How to be the Next Bill Gates
Start young and never compromise, experts say.
June 25, 2008— -- Profit-seeking entrepreneurs could take a few tips from billionaire software engineer-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates.
In honor of Gates' June departure from his day job at Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ), career consultants and psychologists scrutinized the peaks and valleys of Gates' 35-year career to pinpoint what factors determined his success.
Slideshow: How To Be The Next Bill Gates
They found that one of Gates' most instructive traits--his clarity of vision--has been evident since adolescence. After writing his first computer program at age 13, Gates hasn't wavered in his mission to develop cutting-edge software with the potential to change the world.
Gates' single-mindedness has led him down some risky paths. For example, when he was 20, he dropped out of Harvard to found Microsoft. And in 1998, he dared to take the stand himself in an antitrust suit brought about by the government. His pattern of accomplishment following these choices--Microsoft's meteoric rise and an eventual settlement that didn't much restrict the company's monopoly on its browser and operating system--reflects Gates' understanding of how and when it's actually a good idea to break the rules.
But experts say it's important for aspiring business leaders considering dicey ventures to fully understand their potential ramifications. Gambling isn't for everybody, they add, and it can sink a career if backup plans aren't in place.
"Gates demonstrated that the old-school model of an Ivy-league degree, or a pedigreed family, isn't a requirement for career success," says Katy Piotrowski, author of The Career Coward's Guide to Changing Careers. "Yet it's important to remember that in the absence of a career-driving vision, it doesn't hurt."
Critics have lambasted Gates for a management style they label overbearing and bossy, but his harsh workplace demeanor belies another secret to his success: his unwillingness to compromise his goals. But there's a softer side to the technology magnate. Gates earned the appreciation of his employees by leading an office as casual as a college campus and encouraging free thinking, which allowed him some leeway to exercise tough love when necessary.
