Leadership Lessons Only Bill Gates Can Teach
Leadership is a skill set every entrepreneur must possess. Without it. businesses fail, enterprises crumble and dreams die from wrong decisions. We all have mentors we look up to and there are lessons we have learnt from their lives ( business wise and otherwise) . Majority of entrepreneurs see Bill Gates as a role model ( the ultimate role model) as a matter of fact, we have role models who have him as their role model in other words , he's your role model's role model ( pun intended) . If we are to learn about leadership, we might as well learn from the very best. The man himself.
#1 READ!
Sound decisions are made based on acquired knowledge and sound decisions make successful people. We can all agree that on whatever scale we choose to measure success, Bill Gates would still come out successful. His success is as a result of decisions he has made over time with wisdom acquired from reading.
There is an entire section of his blog dedicated to books he has read and reviewed. The list of books he has read are diverse and it goes to show that a successful leader needs to see life from more than one dimension, from different perspectives.
#2 Grow With The Flow
There is a quote I constantly live by "unsatisfied with being great, because I know I can be greater", Bill Gates is the living, breathing version of that quote. As he pointed out clearly, " It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." he has also said in times past, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning".
Even when Microsoft was leading the market and constantly brought in multi billion dollar revenue (they still do) the Microsoft team never got complacent at any point. It takes a leader to achieve this.
Dynamism is a trait every leader should possess, you lose if you stay static. Bill Gates understood and applied this principle and that is why we have a Microsoft brand that is always reinventing itself to stay relevant because market desires change everytime.
He has been quoted as saying "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction".
#3 Search For The Right Deals.
When Microsoft was still something of a start-up, it made a move that significantly altered the face of computing and the future of personal computers. Microsoft bought an operating system for $75000 from Seattle Computer Products that would become MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). Microsoft developed the operating system for IBM to install in its first PC, which would go on to dominate the market .
In an interview that same year, Bill Gates predicted the future that he foresaw as a result of the IBM deal. He said, "We'll be able to put on somebody's desk, for an incredibly low cost, a processor with far more capability than you could ever take advantage of… You'll be able to sit at your desk and do whatever it is you want to do with information or presenting data or interchanging data incredibly effectively. In other words, we will have changed the way people work." Where are we now?
#4 No Man Is An Island, You Can't Do It Alone
In 2007 at the D5 conferences, Bill Gates talked about the collective aim he and Paul Allen had of putting a computer on every desk in every home. In the same interview, he said his biggest and most rewarding challenge was putting the right team together. He said “I made more of my mistakes in that area maybe than anywhere, but, you know, eventually getting some of those teams to work very well together…I think it’s a lot about the people and the passion."
#5 Give Back
A true leader know that a life lived for self is not one worth living. Selflessness should be your watch word as a leader. Learn to help others by guiding them in the right direction, imparting knowledge, and experience, or even providing the necessary resources that will improve the lives or careers of others, that's when you'll be truly happy and fulfilled.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated billions of dollars to causes all over the world, making significant differences in the lives of children and adults. This level of giving back illustrates Gates’ character and focus on social responsibility as a global corporate citizen. It also shows that his pursuit of solutions and making life better went beyond just making a profit. Instead, it was about driving significant change in the world that would make a difference for those who need it the most. His legend status has now become more about what he has accomplished on a social level than business. As Gates noted, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
#6 Have FUN!!!
Bill Gates has been known to do house chores (dishes) and play bridges. He also played secret Santa for reddit's Christmas miracle in 2013.
For Bill Gates, his leadership style is often described as transformational and serves as a model for many of today’s entrepreneurs who are just as determined, focused and passionate about what they are doing. Gates provides an excellent model of how transformational qualities can help create a successful leader, but he also proves that the individual human spirit that all makes us unique and the influence of parents and mentors also play a critical role in creating the legends.
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| Source: thetab.com |
#1 READ!
Sound decisions are made based on acquired knowledge and sound decisions make successful people. We can all agree that on whatever scale we choose to measure success, Bill Gates would still come out successful. His success is as a result of decisions he has made over time with wisdom acquired from reading.
There is an entire section of his blog dedicated to books he has read and reviewed. The list of books he has read are diverse and it goes to show that a successful leader needs to see life from more than one dimension, from different perspectives.
#2 Grow With The Flow
There is a quote I constantly live by "unsatisfied with being great, because I know I can be greater", Bill Gates is the living, breathing version of that quote. As he pointed out clearly, " It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." he has also said in times past, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning".
Even when Microsoft was leading the market and constantly brought in multi billion dollar revenue (they still do) the Microsoft team never got complacent at any point. It takes a leader to achieve this.
Dynamism is a trait every leader should possess, you lose if you stay static. Bill Gates understood and applied this principle and that is why we have a Microsoft brand that is always reinventing itself to stay relevant because market desires change everytime.
He has been quoted as saying "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction".
#3 Search For The Right Deals.
When Microsoft was still something of a start-up, it made a move that significantly altered the face of computing and the future of personal computers. Microsoft bought an operating system for $75000 from Seattle Computer Products that would become MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). Microsoft developed the operating system for IBM to install in its first PC, which would go on to dominate the market .
In an interview that same year, Bill Gates predicted the future that he foresaw as a result of the IBM deal. He said, "We'll be able to put on somebody's desk, for an incredibly low cost, a processor with far more capability than you could ever take advantage of… You'll be able to sit at your desk and do whatever it is you want to do with information or presenting data or interchanging data incredibly effectively. In other words, we will have changed the way people work." Where are we now?
#4 No Man Is An Island, You Can't Do It Alone
In 2007 at the D5 conferences, Bill Gates talked about the collective aim he and Paul Allen had of putting a computer on every desk in every home. In the same interview, he said his biggest and most rewarding challenge was putting the right team together. He said “I made more of my mistakes in that area maybe than anywhere, but, you know, eventually getting some of those teams to work very well together…I think it’s a lot about the people and the passion."
#5 Give Back
A true leader know that a life lived for self is not one worth living. Selflessness should be your watch word as a leader. Learn to help others by guiding them in the right direction, imparting knowledge, and experience, or even providing the necessary resources that will improve the lives or careers of others, that's when you'll be truly happy and fulfilled.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated billions of dollars to causes all over the world, making significant differences in the lives of children and adults. This level of giving back illustrates Gates’ character and focus on social responsibility as a global corporate citizen. It also shows that his pursuit of solutions and making life better went beyond just making a profit. Instead, it was about driving significant change in the world that would make a difference for those who need it the most. His legend status has now become more about what he has accomplished on a social level than business. As Gates noted, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
#6 Have FUN!!!
Bill Gates has been known to do house chores (dishes) and play bridges. He also played secret Santa for reddit's Christmas miracle in 2013.
For Bill Gates, his leadership style is often described as transformational and serves as a model for many of today’s entrepreneurs who are just as determined, focused and passionate about what they are doing. Gates provides an excellent model of how transformational qualities can help create a successful leader, but he also proves that the individual human spirit that all makes us unique and the influence of parents and mentors also play a critical role in creating the legends.
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