAI since 2019 to develop ChatGPT, securing a strategic partnership that allowed Microsoft to integrate AI capabilities into its key products and services, achieving a competitive edge, were made possible by these two capabilities.