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Exactly 49 years ago today, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft\u2014a company that\u2019s had a lasting impression and impact on the software industry, and big tech itself. To build such a successful company, which now boasts a whopping $3.125 trillion market capitalization<\/a>, Gates rarely took breaks. In fact, he said that in the early days of Microsoft he really didn\u2019t even believe in them, Gates told Northern Arizona University<\/a>\u2019s graduating class in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was your age, I didn\u2019t believe in vacations. I didn\u2019t even believe in weekends,\u201d said Gates<\/a>, who was about 20 years old when he started Microsoft. \u201cI pushed everyone around me to work very long hours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In fact, he recalls overlooking Microsoft\u2019s parking lot each day to \u201ckeep track of who is leaving early and who is staying late.\u201d It took Gates decades to realize that this level of scrutiny wasn\u2019t appropriate\u2014nor sustainable.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I got older\u2014and especially once I became a father\u2014I realized that both in terms of doing your best work and having a great life, that that intensity was not always appropriate. Don\u2019t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Gates emphasized the value of being easy on yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not a slacker if you\u2019ve cut yourself some slack,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took me a long time to learn [that].\u201d<\/p>\n A little over a decade ago, Gates launched his own blog, Gates Notes, sharing about the people he meets, the books he\u2019s reading, and what he\u2019s learning. But over the years, he\u2019s shared some other advice about life and success. Here are three insightful things we can learn from Gates, who is now worth about $153 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Business leaders are consistently tasked with problem solving\u2014whether it\u2019s something with long-term or short-term implications. Gates says he always starts his problem-solving process by asking two questions: Who has dealt with this problem well? And what can we learn from them?<\/p>\n \u201cEver since I was a teenager, I\u2019ve tackled every big new problem the same way: by starting off with two questions,\u201d Gates wrote in a 2020 blog post<\/a>. I used this technique at Microsoft, and I still use it today.\u201d<\/p>\n While they\u2019re seemingly simple questions, they can serve as good starting points for research about how best to address a challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cThey seem like obvious questions,\u201d Gates said. \u201cBut sometimes it\u2019s surprisingly hard to find the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n An unlikely character taught Gates the value of effective time management: billionaire buddy Warren Buffett. While Buffett is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and wealthy people in business, he takes a very lenient approach to his calendar.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI also remember Warren showing me his calendar,\u201d Gates said in a 2017 interview<\/a> with Charlie Rose. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gates, on the other hand, used to have \u201cevery minute packed\u201d on his calendar, and \u201cthought that was the only way you could do things,\u201d Gates said. But Buffett taught him the value in saving time to let yourself just think.<\/p>\n \u201cYou control your time,\u201d Gates said. \u201cSitting and thinking may be a much higher priority than a normal CEO, where there [are] all these demands and you feel like you need to go and see all these people.\u201d<\/p>\n And having every second marked off in your calendar doesn\u2019t make you any better of a business leader, Gates said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a proxy of your seriousness that you fill every minute in your schedule,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While it took Gates a while to realize the implications of his intensity during the early days of Microsoft, he came away with one key takeaway about being a fruitful leader\u2014and it has nothing to do with managing money\u2014and all to do with time and people.<\/p>\n \u201cPatience is a key element of success,\u201d Gates said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nAsk questions when problem solving<\/h2>\n
Manage your time wisely<\/h2>\n
Be understanding and patient<\/h2>\n
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