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Leadership Style of Billgates
Leadership Style of Billgates
SUBMITTED TO:
DR. SWATI AGARWAL
SUBMITTED BY:
Dhananjay Kumar
Gates as a small young boy never had anything to lose which he kept
telling his good friend Paul Allen. When he had several odds again him
such as the American Law and several cases against him, he still
consistently took action by developing more software which the people
wanted. This made him a super star overnight.
Whether its Google or Apple or free software, weve got some fantastic
competitors and it keeps us on our toes Bill Gates
Bill Gates took up the responsibility of being the Chief Software
Architect, Bill Gates was nurturing Microsoft by building a broad range
of products. This was not just capitalizing on the knowledge but provide
the best by understanding the need of the people.
Bill Gates' Secrets of Success
Hard work: Bill Gates is a hard worker since the beginning of his life. In
his college days, he used to work all night long on his computer. When
Microsoft was started, Bill Gates used to sleep only for 6 hours in a day
without skipping a single day of office. For Bill Gates, hard work is one
of the main keys of success.
Entrepreneurship:
Entrepreneurship is an integral part and is present in Bill Gates from the
beginning. He knows how to manage his work, he always takes a keen
interest in learning, he learns from his own mistakes, he is a creative
person and, most of all, and he is focused towards his goals.
Confidence:
Bill Gates has always been a highly confident person. He was always
confident
about
his
dream
of
becoming
successful.
Managerial Skills: The great managerial skills of Bill Gates helped
Microsoft to be a successful company. He efficiently managed all the
areas
of
the
company
which
required
his
focus.
A Great Convincer: Bill Gates is gifted with great convincing skills. He
has made lots of successful deals in his career. The deal with IBM was
one of them.
Technical Mind:
Bill Gates is born with a highly technical bent of mind. It is a gift of god
to him. Microsoft has earned lots of success through this technical mind.
He Had A Vision:
From day one, Gates dreamed of having a personal computer in every
home, in every business and in every school. Throughout his career, he
never once wavered from this dream. Focusing on software as the means
to popularize the PC, Gates built his empire around this central vision and
steered clear of all other distractions. And, the vision continues today.
We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can
be, he says.
He Had a Solid Team:
If we werent still hiring great people and pushing ahead at full speed, it
would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company, says
Gates. From Microsofts inception, Gates prioritized his team, bringing in
only trusted friends to help him get the company started. As the company
grew, he insisted that they hire only the most capable young minds and
strove to create a small and creative environment for them to thrive in.
Microsoft succeeded not only because of Gates, but also because of the
strong
team
that
stood
behind
him.
He Took a Long-Term Approach:
In the decade ahead I can predict that we will provide over twice the
productivity improvement that we provided in the 90s, said Gates. This
bold statement captures Gates philosophy behind his entire business.
Never one to chase after instant success or an immediate pay-off, Gates
began coding software with a view to the next fifty years. He has
constantly tried to keep his company at the forefront of new technological
developments by funding new research initiatives. Gates long-term
approach helped ensure Microsofts remarkable staying power.
In hindsight, Gates early failures seem so miniscule that they are almost
laughable. But, as a struggling entrepreneur, he went through the same
frustration, confusion and despair that others in his situation also face.
What distinguishes Gates from the rest was his ability to rebound from
his mistakes and take whatever lessons he could from them. He then
became even more resolute and determined to see his vision realize.
He Never Stopped Asking Questions:
I believe that through our natural inventiveness, creativity and
willingness to solve tough problems, were going to make some amazing
achievements, said Gates speaking to the future possibilities for
medicine, education and technology. When Gates faced a dilemma, he
didnt stop and give up. He asked questions about what could be done to
solve the problem. From his business activities to his philanthropic
efforts, Gates curiosity and desire to constantly be learning has been one
of the key factors behind his success.
If I'd had some set idea of a finish line, don't you think I would have
crossed it years ago? asks Gates. Showing no signs of slowing down,
Gates continues to fuel his business, inspire his workers and make his
contribution to the global village.
At Microsoft, there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they
all come from the top, says Gates. Im afraid thats not quite right.
While Gates has been the famous face of Microsoft for over thirty years,
it took the help of numerous other trusted individuals to help realize the
companys success.
When Allen and Gates first met as students at Lakeside, they instantly
formed a strong bond over their passion for computers. And, it was a
bond that would last for the rest of their lives. Knowing each others
strengths and weaknesses, interests and passions and having a strong
sense of trust enabled these two entrepreneurs to form one of the most
successful working relationships of the 20th century.
Gates, recognizing the importance of a solid and trustworthy team, also
brought on two former high school friends, Ric Weiland and Marc
McDonald, to be part of the core Microsoft group. Gates knew that if
Microsoft was going to get its feet off the ground, it was going to take the
hard work and sweat that he trusted few others to put in. From day one,
Though he never set out to be a millionaire, Gates not only became the
worlds first cent billionaire in 1999, but also one of the worlds most
respected entrepreneurs for having revolutionized the world of computers
and setting new industry standards. I really had a lot of dreams when I
was a kid, recalls Gates.
Power is the engine that drives the ability to
influence . To understand leadership effectiveness
therefore , an analysis of the complex web of
power relationships and influence processes in
organizations is essential. We also need to
examine the sources of power and the
relationship of different power sources to
leadership effectiveness.
