GENERAL SIR JOHN KOTELAWALA DEFENCE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF DEFENCE AND
STRATEGIC STUDIES
LEADERSHIP PRESENTATION
LEADERSHIP PRESENTATION
6273 FOC CAT SAMBA
SUBJECT : BILL GATES
CONTENT
1. Introduction
2. Chronologie
3. Aim
4. Early life
5. Leadership qualities
6. Lesson learnt
7. Conclusion
8. Reference
INTRODUCTION
One of the most wonderful leaders of all time is Microsoft co-founder
William Henry Gates III. He was born in Seattle, Washington, on October
28, 1955. His father was a lawyer, and he wished for him to follow in his
footsteps.
He went to Lakeside School, where he met Paul Allen, Microsoft's cofounder. They developed an interest in computers while in school, when
they had access to a Teletype Model 30 computer. He used to skip math
lessons in order to work on his programming skills. He was accepted to
Harvard College after getting 1590 on the SATs out of 1600. The Altair
8800 which is one of the first laptop was launched in 1974 by MITS,
which made it easier for him to create software.
He
was unable to complete his education at Harvard because he pursued his
passion.
Bill Gates defied all expectations of a great leader, rising from a college
dropout to a millionaire at the age of 31.
Bill Gates, on the other hand, went to Harvard and got his degree after a
few decades. He has been working relentlessly towards his goal and love
for programming since the beginning. He dreamed of having a computer
in every home. He made certain that his programming prowess was put to
good use. He has a long-term vision that he intends to realize in a stepby-step manner.
His methods of leadership are
always changing. His enthusiasm for programming drives his vision. He
demonstrates a variety of leadership styles. He is a transformative leader
in the sense that he promotes and supports his subordinates' new ideas.
He ensures that his staff are sufficiently motivated and that they work in a
pleasant atmosphere. He loves to retain control of what is going on in his
organization as an authoritative leader, and he is constantly seen
challenging the software built by Microsoft employees.
Like a great leader, he took chances based on his knowledge and
competence in his industry His capacity to make rapid decisions has
aided him in seizing the chances that have presented themselves in his
area.
Bill Gates, on the other hand, had to deal with a slew of legal issues.
Apple once filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Microsoft. In
1993, Microsoft won the case.
He is one of the most powerful leaders who has ever lived. He has
frequently contributed large sums of money to charitable causes. The Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation has been striving to improve the lives of
children and adults. He is a kind man who believes in sharing the fruits of
his good fortune with others who are less fortunate. «It’s wonderful to
celebrate victory, but it's more vital to learn from failure,» he once stated.
This simply depicts his exemplary will of getting better each day, taking
lessons from his previous miscarry. The heart of his billion dollar empire
is its customers .He said,” Your most unhappy customers are your
greatest source of learning.” He used to believe in the power of feedback,
and input from his employees. Bill Gates has been able to create a name
for himself through his sheer hard-work and his great leadership
skills .He is not only a successful entrepreneur, but also a philanthropist
who uses his passion towards the greater good of the society.
2. CHRONOLOGIE
1955 : William Henry Gates III is born in 1955 to William Henry Gates
II, an attorney, and Mary Gates, a schoolteacher, University of
Washington regent, and United Way International chairwoman. He was
born and raised in Seattle.
1973: Gates enrolls at Harvard as a pre-law student, but quickly changes
his mind. He breezes through the university's most demanding
mathematics and graduate-level computer science classes.
1975: Gates dials MITS, the company that created the world's first
personal computer, from his dorm room. He says he can write software
for the MITS Altair. MITS ultimately accepts his language and pays
$3,000 plus royalties for it. Gates takes his first leave of absence from
school to begin working on his Micro-Soft software enterprise.
1976: The trademark "Microsoft" is registered by Gates and Allen in
1976. Gates issues an open letter to computer enthusiasts, chastising them
for distributing software instead of paying for it. "Open Letter" by Bill
Gates.
1977: Bill Gates leaves Harvard for the second time and establishes
Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where MITS is based.
1978: Year-end revenues for Microsoft reach $1 million in 1978. Gates
develops a reputation as a harsh yet focused individual.
1979: Microsoft moves its headquarters to Bellevue, Wash., a suburb of
Gates' hometown of Seattle, in 1979.
1986: Microsoft relocates its headquarters once more, this time to
Redmond, Washington. The firm goes public shortly after that.
1987: At the age of 31, Bill Gates becomes the world's youngest
billionaire. At a Microsoft event in New York, he meets his future wife,
Melinda French.
1989: Bill Gates establishes Corbis, a repository of public and private art
and photography. Corbis goes on to become one of the world's greatest
repositories of visual data.
1995: At the age of 39, Gates becomes the world's richest man, with a
fortune of $12.9 billion.
1999: Bill Gates releases Business @ the Speed of Thought, a bestselling book emphasizing the interdependence of business and
technology.
2000: Gates resigns as CEO of Microsoft in the year 2000. Steve
Ballmer, Gates' long time Harvard roommate and right-hand man, takes
over as CEO, and Gates becomes chief software architect.
2005: Gates receives an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in
2005 for his achievements to the United Kingdom. He is named a "Person
of the Year" by Time magazine for his "positive deeds."
2007: Bill Gates "graduates" from Harvard, receiving an honorary
doctorate. In his graduating speech, Bill Gates encourages the graduates
to work for social change. "Humanity's greatest gains," Gates tells the
students, "are not in its discoveries, but in how those discoveries are
utilized to lessen unfairness."
