Akhtar Badshah

Learn the innovative strategies Microsoft pioneered that created a virtuous cycle of giving and volunteerism that has benefited the company and fulfilled its employees while making the world a better place.

Early on in the Microsoft story, Bill Gates and other key executives met to decide how they would incentivize employees to make a charitable impact. The status quo was to offer a small percentage of your paycheck as a pretax deduction to a charity selected by your company. Microsoft decided to so something revolutionary instead.

The Purpose Mindset tells the inside story behind how Microsoft built its culture of giving, including powerful stories from Microsoft alumni who were in the room when these decisions were made or who went on to make powerful change in the world, emboldened by their time at Microsoft.

Throughout these pages, alumni such as author Akhtar Badshah, the head of Microsoft’s Philanthropy program from 2004-2014, take you through the first-of-its-kind decisions that have empowered and incentivized employees:

 • Hear the first-hand accounts from interviews with Microsoft executives such as Jeff and Tricia Raikes, Patrick Awuah, Paul Maritz, and many others.
 • Learn how Microsoft’s early decision to encourage employees to support causes personal to them was a key impetus to multiplying the impact.
 • Get insider accounts on the key decisions Microsoft has made along its journey to make individual philanthropy a core element of their culture.
 • See how its culture of giving is one of the key elements to Microsoft’s success in attracting and retaining top talent.

The Purpose Mindset examines how this culture of giving that has been successful at Microsoft regarding job satisfaction, recruiting, and employee retention can be duplicated in your own work life, whether you are a business leader or you are seeking employment at a company that contributes to something greater than themselves.