Find what you have a passion for and find a company that represents that, says Raikes. Life is too short to focus on money. Interviewers look for three things: high energy, high horse power, and the ability to get things done. It is nice to have relevant experience, but it is more important to be really passionate and willing to learn quickly, he adds.

1. Be Open to Opportunity
2. Overview of Microsoft Today
3. Challenges in Structure Transformation: Microsoft Business Divisions
4. The Principle of Agility
5. The Importance of Vision
6. Innovation in Business Models
7. The Value of Broad-Based Leadership and Experience
8. Small/Medium Businesses and the Internet
9. The Principle of Persistence
10. Choosing the Path That is Right for You
11. Can a Company Be Successful at Both Software and Hardware?

Jeff Raikes lectures on Entrepreneurship for Stanford University students, May 5, 2004. As group vice president of Productivity and Business Services (PBS) at Microsoft Corp., Jeff Raikes is responsible for Microsoft's Information Worker Business Group (IWBG). He also oversees products and sales for small and midmarket customers and partners, and the company's licensing programs for organizations. In addition, Raikes manages the Business Solutions Group and the Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners group. In this Stanford lecture, he talks about product innovation in software, choosing the path that is right for you and the principle of agility.

Related Links: www.microsoft.com
Last Updated: Mon, Jun 5, 2006

Course Details:
- Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Speaker Series
- Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner (ecorner)

Original Course Name: Entrepreneurial Thought Leader Speaker Series.