2008: Gates loses his position as the world's richest man in 2008, despite
his money continuing to rise. Gates gets eclipsed by his pal Warren
Buffet and Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim Helu after 13 years at the
top of Forbes' list. On June 27, Bill Gates will step down from his day-today duties at Microsoft, although he will continue to serve as chairman
and adviser on key development initiatives. According to the Seattle PostIntelligencer, he intends to put as much effort into his foundation as he
did into Microsoft. "I'm not a sit-on-the-beach guy," he tells the
newspaper.
3. AIM
The aim of this presentation is to highlight the leadership qualities of Bill
Gates and inculcate them to our life.
4. EARLY LIFE
William H Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 28,
1955. William Henry Gates Jr., a renowned Seattle attorney, and Mary
Maxwell, a former schoolteacher, had him as their only child. His older
sister, Kristi, eventually became his tax accountant, and his younger
sister, Libby, now resides in Seattle with her two children. Gates had a
typical, busy upbringing, participating in sports, joining the Cub Scouts,
and spending summers in Bremerton, Washington with his family.
Despite his parents' intentions for their son to pursue a legal profession,
Gate acquired an early interest in computer technology and began
studying computers in the seventh grade at Seattle's Lakeside School
Gates' parents picked Lakeside as a private school in the hopes that it
would challenge their son's academic curiosity and desire. Gates met Paul
Allen, a student with comparable technological interests who would later
become his business partner, at Lakeside. Gates and Allen saw the
potential of the fledgling computer industry almost immediately.
In 1973, Gates enrolled at Harvard University, where he studied for a
year and a half before dropping out in 1975, finishing his academic career
and commencing his job as a software designer. Microsoft was formed at
this time by Gates and Allen. They created software for the first Apple
and Commodore computers.
Gates' competitive spirit and unwavering will to succeed has made him a
formidable business force, but it has also absorbed much of his personal
life. He only took two weeks off between 1978 and 1984, a total of six
years. However, on the Hawaiian island of Lanai on New Year's Day
1994, Gates married Melinda French, a Microsoft manager. Gates kept
the ceremony quiet by buying up the vacant rooms at the nearby hotel and
hired all of the helicopters in the vicinity to prevent photographers from
using them. His net worth was reported to be close to $7 billion at the
time of his marriage.
In 1997, his net worth was reported to be at $37 billion, garnering him the
distinction of "America's richest man."
5. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
A. FOCUS
Knowing something isn't the same as having knowledge. Gates
concentrates on the one thing he understands best, software, and then
improves it to the highest level possible. He worked hard to dominate his
profession, prioritizing execution and sticking to the abilities he thought
to be his best. This dedication may still be seen in the work he undertakes
with his humanitarian organization.
B. BIG Picture
Gates also approaches goal-setting in a practical manner. He has a
tremendous image in his head that he remembers. Instead of constructing
an unattainable vision, Gates takes a step-by-step method to achieving his
goals. It's like attempting to climb a flight of stairs. Instead of attempting
to leap from the bottom to the top, this leadership style takes one step at a
time.
C. INGENUITY
Rather than sticking in his comfort zone, Gates pushed himself and his
team to embrace invention. Individual viewpoints give fresh opportunity
to explore ideas, hence his leadership approach empowers individuals.
Although some individuals followed Gates because of his charm, many
others followed him because they felt he could help them become great
leaders as well.
D. COMPASSION
Despite the fact that Gates is frequently classified as one of the world's
wealthiest persons, he is also one of the world's most generous
philanthropists. Gates (together with Warren Buffett) pledged to give
away the bulk of his fortune in 2010. His charity has received almost $28
billion in donations, with an aim of giving out $90 billion over time. That
caring approach was also evident in the workplace, where employees
were given every chance to succeed if they so desired.
E . EDUCATION
Bill Gates may have dropped out of school, but that doesn't mean he
doesn't value the benefits of a solid education. Under his leadership
approach, learning is a lifetime process. Every day, if one is prepared to
seek for it, there is always something new to learn. Gates worked on his
public speaking abilities, communication skills, and strategies to improve
social connections with others even after he helped to create Microsoft
and grew it into a software empire.
F. ENTHUSIASM
Whether you like or dislike Microsoft goods, there's no disputing that
Gates poured a lot of love into everything he accomplished for the firm.
Even if all he had to do was send a thank you card, you could count on a
message that came from from his heart. Bill Gates, like many
transformative leaders, believes that if something is worth doing, it
should be done to the best of one's capacity.
6. LESSON LEARNT
In this presentation I have discussed about bill gates and his leadership
qualities that help him to become a successful leader during his career.
He started his career as a school dropout. Therefore. No one is a leader
from their birth. Leadership is an art that can be learned through
experience and study.
Moreover, when we get about his character we can get more important
things for our life. He never gave
Hence as a leader we should dress well and talk clearly and attractively to
people. We should have courage to do things and we should be example
character to the people. And, even if we gain a good leadership we should
not forget that we are humans and should not beside human qualities once
become a leader.
7. CONCLUSION:
In this presentation I have highlighted the leadership qualities of Bill
Gates, which had helped him on the way to become a successful leader.
To conclude, we can retain that being a leader like Bill Gates is not
always easy. You must be willing to take risks. There must be a personal
desire to transform the workplace into a creative safe-haven where
forward progress is a top priority. Include a little patience and you’ll find
a recipe for leadership success.
8. Reference
en.wikipedia.com
Britannica encyclopedia
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/bill-gates-life--2