“Being up all weekend, working for huge stretches without sleep and then sleeping on the office floor!” Sounds familiar?
Well, that’s how the American business mogul, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, Mr Bill Gates started out his ‘Fero’. Developing operating systems and softwares such as Windows and MS office were not an easy task for him. As a workaholic in his past, Gates liked to work in “Coca-Cola-fuelled” late-night sessions and crack codes, with his mate Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
“He’d be in the middle of a line of code when he’d gradually tilt forward until his nose touched the keyboard. After dozing an hour or two, he’d open his eyes, squint at the screen, blink twice, and resume precisely where he’d left off – a prodigious feat of concentration” Paul Allen recalled.
As one of the pioneers in microcomputer evolution, Bill Gates’ influence is worldwide. Gates’ vision and continuous effort to make it happen is something we all have witnessed over the past few decades.
Creativity, passion, and determination are the keystones, which made him the successful leader we see today. Gates’ auspicious leadership style has always reaped success. Narrowing his focus down on several projects over past decades, he has made major contributions in the development of the software industry, personal computer revolution and philanthropy.
A relentless learner, throughout his life, Bill’s priority was always for innovation, like his works in the development of the programming language BASIC and Windows, the finest operating system ever known.
“We were very complimentary. From a very young age, we both became skilled programmers and knowledgeable about the technology landscape, and excited to do something entrepreneurial. Bill and I were both equally fanatical about learning everything we could” Paul Allen recalled about their start.
Very ardent about codes and computers, he could anticipate that they’re going to make the future.
“Bill Gates was amazingly technical…. He didn’t meddle in software if he trusted the people who were working on it, but you couldn’t gibberish him for a minute because he was a programmer. A real, actual, programmer” said Joel Spolsky, ‘Stack Overflow’ founder and an early Microsoft employee.
Bill still has the same enthusiasm when it comes to technology.
“About 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don’t pay for the software. Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade” Gates once told CNET. Both his foundation and the industry profited through his refined strategies.
When Gates and Allen worked towards their passion, they did imagine success but profit wasn’t the first thing in their mind.
“We said, ‘Hey, if we’re really successful we could form a company that could grow to around 35 employees.’ Microsoft is today north of 90,000 employees. So obviously we blew through our initial hopes and dreams there” Paul Allen recalled one of their early conversations.
It was obvious to all of his peers that Bill started none of his projects to gain wealth. So it added another feather in his cap when Forbes chose him as the wealthiest person in the world, for four times in between 1995 – 2014. Another reward for his hard work and perseverance!
As a human being who has his own morals and values, Gates is currently active in philanthropy through “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”.
One of the recent donations they made was 100 million dollars, towards the COVID-19 pandemic control measures. In a recent interview, he shared his very optimistic approach towards the controlling of the coronavirus pandemic.
A surprising fact is, bill gates in a ted talk actually made a prediction, 5 years ago, about the epidemic, specifically about the microbe which spreads through the air. While proposing that idea, he also had the strategies to prevent it, which is a strong trait of a visionary.
Continuously making investments in Research and Development foundations and potential ventures, he assures his great faith in a team of skilled scientists.
Being a transformational leader himself, Bill was able to convert his teammates into a better version of themselves.
Very optimistic by nature, Gates has astounding decision-making skills that are incomparable. His exhilarating ideas and strategies have been accomplished through talented people he brought together from all around the globe.
Once his colleague Scott MacGregor said, “You always knew what Bill thought about what you were doing. The goal, the motivational force for a lot of programmers, was to get Bill to like their product.”
Encouraging creativity and novelty within his team in imperative situations, Gates has always provided them room for growth. Providing special attention to each and every individual in his team, he has always empowered them.
Gates, who didn’t even believe in weekends and vacations before, is now taking two-week-long luxury trips to destinations such as Australia, Amazon and Pacific Northwest.
“Now I take lots of vacation. My 20-year-old self is so disgusted with my current self. You know, I was sure I would never fly anything but coach and you know, now I have a private plane” said Gates.
Just like Bill Gates said, all the hardworking leaders out there deserve that, where the rest of their whole lives become a luxurious vacation.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others” Bill quoted. Dominating the industries he has worked on with perseverance and innovation, his ‘Fero’ continues.
Like Bill Gates, there’s a leader inside every one of us. Let Ferofly, accompany us in our exhilarating journey, because they know that we shall deserve it and we all share the same destination, which is infinity.