To know me is to know that I am passionate about my family. I have two absolutely amazing daughters and a brilliant husband. They are my first priority, my true north. That’s why I’m very excited to be contributing to this piece of work. When complete, it’s something that I’ll give to my daughters because I’m a big believer in the sharing of wisdom between generations and the power of mentoring.
I deliberately use the words “between generations” because it’s not all one way. A mentoring relationship is a two-way proposition and that’s a little at odds with conventional practice. Traditionally, it’s the older generation that’s seen as the great giver of wisdom and the younger generation that receives it. Not entirely true.
I have learnt as much from people who are younger than me as from people who are older than me. I learn new things from my daughters every day, and at work I speak with interns and graduates as much as with the senior leadership team.
I passionately believe that it’s vital to be open to all view points and that you treat every interaction with every person as an opportunity to learn and share wisdom.
Workplaces have so much to gain when they embrace the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ but to do that they need an inclusive culture. Let me frame it like this: have you ever been in a workplace where you felt you couldn’t be yourself? Where you couldn’t find or add your full voice to a meeting, an idea, a plan or a conversation?
Inclusiveness is about creating a culture where everyone can be themselves and where people can be their best. An inclusive culture enables diversity, and having a diverse workforce is great for business.
At Microsoft, we have over a billion customers in our Windows business alone and those customers come from a multitude of different cultures and backgrounds.
We’re a big believer that in order to serve our customers well, we need to mirror the market we serve. Perhaps the most obvious example is when you walk around Microsoft’s offices, whether that be in Australia or our headquarters in Seattle. I’m always delighted to hear lots of different accents and to be constantly bumping into people who hail from all corners of the planet. It’s that diversity that helps us to understand our customers’ needs and ensures that the products and services we bring to market satisfy and exceed those expectations. From this you can probably gather that I’m rather passionate about diversity and inclusion!
Being passionate is also really important to me. If you don’t have a fire in the belly, then find it. As I said, I’m passionate about my family. I’m also passionate about what can happen when you bring the power of people together with big ideas, and the explosive achievement that can come from that. My proudest career moments have always come from a team achievement. I also love Bill Gates’ story. To me, he exemplifies someone who constantly has big, bold dreams and an unrelenting passion to change the world. I love that sort of energy and also the lesson that it imparts – that it’s important to dream big, to have bold goals and to have the confidence and self-belief that you can do it. He did it and you can too.
While Bill Gates has obviously been incredibly successful, his journey and the story of Microsoft were not without some bumps. With big dreams there are also usually risks. Embracing risk is part of the innovation process as boundaries are pushed into the unknown. It’s exciting and scary at the same time. The reality is that sometimes it results in failure. As kids, we’re taught that failure is a bad thing but I don’t see it that way. If you never fail then you’ll probably never push far enough or get outside of your comfort zone. The great thing about having bold goals is that if you aim for the stars and land on the moon, that’s not a bad outcome!
Finally, don’t be held back by your hardwired inhibitions. Ultimately in life there are going to be challenges that you can’t control. The key is to focus on what you can control and spend less time on the things you can’t. It’s what’s called the sticky floor trap – the things that can hold you back but that are within your power to control and change. Don’t be a victim to the sticky floor.
On that note, a few parting words. I’m passionate about mentoring and helping all young people to reach their fullest potential. But I believe it’s a particular responsibility for women in positions of leadership to be role models for other females. Why? On a personal level, it’s for my daughters. Today, only 3% of ASX 200 CEO positions are held by women but by the time my kids are in the workforce I want them to have an equal chance at achieving their full potential. You should have that opportunity too! Be authentic to yourself, know your true north and have self-belief. I guarantee it will take you an enormously long way.
This is an edited extract of 500 Words of Wisdom by Sarah Liu, published by The Messenger Group. The book is on sale in Kikki-K and T2 stores nationally.