Follow the Leader-LDRS 500-ASSIGNMENT 1
Bill Gate is the leader I follow occasionally. He is known as a passionate techie and shrewd businessman. He is the founder of Microsoft and a world-leading philanthropist with his passion for innovation. I followed him on the main social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. Bill tweeted out saying ” my background [in the tech sector] say to me that a data-driven contribution might be an area where I can help add some value,” Bill Gate. I observed certain characteristics that indicate he is a phenomenal leader who can attract followers using his ability to stimulate change, improve the environments and push societal development to the next level. He has made a great impact on my mind and influenced me to learn from him.
https://twitter.com/BillGatesref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Bill, The Visionary Leader
In the summer of 2008, Gates left his day-to-day role with Microsoft to focus on philanthropy. His primary areas of interest in philanthropy have been improving health and helping to relief diseases, such as polio, HIV/AIDS/ malaria which affect young children. He has also given a significant amount of focus to environmental issues. One of his projects includes a clean energy initiative towards global warming. The foundation works to save lives and improve global health and is working with Rotary International to eliminate polio.
As of 2015, Gates and his wife, Melinda, gifted over $32 billion to charities and scientific pursuits geared to bring first world quality of life to third world regions through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates is a prime example of how a leader can use their status to help others and provide opportunities for those less fortunate he believes that mankind “doesn’t relate to any particular religion; it’s about human dignity and equality.”
Gates’s donations have inspired other entrepreneurs to also make significant contributions toward varying causes, including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Leaders and citizens alike can learn from Gates’s “selfless derive” to serve and improve the lives of fellow humans, as well as the world itself. One thing to rule out is ” that all lives have equal value and we should treat people as we would like to be treated.” In return, as a leader, Gates receives happiness by knowing he is providing benefits that will then help shape the planet for those generations to come. He understands what needs to be done and knows how to execute to become more productive and successful.
Creating values for the communities which have a positive impact on society throughout the world. Health equity is one of Bill’s concerns. He wants every person—no matter where they live or what their income level is—to have the same opportunity to grow and thrive. Bill commented on his progress saying ” I’m hopeful we will one day live in a world where a child born in sub-Saharan Africa has the same odds of surviving to adulthood as a child born in Europe or the United States.” His valiant effort has supported the decrease in children’s deaths. Lastly, statistics show that ” The number of children who die before their 5th birthday has been cut in half since 1990, and 86 percent of kids around the world receive necessary vaccinations.”
Gate leveraged this framework to become a legend based on the expert knowledge he pursued and collected. Gates uses emotional intelligence to “channel people’s energy well [so] we can harness their talents to become teachers, work with the elderly, and solve other problems.” He harnessed the passion he developed for industries and communities and made a “conscious choice to stay as open” as he can. “Because when someone decides to tell you their story, what they’re doing is pouring their heart out to you”— he believes it’s his job “[to] listen, and ultimately to pour what [he] hear[s] back into the foundation.” With his visionary ideas, he proposed and executed on his social network to mentor and exchange with others creating a domino effect.
My advice to Bill is to continue using his platform to connect with more people who want to contribute towards cancer. Cancer causes many casualties to many families and can result in irreversible damage to the human body. Bill Gates should keep his eyes fixed on the future and catch on problems prematurely so that he and his followers can anticipate the next move and stop the problem from spreading.
His leadership style aligns with the transformational servant leadership model and should continue using it. Lastly, I would suggest to gates to spread the word that “The first order of business to build a group of people who, under the influence of the institution, grow taller and become healthier, stronger, more autonomous” (Greenleaf, 1977, p.40).
References:
https://twitter.com/CEPIvaccines?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcepi.net%2Fhttps://blog.ted.com/this-billion-dollar-fund-wants-to-prevent-the-next-epidemic/
https://www.ted.com/speakers/bill_gateshttps://www.biographyonline.net/business/bill-gates.html
Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of Bill Gates”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net, 25th Feb. 2015. Updated 10th February 2018.
Greenleaf, R. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. New York, NY: Paulist Press.