Satya Nadella becomes Microsoft's new CEO - will things change?

[40hz]

Food for thought as the new StarFleet captain arrives on the bridge

Lessons From Ballmer's Microsoft
As a new CEO takes charge, a look back at Ballmer’s era provides key tech management lessons.
February 4, 2014 - By Rob Enderle   


Now that Satya Nadella has been announced as Steve Ballmer’s replacement, many of us are focused on both retrospectives and outlooks based on Ballmer’s reign and Satya’s skillset.  But focus appears to be more on the events – not on the foundations for them, so the lessons tend to be lost in the rhetoric of blame, particularly for the failures.  

However, the causes for things like Zune and Windows Vista had little to do with Steve and a lot to do with the organizational structure of Microsoft, particularly the loss of key human assets like Bill Gates, Brad Chase, and Brad Silverberg.  They also had to do with an early decision by Steve Ballmer to stop being Microsoft’s cheerleader and instead become kind of a Stepford CEO.  

Let’s talk about the “why” behind Microsoft’s decade slide...

Read the full article here.

[wraith808]

How To Succeed In Business (Without Really Being Satya Nadella)

[40hz]

@Wraith - thx for that link! Also an excellent article.

[wraith808]

My favorite parts -
(1) he's nice.
(2) he requested advice from Bill in order to succeed.

I think the telling part is actually the second part, though I just like that someone can get to that lofty level, and still retain basic respect for others.  Ballmer always seemed to try to distance himself from Gates.  I always thought that was a losing proposition.  Nadella seems to realize this.

[40hz]

My favorite parts -
(1) he's nice.

-wraith808 (February 05, 2014, 02:50 PM)

+1!

I know from first hand experience that 'nice' is an approach that works.

Having worked for GE, I'm also glad somebody finally called bullshit on the "Forced Ranking" process mentioned in that first article. Rob Enderle got it spot on the sugar. It was yet another blunt-instrument "Neutron Jack" solution to a unique problem at GE. Unfortunately, it was adopted - and then became institutionalized - in far too many other places. With predictable results.
 

[wraith808]

Having worked for GE, I'm also glad somebody finally called bullshit on the "Forced Ranking" process mentioned in that first article. Rob Enderle got it spot on the sugar. It was yet another blunt-instrument "Neutron Jack" solution to a unique problem at GE. Unfortunately, it was adopted - and then became institutionalized - in far too many other places. With predictable results.

-40hz (February 05, 2014, 03:32 PM)

The place I'm currently working has it.  I was the victim of it in two review cycles.  Then I let my manager know that if I was ranked not according to my work, and I knew it one more time, I'd be gone.  It hasn't happened since.

[Shades]

For the last 6 months I have been working with Windows Server 2012 and until now my feelings are very positive. Some time ago there was repeatedly a Windows 8 laptop on my desk. The owner kept asking if I could configure access and install new items, because he couldn't work with it. My experiences with Windows 8 were definitely not positive...at all.

In another (Dutch) forum I was burned down because I stated that the people behind Windows Server understand the direction in which the Windows OS as a whole should be be going, while the consumer guys should not be allowed out of the asylum. Likely it was the last part that did the burning. 

Finally, my point is coming...apparently Satya Nadella was at the head of the Server division, so for me his ascension to the throne feels like good news and fills me with hope that Windows will change faster for the better. Not a fanboy here, my network is a mix of Windows and Linux. And it will take a pig, flying through hell with a snowball frozen to its snout, before I will be without my Linux servers. 

My network is a mixed environment of Windows and Linux.

[TaoPhoenix]

@Wraith - thx for that link! Also an excellent article.

-40hz (February 05, 2014, 02:00 PM)

Just to generate discussion, that's a terrible article.

I bet the *man* is great - just the article is terrible.

2. "Be Loyal". Great for him, useless for the 350,000 other loyal people laid off who didn't manage to nail CEO.

3. Master the Tech Details
Last I looked at it, Bill Gates was a crossover - early tech background, kinda got a bit out of his scope, and went into the Biz side. Then Steve Ballmer was apparently all marketing and made a lot of anti-tech decisions. And he kept the job "forever".

4. "Master the Business Details".
Except that as a marketer, Steve Ballmer didn't master the Business Details either. Way too many Runaway-Chicken directions occurred under his tenure.

5. Be a Golden Goose that Makes Money
_____ % of departments under Ballmer lost horrible amounts of money.

6. Be Nice.
Balmer is not nice.

Instead, Ballmer had some kind of quiet immunity that protected him for years, rather than being rated on his merits.

Meanwhile the rest of us who are nice get no such luck.

[wraith808]

Well, everyone can disagree.  As far as succeeding in business, many of those things are what I've already followed, and have been the reason for much success.