Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, was also a mentor to Nadella. Ballmer has spoken about how he helped Nadella understand the business side of Microsoft and taught him how to be a successful leader.
The best advice she got, Lee said, came from Marissa Mayer when Lee considering taking a job at Google. Mayer said her own favorite choices had come when she followed the more difficult road. “’Are you learning, are you growing, are you challenging yourself?’†Lee recalled Mayer asking. “I always define my career in terms of that.â€
Mentor