Business Archives

At Microsoft, Diversity and Inclusion Equal Innovation

What difference do diversity and inclusion make for Microsoft? What could these values do for your company? Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella can be seen as a diversity success story: an Indian immigrant who was able to rise through the ranks of Microsoft to eventually become its CEO. In his book Hit Refresh, he discusses Microsoft’s diversity and inclusion efforts under his leadership and why he has these values. Read more to learn how diversity can help a company do new things.

Why a Growth Mindset in Business Is Essential to Innovation

Does your company have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? How can a growth mindset help you learn from your mistakes and make breakthroughs? By 2014, a fixed mindset had caused Microsoft to lag behind its competitors. When Satya Nadella became CEO that year, he began to cultivate a growth mindset. That change helped unleash Microsoft’s innovative energy and put the company back at the forefront of its industry. Read more to learn about the importance of a growth mindset in business.

How Satya Nadella Changed Microsoft’s Culture in 4 Steps

What was Microsoft’s corporate culture like when Satya Nadella became CEO? Specifically, what did he do to improve it? When Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he believed that the company had lost its soul and was no longer representative of its original core values. He adopted a four-tiered approach to rejuvenate that soul. Keep reading to learn how Satya Nadella changed Microsoft’s culture.

Showing Empathy to Customers, Competitors, & Partners

What role should empathy play in corporate leadership? Should you show empathy to competitors? Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella asserts that empathy is rooted in direct engagement and that it should be the cornerstone of all of a CEO’s relationships. Of course, this involves showing empathy to employees, but it also involves showing empathy to customers, competitors, and partners. Let’s explore how this empathy looks in the business world.

Business and Climate Change: Good (& Bad) Responses

How does climate change affect business? What are the dangers of extreme weather? How are businesses responding? Many businesses are committing to sustainability policies to help delay the climate change problem. These policies range from serious emission-reduction programs to headline-seeking PR stunts, but some are too little, too late. Read on to learn how business and climate change are connected, including how corporations are responding.

Why Can’t Businesses Find Workers, Even Now?

Is there a reason why businesses can’t find workers in 2022? What factors are contributing to the worker shortage? Many economists expected the labor shortage to end once unemployment benefits expired and schools reopened. Instead, it looks like the shortage is deepening. The shorter-term changes caused by Covid-19, like location mismatches and childcare issues, may still take years to resolve. Keep reading to find out the specific reasons why businesses can’t find workers these days.

The First Macintosh Computer: History & Creation

When was the first Macintosh computer created? How did the Mac revolutionize personal computers? In 1984, Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer. The biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson discusses the events leading up to its reveal and its impact on the computer industry. Let’s look at the history of the first Macintosh computer.

4 Ways to Adapt to Climate Change—Experts Explain

What are the best ways to adapt to climate change? Why do experts say we need to begin adapting now? Climate change-driven heat waves, flooding, and droughts are plaguing the globe. What’s worse, the extreme weather events are exceeding climate scientists’ projections—which suggests we’re unprepared for what’s to come. Keep reading to learn the four ways experts recommend we adapt to climate change now.

How to Create a Brand Identity in 2 Effortless Steps

How do you create a brand identity? What is the importance of a company’s brand? If you’re building a company from scratch, you’ll need to come up with a brand. Your brand will tell a story about how your company will solve problems differently than other companies. Let’s look at how to create a brand identity in three steps outlined in Play Bigger.

Product Positioning Strategy: 12 Steps to Positioning Any Product

What’s the best way to position a product in the market? What steps should you take, and in what order? In Obviously Awesome, April Dunford proposes a 12-step process that lets you position any product well. Her process takes you all the way from creating a cross-departmental positioning group to sharing your final positioning across the company. Let’s take a look at each step in Dunford’s product positioning strategy.