What's the role of today's CEO -- besides running their own company? Barely a week goes by without a CEO taking a stand on the controversial issue de jour; the latest being the row over American football players protesting by kneeling during the national anthem, and President Trump calling them "sons of bitches" who should be fired. Satya Nadella has been the CEO of Microsoft for three years. When he got the job, he was surprised at the range of non-tech issues he had to have official opinions about. "No CEO can just say I'm somehow not impacted by what's happening in society," Nadella told me. Nadella and others at Microsoft have been very critical about the Trump administration's travel ban against Muslim countries, the transgender bathroom battle, and the change in immigration rules that will hurt "Dreamers." All of this fits into Nadella's belief that true leaders must celebrate "diversity and inclusion." Nadella outlines this in his new book "Hit Refresh." When I pushed him to talk about how that plays out in practice, Nadella told me CEOs "need to have a set of principles" that could help protect existing values. Of course, knowing when not to get involved is just as tricky. Nadella is well aware that he and other business leaders aren't elected officials. "We're CEOs of companies. For us to act as if we're in the political arena would also be a mistake," he said. Still, it is refreshing to meet a CEO that has thought through these issues, is prepared to take a stand and has the road map (or moral compass) to guide him. No wonder Microsoft is doing so well. It has a leader that knows what he is doing, where he is going and, crucially, why. -Richard.Quest@cnn.com |
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