SOURCES & TYPES OF POWER POSSESSED BY BILL GATES
Position Power
Legitimate Power: It is based on his position power given by the
organization. It is also called the legitimization influencing tactic.
Employees agree to comply with management authority in return for the
benefit of members. The use of legitimate power is appropriate when
asking a person to do something that is within the scope of their job.
Legitimate Use of Rational Persuasion
It is used by Bill Gates while dealing with higher-level managers.
Rational Persuasion includes logical arguments with factual evidence to
persuade others to implement your recommended action
Reward Power:
It is based on the leaders ability to influence others with something of
value to them. Microsoft is famous for giving huge remuneration
packages to its employees. An important part of reward power is having
control over resources, such as allocating expense & budget funds.
Bill Gates has full control over evaluating employees performance
determining their raises, promotions & other rewards.
Coercive Power:
PERSONAL POWERS
Personal power is derived from the follower based on the leaders
behavior. It includes expertise, friendship or loyalty and charisma.
Expert Power: It is based on the users skill & knowledge. Being an
expert makes other people dependent on the leader. People often respect
an expert & fewer the people who possess an expertise, the more power
the individual has. Bill Gates is a master of his subject & his knowledge,
skills, expertise is never questioned, tagging him having the expert power.
Referent Power: It is based on leaders personal relationships with
others. It is also called the personal appeals influencing tactics based on
loyalty & friendship. But with Bill Gates it is more of loyalty due to his
autocratic behavior towards his employees. People stay at Microsoft for
longer time period than most of the companies.
INFLUENCE TACTICS
RATIONAL PERSUASION
Bill Gates extremely used this tactic by applying its functions in a very
logical manner.
Bill always explained why the objectives need to be met.
He was very clear on the benefits which the followers would get &
conveyed the same to others.
He was very motivational regarding the set objectives & provided subtle
evidences that the objectives can be met.
He was very quick on explaining how problems & concerns will be
handled.
He always innovate newer technologies & was very clear on their
strength over others.
PRESSURE
Bill Gates very frequently used the pressure influencing tactics from fear
of reprimands, probation, to suspension or dismissal.
Relation-oriented leadership:
Leaders who describe their preferred coworker in favorable terms, with a
high LPC, are purported to derive major satisfaction from establishing
close relationships with felow workers. High LPC leaders are said to be
relationship-orientated. These leaders see that good interpersonal
relations as a requirement for task accomplishment.
Task-oriented leadership:
Leaders who describe their least preferred coworker unfavorable terms,
with a low LPC, are derived major satisfaction by successfully
completing a task. These leaders are said to be task-orientated. They are
more concerned with successful task accomplishment and worry about
interpersonal relations later
The second major factor in Fiedler's theory is known as situational
favorableness or environmental variable. This basically is defined as the
degree a situation enables a leader to exert influence over a group. Fiedler
then extends his analysis by focusing on three key situational factors,
which are leader-member, task structure and position power. Each factor
is defined in the following.
1. Leader-member relations: the degree to which the employees accept
the leader.
2. Task structure: the degree to which the subordinates jobs are described
in detail.
3. Position power: the amount of formal authority the leader possesses by
virtue of his or her position in the organization.
So in this case Bill Gates found most favorable place where positional
power is high as he has most authorities in the firm, task structure is also
defined as he gives the direction to subordinate/follower to fulfill his
vision, and last leader-member relation is also good.
Thats mean Bill Gates is more likely Task-oriented leader who want
performance from his subordinate/follower and work has to be done to
achieve the goal/objective of the company.
Level 5 hierarchy
Bill Gates
Contributing Team
Member
Highly Capable Individual
Level 4 Leaders
Bill Gates has his own visions of what the business needs to do to
succeed. He decides on direction and then gets people to implement his
vision. This is what level 4 leader refer to as "first what, then who." Level
4 leaders are very much in the conventional mode. They may be effective
when it is not too difficult to decide what to do. And Bill Gates is too
confident what he wants to do in near future and pursue his vision
through his expertise.
Level 5 Leaders
We not put Bill Gates as level five leader because level five leader require
both professional will + humility in which definitely he has professional
will but there is some doubt about humility, although he is philanthropist
who endowed $28 billion dollar in his own Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and even promise to donate his 95% wealth as he will have
aged but even after a lot of critics is there that he is doing all of it just
because of status symbol, he is too centralize and blamed for curbing
innovation.
Leadership style
1. Autocratic style
Control is basic to Gate's nature and his management practice. He has an
obsession with detail and with checking up. Exp. Used to sign expenses
for his right hand man STEVE BALLMER.
He is trying to monopolize the World Wide Web software market and has
had legal problems with the department of justice. Microsoft restricted
the ability of its internet partners to deal with its rivals. Also he dislikes
complaints.
2. Delegate style
Brightest talent: Gates paid special attention to recruit and retain the best
talent in the software industry. He believed that the recruitment of
talented software engineers was one of the most critical elements in the
software industry. Gates looked for a bundle of attributes in recruits.
These included the capacity to grasp new knowledge quickly, the ability
to ask probing questions, and deep familiarity with programming
structures. Though a great number of potential recruits applied for jobs at
Microsoft, Gates assumed that the best talent would never apply directly.
Consequently, Microsoft's HR managers had to hunt for the best talent
and offer them a job
Gives autonomy to his manager, he delegates authority to managers to
run their independent departments.
Criticism