Introduction
William Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the most famous leaders of our time. His contribution to the microcomputer revolution at the end of the 20th century cannot be underestimated. He was born in 1955, and since 1987 he has been on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest men in the world (Kim & Ji, 2021). He has served as chairman, CEO, leading software architect, and company president. Despite occasional criticism for business tactics that included monopolism and aggressive competition, Microsoft’s hold on the top microcomputer and software markets is very significant. Thus, given the rapid and steady growth of the organization under his watch, he is an excellent example of successful and effective leadership.
Strengths of the Leader
Contrary to Gates’ unconventional life path, his way of doing business today is considered a particular manifestation of his management style and thinking. He gave up education to focus on his creative vision and knowledge instead of mastering other people’s techniques and experiences. Some of the greatest strengths of his leadership style are his passion for his work and his cause, confidence in his vision and actions, energy, and loyalty to his associates (Fiorini et al., 2020). The main style of his leadership is transformational, adapting to others when necessary but having its own goal.
Thus, the fundamental concepts of transformational leadership resonate with Gates, affirming the ethics and power of intra-corporate management. Encouraging creativity in teams and subordinates, including an individualized approach to each professional, was the basis for beginning to unlock the talent of management (Fiorini et al., 2020). The advantage of individual perspectives over team perspectives in the presence of both became relatively one of a leader’s specifics (Bosley et al., 2021). The focus on motivation, which is based on the personal qualities of each employee and inspires his creativity, also became a positive feature of such a strategy.
However, one should not forget the possible negative qualities that can manifest under such an attitude. The first is the result orientation, as in many examples of transformational leadership (Howieson, 2019). The end does not always justify the means, and not the leader’s single opinion is primary and correct, which did not prevent Gates from focusing primarily on his own opinion. This fact can lead to arrogance by management or top specialists and tactics of avoiding conflicts instead of dealing with situations specifically (Moore, 2021). Nevertheless, even such nuances could not significantly damage the success of a man who is still a model for many modern leaders.
Modeling the Leadership for Others
Through an in-depth analysis of Gates’ leadership styles, it is possible to adopt the main criteria that can become success criteria for approving and ethical leadership. Among them, seven points can necessarily be highlighted: creativity, focus, the vision of the big picture, necessary education, passion for one’s cause, and caring for people (Kim & Ji, 2021). Creativity is a standard and obvious must for developers and managers in almost any field. Without a focus on the task, there is no field for creativity or understanding specific tasks. Seeing the big picture is more inherent to managers and other leaders, although it is not always mandatory for rank-and-file employees (Howieson, 2019). However, proper management and presentation of tasks with the help of this factor can increase motivation and improve the effectiveness of subordinates.
Education is understood as an exclusively necessary set of knowledge, which should not be vague or unspecialized in the understanding of the analyzed leader. A competent leader and his employees always understand and pursue what knowledge they need (Howieson, 2019). Without a passion for the occupation, work tasks, and general topic, successful functioning is barely possible. Hence, leadership must consider the interests of subordinates and allocate tasks to them accordingly. On the other hand, caring is a specific feature of this kind of ethical leadership and extends to employees and all humanity in the form of charity. It enhances the reputation of the leader and the company, the employees’ effectiveness and motivation, and the public’s attitude.
Reflection on the Leadership Modeling
Undoubtedly, building relationships with subordinates is one of the basic foundations for determining optimal behavior. In such a format, selecting employees interested in the tasks set and who skillfully correspond to these tasks is mandatory. Individual approach to everyone, and creativity motivation is mandatory, if possible, depending on the organization’s size. In the case of large companies, such tasks should be set by the head of the department leaders, and only the scale changes. Setting common goals helps outline the big picture, and the most remarkable effectiveness will manifest in ethical, mutually beneficial interactions with employees.
Leadership Modeling and Standards Setting
Setting standards for an organization does not always align with leaders’ leadership styles. However, Gates’ philanthropy and commitment to environmentalism confirm that this is possible. Accordingly, common standards can be formed depending on the qualities and desires of the managers, as well as the definition and establishment of ethical behavior (Moore, 2021). When the leader is in place, the established standards are met by the entire organization, and the leadership team also leads the establishment of new ones.
Most Important Leader Qualities and Conclusion
A leader has three essential qualities: knowledge and passion for the job, the ability to motivate subordinates to be creative, and general caring. In addition to the qualities mentioned above, caring motivates the personnel and potentially increases the success of all company actions, speed, and quality of task completion. Thus, the example of Bill Gates and his management strategies can be used today by those wishing to achieve success.
References
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Howieson, W. B. (2019). What is leadership? – an academic perspective. In Leadership (pp. 35–149). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Kim, S., & Ji, Y. (2021). Positive ripple effects of corporate leaders’ CSR donations amid COVID-19 on corporate and country reputations: Multi-level reputational benefits of CSR focusing on Bill Gates and Jack Ma. Public Relations Review, 47(4), 102073. Web.
Moore, D. A. (2021). Perfectly confident leadership. California Management Review, 63(3), 58–69. Web.