Philanthropy with a Purpose
Sabah Merchant
PURPOSE MINDSET: HOW MICROSOFT INSPIRES EMPLOYEES & ALUMNI TO CHANGE THE WORLD by Akhtar Badshah HarperCollins Leadership, 2020, 224 pp., ₹ 699.00
April 2023, volume 47, No 4

In an era of unprecedented social, economic, and political change, what can we learn from established personalities, both past and present, about finding a purpose, making societal changes big and small, and creating environments in which we inspire others to do the same? Microsoft alumnus Akhtar Badshah seeks to give us an answer in his book Purpose Mindset: How Microsoft Inspires Employees & Alumni to Change the World, by looking closely at the spirit of giving back to the community within Microsoft’s internal network, how its members can develop a ‘purpose mindset’ during their time at the company, leading many of them to make a difference in the world both as employees and as alumni.

Published in 2020, at the height of COVID-19, Purpose Mindset shines a spotlight on the history of employee giving at Microsoft, as well as individual members of the community who were inspired by this history and encouraged by Microsoft’s support system to leverage their skills, professional experience, and purpose mindset to fulfil a desire embedded deep within them through their own lived experiences and knowledge.

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