As humans we long to be part of something larger than ourselves. To be part of a community, a school, a team, a family, a marriage, a project, a city, a country, a race, a religion, a movement. We each yearn to be part of something that is bigger and more important and hopefully more permanent than any of us as individuals ever could be.

This desire is deep-seated in every human. It is about mattering; when all is said and done, we want it to matter that we lived. And when we plug into something bigger than ourselves, when we help design it or build it or make it go, we’ve undeniably done something that matters. We’ve changed the world and people around us, hopefully for the better.

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I just finished reading “The Shadow of the Sun”, a book written by Polish journalist Ryszard Kapucinski and published in 1998. It’s a collection of essays about Kapucinski’s years living in and travelling Africa, from 1957 onwards. Erik Silmberg recommended it to me, along with another book “Imperium” by the same author.

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While working at Microsoft I wrote a few essays on work-related topics. These were all personal essays… no confidential work secrets, just my own rambling thoughts. People still ask me for copies of the essays from time to time, especially the one I’ve republished below, originally titled “What it takes to succeed at Microsoft”. I think it hit home for many people, and not just Microsofties. It’s cheesy, I admit. I hope you’ll agree it holds up pretty well over time.

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