Something big is happening in the world of business. CEOs say their jobs have become less about giving orders, more about setting a north star. They are leading the charge on hot-button issues like climate change and diversity and inclusion, and in the process they are fundamentally redefining the relationship between business and society.
We probe the best of these leaders for insight on our new weekly podcast Leadership Next, hosted by Fortune president and CEO Alan Murray. Leadership Next delves into the evolving role of today’s CEO and what that means for the future of business by asking these industry stars what they’re doing, why they are doing it, and what impact it is having. New episodes are released each Tuesday.
In the first episode, Murray sits down with Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, the most admired CEO among his peers who represent a new way of thinking. They take seriously their corporations’ profitability and their social purpose.
Nadella leads by example, proven by Microsoft’s commitment to sustainability and recent announcement of a $1 billion climate innovation fund. His actions match his beliefs about the responsibility of technology—and the company he leads—to society at large.
At the 10-minute mark he considers: “If the Fourth Industrial Revolution is going to make a real difference, the most malleable resource humankind has ever found—software—does play a role. The question is, How have software and digital technology changed the frontier of productivity? And that generates returns across all sectors.”
Fortune digital editor Andrew Nusca, who last month profiled Nadella for the magazine, provides additional context on how the respected Microsoft CEO’s personal life has impacted his passion to use enterprise for social good. And Murray interviews Colin Mayer, former dean of the Saïd Business School in Oxford, for insights from his book Prosperity: Better Business Makes the Greater Good.