Study Document
The Leadership Style and Qualities of Bill Gates Essay
Pages:3 (1012 words)
Sources:3
Subject:People
Topic:Bill Gates
Document Type:Essay
Document:#24376220
Leader in the Business World
Leadership style
Bill Gates' leadership style is purely autocratic or sometimes called authoritarian (Thielen, 2000). This kind of a leader makes most or all of the organizational decisions without the input or involvement of the employees. As an autocratic leader, control is the cornerstone of Gates' nature and his management practice. He is obsessed with detail, and this is illustrated in how he used to sign expenses for his personal assistant, Steve Ballmer. Following his leadership approach, Gates has tried to monopolize the global software industry, which eventually landed him into a legal web with the Justice Department. Bill Gates restricted the ability of his internal partners to deal with competitors. This is because he dislikes complaints. He has a tendency of informing his subordinates what they must do, how they should do it and when they must complete. He naturally ignored suggestions and opinions forwarded by staff members.
As any other leadership approach, Gates' autocratic style has both some pros and cons. This style can be advantageous in some cases, like when decisions need to be made fast without consulting a large group of individuals. Some tasks demand a strong leader to get things done efficiently and quickly. Here, the autocratic approach leads to effective and fast decisions (Thielen, 2000).
Besides the benefits associated with autocratic leadership, this approach can be problematic in some instances. Because Bill Gates makes decisions without consulting his staff members, his subordinates could dislike him or the organization because they are not allowed to contribute their ideas. In some cases, this could impair the morale of the group. People tend to perform better and feel happier when they feel like they are contributing to the future of the company (Koontz & Weihrich, 2010). Because autocratic leaders typically do not welcome input from subordinates, followers will feel stifled and dissatisfied.
Three (3) ways how they effectively motivated their employees
Bill Gates uses extrinsic motivators like recognition, gifts, and rewards. He was able to attract and retain his employees through these rewards. He gave his managers free laptops and computers and other product discounts. According to Gates, it is cheaper to give employees products than a salary raise. Gates gives a 3% bonus on employees' salary despite not achieving their targets (Thielen, 2000). This reflects his philosophy of learning from mistakes. Gates also motivates his staff by increasing their length of vacation and giving life insurance.
Management theorist Abraham Maslow argues that money is the greatest motivator in any company. In essence, people are encouraged to work at Microsoft because they expect to receive economic rewards (Thielen, 2000). Clearly, money assumes a vital part in motivating job performance. Maslow suggests that a fair salary is a "hygiene" factor, meaning that it is something, which people need to do the work they are employed to do. For Gates, these…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
Fridson, M. S. (2000). How To Be A Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans Of Wealth. New York: Wiley.
Koontz, H., & Weihrich, H. (2010). Essentials of Management. New Delhi [U.A.: McGraw-Hill.
Thielen, D. (2000). The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management: How To Think and Act Like A Microsoft Manager And Take Your Company to the Top. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Related Documents
Study Document
Leadership and Organizations: Bill Gates and Steve
Leadership and Organizations: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs The theories of leadership date way back to when dynasties existed and people were led by kings. The leader took control and made decisions whenever disputes arose. The question of leadership qualities may not have been all that important then, but people still considered some to be better leaders than others. It would be prudent to begin by giving the fundamentals of the
Study Document
Bill Gates Leadership Styles Analysis
Each of the core values of Bill Gates continue to make the attainment of this mission highly efficient. Being with optimism, Bill Gates creates a culture of goal attainment in his foundation, making the possible attainable through a combination of innovation, rigor of analytical insight and strong reliance on collaboration (Kenny, 2011). Bill Gates has learned how to orchestrate an optimistic mindset of goal attainment along with strong rigor
Study Document
Ethics Bill Gates Founded Microsoft,
He sets the vision and tone for many billionaires, and it is this vision and tone that helps Bill Gates to make a far greater contribution to the world than his corporate endeavors would ever allow. Bill Gates has donated billions to charity, and in this he is showing ethical leadership. His approach to leadership emphasizes the ability of a fortunate few to deliver the greatest good for the greatest
Study Document
Leadership Style and Characteristics Affect
Furthermore, there are a number of similarities and overlaps between such leadership theories that do not prevent their being characterized as transformational in nature. For example, "Most leaders behave in both transactional and transformational ways in different intensities and amounts; this is not an entirely either-or differentiation" (Miner, 2002 p. 743). One of the more interesting issues to emerge from the research is the need for transformational leaders to teach
Study Document
The Covenant Leadership Style
Narcissistic leaders are part of society and take on roles that promote at times progress, at other times, chaos. This is because the narcissistic leader only cares about him or herself (Maccoby, 2012). Although such leaders may be useful in certain settings, in others, they can create long-term damage amidst subordinates and followers. Covenant leadership on the other hand generates the highest performance leaders via motivated, high-trust, and committed relationships.
Study Document
Leadership Institution's State Blog 1: Theories and
Leadership [Institution's State] Blog 1: Theories and Models of Leadership and Management An organization is a collection of multidimensional components and there are complex equations between all of these components. It encompasses various individuals, business practices, visions, missions, goals, performance standards, an organizational culture, ethical frameworks, hierarchies based on command and control, working methods, management styles along with relevant theories and models and a considerable number of other factors. Different organizations perform their