Akhtar Badshah, PhD, author of Purpose Mindset: How Microsoft Inspires Employees and Alumni to Change the World, was Thomas Koll’s latest guest on the Laplink Connections interview series and their engaging discussion focused on purposeful living and giving.
Dr. Badshah, an internationally recognized development and philanthropy expert, was formerly the Senior Director of Microsoft Citizenship and Public Affairs where he led Microsoft’s philanthropy program from 2004 to 2014 and administered the company’s global community investment and employee programs. His inspirational book shares how purpose engenders the soul of a business and how a purpose mindset transformed Microsoft, one of the world’s leading tech giants.
During their discussion, Thomas and Dr. Badshah talked about how organizations that adopt a purpose mindset and empower their employees to make an impact, create a virtuous cycle of giving and volunteerism that benefits the business while also making the world a better place. Dr. Badshah said that he wrote Purpose Mindset to catalyze a movement to make the world a better place for all by putting purpose at the center of everything. “It is not about who we want to be but who you want to serve,” he said.
According to Dr. Badshah, “We all have the power within us to find our unique purpose. It is that light inside you that powers your direction when you turn it on. We can all move from the focus on the ‘me’ to the ‘we.’ In doing so, we extend the common good. Purpose is a source of renewable energy that empowers you and moves humanity forward.”
Thomas also asked Dr. Badshah to explain some of the purpose-driven work that he has been involved in to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020, Dr. Badshah co-founded Restart Partners, a nonprofit organization that is committed to providing policy and technical assistance to the State of Washington and other locations to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impacts on citizens, communities, and economies.
What an inspirational discussion!
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