Running head: LEADERSHIP STYLES OF BILL GATES 1

Leadership Styles of Bill Gates

Nhu Thi Huynh Duong

Bristol-Hutech University

LEADERSHIP STYLES OF BILL GATES 2

Broadly defined, a leader is someone who sets a direction for a company. This vision

needs to be created and then fiercely believed and upheld. The leader must inspire others to work

toward the vision. To do this well, a leader has to first be followed, trusted, and respected by their

subordinates.

Typically leaders have this vision because they also have a strong aspiration to make their

mark on things. They aren’t happy with the way things are and believe they can make a

substantial change. These characteristics may seem to make a person egotistical and arrogant but

a good leader is still able to admit to and learn from faults or mistakes.

What is Bill Gates’ leadership style?

Bill Gates was great at setting direction for the company. He had a vision of the world and

successfully moved Microsoft in that direction. That vision was “a computer on every desk and in

every home”. Gates started the first major software company at a time when personal computing

hardly existed – a radical change that has helped lead us into the Information Era. Gates believes,

“it will affect the world seismically, rocking us in the same way the discovery of the scientific

method, the invention of printing… did.”

This is the first mark of a transformational leader. He had a major commitment to a huge

goal and backed it with his own values and beliefs. In his book, Business the Bill Gates Way, Des

Dearlove writes, “Bill Gates is a modern business phenomenon: the greatest of the cyber-tycoons.

His is not simply a story of technical brilliance and enormous wealth; it is one of remarkable

business vision and an obsessive desire to win. It is also about a leadership style that is radically

different to anything the business world has seen before.” He not only wanted his company to

make an impact on the world, but he wanted to be “driving the bus” that did it.

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He did this with a combination of leadership styles. Gates is directive in terms of what he

wants and the strategy of the company. He has accepted that his major role is to be the visionary.

He likes confrontation in a sense that he wants things out in the open so they can be dealt with and

resolved. He had the ability to respond to market changes by quickly reinventing the company.

He is also, however, participative and consultative. He does seek advice from subordinates but

makes his own decisions. During his reign he considered the input of all employees and in most

cases even responded to their emails within 24 hours. Gates also participated in what Microsoft

calls “Think Week”. Think Week is where Gates is the sole reader of over 100 documents written

by employees pertaining to company issues and future technology. Decentralizing the process of

gathering information led to a stronger company and helped stay away from the bureaucracy that

Gates did not want.

This also helps him gain the trust of his employees. It shows them that Gates cares about

their opinions and wants their advice in running the business. Being a programmer himself also

enables him to interact with employees on a common ground. He isn’t just another MBA or

manager, he’s one of them. This makes him a border-line craftsmen in terms of leadership,

however he did a good job over the years in becoming interested and on top of other aspects of the

business. It was this ability to handle both the business and technical sides of the company that

made Microsoft so successful.

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF BILL GATES

Participative

Bill Gate’s leadership is participative style because he involves his subordinate in

decision making. He is a flexible person and he recognized his role was to be visionary of the

company. When ever needed he bring professional manager for managing and well structure of

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the organization. Gates is a strong and energizing person his enthusiasm, hard working

nature, judgment skills reflect his personality. His motivating power and involving his friends to

working with him became the success of Microsoft. Gates adopting the changes very fast that are

his enthusiasm vision and hard working give him the success. Gates always recognized him as a

visionary he always recognize professional management, he decentralize authority to make

organization structure better.

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References

Jeanne, M ( 2008). Bill Gates: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. Twenty First Century Books.

Janet ,L. (2001). Bill Gates Speaks: Insight from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur. Wiley.

Kestenbaum, D. (2008). "Before Microsoft, Gates Solved A Pancake Problem". National Public

Radio.

Gates, Bill. (2005). Remarks by Bill Gates(Speech). Waterloo, Ontario.