My first year at work: Latif Nathani, Managing Director, eBay
Latif
Nathani, Managing Director, eBay, says humility and discipline are
very important if one wants to be successful in his career.
The best leadership lesson I learnt
The best leadership lesson I learnt
There
was a Thai restaurant (Thai Kitchen) close to the office, which was
very popular amongst the MS crowd and I would visit the restaurant
often to carry food home. One day I ordered dinner for pickup.
Imagine my surprise when after taking my parcel I turn around and see
Bill Gates waiting for his order. The restaurateur had served me
before Gates, while he patiently waited for his turn. That experience
taught me the power of being humble and disciplined. I can visualise
that scene even after 23 years.
What I did in the first 100 days at work
My journey from Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai to Seattle via University of Arizona had already been exciting. I was hired as a software design engineer at a modest company called Microsoft that was trying to introduce Windows to a world ruled by UNIX/VAX/AS400. I was hired for the quick fix engineering team, but, ended up on the network protocols team. Due to rapid growth, I was reassigned my first day on the job. The personal computer was a new environment for me (coming from a mainframe setting) and typical of Microsoft's sink-or-swim attitude, I was given a Compaq 386/20e PC and a Microsoft LAN Manager manual, told to figure out the development environment and set up a LAN. It was a rough few days for a new graduate, but the excitement of being at Microsoft (and getting paid) was enough to sail through the first 100 days.
The worst mistake I made
The worst mistake I made was thinking short term in those incredible days. Those were defining years in the democratisation of technology. Applications like email and browser were leaving the academic environments and finding homes outside. It was difficult to foresee how people's lives could change.
How I managed my work-life balance
What I did in the first 100 days at work
My journey from Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai to Seattle via University of Arizona had already been exciting. I was hired as a software design engineer at a modest company called Microsoft that was trying to introduce Windows to a world ruled by UNIX/VAX/AS400. I was hired for the quick fix engineering team, but, ended up on the network protocols team. Due to rapid growth, I was reassigned my first day on the job. The personal computer was a new environment for me (coming from a mainframe setting) and typical of Microsoft's sink-or-swim attitude, I was given a Compaq 386/20e PC and a Microsoft LAN Manager manual, told to figure out the development environment and set up a LAN. It was a rough few days for a new graduate, but the excitement of being at Microsoft (and getting paid) was enough to sail through the first 100 days.
The worst mistake I made
The worst mistake I made was thinking short term in those incredible days. Those were defining years in the democratisation of technology. Applications like email and browser were leaving the academic environments and finding homes outside. It was difficult to foresee how people's lives could change.
How I managed my work-life balance
Movies
were and are my secret to maintaining a work-life balance. I like
Bollywood films. Besides the entertainment value, some of the films
have this power to whisk you away from reality into another
world.
How I had fun at work
Fun at work means trying to break things or ideas with the goal of constantly making them better. I used to enjoy bringing down the Microsoft network by creating/sending bad IP packets and creating a network storm. While this may sound wild, the intent was to find progressive solutions.
The best friend I made on the job
'Best Friends' were two other colleagues who started work around the same time I did. We were all new to Microsoft and Seattle. We spent a lot of time together and I still cherish that.
How I had fun at work
Fun at work means trying to break things or ideas with the goal of constantly making them better. I used to enjoy bringing down the Microsoft network by creating/sending bad IP packets and creating a network storm. While this may sound wild, the intent was to find progressive solutions.
The best friend I made on the job
'Best Friends' were two other colleagues who started work around the same time I did. We were all new to Microsoft and Seattle. We spent a lot of time together and I still cherish that.
ByPrachi
Verma, ET | 23 Dec, 2014
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