What do you think is the single most important thing in any organization?
I was reflecting this morning on the importance of people. You see, most CEOs tend to focus on the hard-edge side of the business… Strategy, Execution, Cash. Those are all good, but without the right people and the systems to support those people, nothing else matters. You see, in business, it’s the people that rise to the top of an organization. It is not the CEO or the leadership but the people who execute the strategy; it’s the people who carry out the mission on the ground with your customers every day… it’s the people.
It reminds me of an event last November that you all remember. The ousting of Open AI’s CEO Sam Altman. If you recall, the people at Open AI revolted and threatened to leave the organization if the board did not rehire Altman and fire themselves. Microsoft has a major stake in Open AI and has bet its future on the Open AI platform. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella understands the importance of people. In a single tweet, he changed the course of this event. In the tweet, he reiterated the importance of people. That tweet was the catalyst for reestablishing the leadership at Open AI.
Satya Nadella understands that it is the people. This was a masterful handling of a major controversy that, in the end, turned out positive.
Remember… Strategy is never more important than the people.