As chief people officer for Microsoft’s more than 220,000 global employees, Hogan has learned that fear of failing doesn’t have to be debilitating.
Hogan recalls one instance when she just started in her role as chief people officer and had to discuss a big problem with her boss, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. She started the discussion by apologizing that the firm needed to change direction, which prompted Nadella to ask her, “Do you think this new course is the right one?” When Hogan said yes, Nadella told her, “Great. Don’t apologize. You’ve learned and pivoted, so move on.”
“This allowed me to take a learning-first approach that was liberating to the team,” Hogan said. “Instead of shutting them down and driving self-preservation, their minds were unlocked, and they were inspired to innovate and find a better solution.”
“That experience reassured me that yes, we may fail, but if we learn from our failures, we’ve succeeded in moving closer to our goals and mastering challenges,” she noted.