LEADERSHIP DEFINED

Defining Leadership

When we think of successful, high-profile leaders, we think of people such as General Colin Powell, who led the American forces during the Gulf War; or Bill Gates, the Harvard dropout who founded Microsoft and became the richest man in the world.

In your own field, you can probably name one or two men or women who are successful leaders—people who seem almost visionary and have an intangible knack for getting things right and inspiring their subordinates.

Leaders are able to define a goal, persuade others to assist in achieving that goal, and lead their teams to victory. But what is the definition of leadership?

Leadership is crucial to managers in the business world, but it also plays an important role for coaches, teachers, and parents.

There is not one single definition of leadership. Understanding this is the first step toward becoming an effective leader. Some common definitions or beliefs about leadership include the following:

A leader is the appointed head of a group, team, or organization.

A leader is a charismatic person who is able to make good decisions and inspire others to reach a common goal.

Leadership is the power to communicate assertively and inspire others.

Leadership is the ability to influence others.

Not one of the preceding definitions is more correct than any of the others. All of the definitions, however, agree on one common fact: Leadership involves more than one person.

You cannot be a leader without a group of people following your direction and putting their trust in you. Remember, as a leader you have a responsibility to your employees, group, organization, or team to lead fairly and ethically. The title "Boss" or "Manager" does not automatically make you a leader.

To be a good leader, you'll need to fortify yourself by keeping up with the latest leadership trends, observing other leaders (including leaders in your own chain of command and leaders in the news), and recognizing that your own unique brand of leadership will change as you gain experience.

Tip

Keep up on the latest leadership trends by reading trade publications, watching the news, and observing successful leaders in your own organization.

Leadership Qualities

As defined in the preceding section, a leader is someone who inspires, who makes decisions that affect the organization in a positive way, and who can pull together a diverse team to work toward a common goal. But if all managers are not leaders, what are the qualities that set leaders apart?

Plain English

Charisma is an almost intangible quality that inspires loyalty and great results from subordinates.

Charisma is one quality that is often mistaken as the most important leadership requirement. However, you can attain charismatic leadership more easily if you work to develop the following qualities:

Knowledge

Know your facts and use them. A leader must know the details of the business in order to act for the entire organization.

Trust

Don't micromanage. If your employees feel you are constantly peering over their shoulders, you will create an atmosphere of distrust. Be aware of what team members are working on, but don't make them feel like "Big Brother" is watching.

Integrity

A leader will be ineffective if subordinates and superiors do not trust him. The organization soon learns to work around a leader who is untrustworthy or does not keep his word. For example, a leader who tells his employees one thing but does another could be viewed as untrustworthy—even if the difference seems inconsequential to you.

Standards

As a leader, your public and private lives should be exemplary. Lead by example. A leader who expects a certain code of conduct from the employees but does not practice the same standards can suffer a loss of respect. A staff that does not respect the leader will suffer a loss in work quality.

Decisiveness

Leaders are valued for their decision-making abilities, especially in high-pressure situations. When confronted with a tough decision, fall back on the knowledge mentioned earlier in this list. The best decisions are decisions made with full possession of the facts.

Assertiveness

Leaders are chosen to lead a team, group, or entire organization. Often, you'll be in situations where your staff is not present—for example, high-level organizational meetings. Your assertiveness can and must represent the employees who have put their trust in you.

Optimism

Be realistic but not fatalistic. Your employees and your superiors may soon lose confidence if they are constantly confronted with pessimism or negativity from you. Situations aren't always ideal, but as a leader you're expected to find the best way to turn the situation around. Figure it out and concentrate on the positive.

Results

A leader has a track record of solid decisions and outcomes to point to. If you've been managing for some time, try to compile a list of successful decisions and events that you're responsible for. Not only can you point out these successes to others, but you can use them to build your own confidence in your abilities.

Vision

A leader is expected to set goals that will guide an organization in a specific direction. A leader must think broadly and far into the future to set those goals and help the team grow in the right direction.

The appearance of power

As "casual Friday" becomes "casual every day" at a growing number of companies, you still must give off the aura of power in your dress, carriage, and surroundings. In a traditional environment, men should wear suits and remain relatively conservative in their choice of tie and shoes. Women, too, should dress tastefully and err on the side of looking conservative. In a casual environment, both men and women should avoid wearing jeans and T-shirts.

Tip

The qualities that make a leader are charisma, knowledge, trust, integrity, standards, decisiveness, assertiveness, optimism, results, vision, and the appearance of power.

What a Leader Is Not

A leader is not merely the manager who sits in the corner office, the person who controls quitting time and paychecks, or the person who can hire and fire people. Managers in this day and age must be flexible and willing to adapt to an increasingly more demanding and younger workforce that questions authority.

Technology companies have taken the lead in showing that a less autocratic chain of command can produce phenomenal results. Companies such as Bill Gates's Microsoft boast of campus-like atmospheres where permissiveness is no longer the exception, but the rule.

As a leader, you should avoid the following:

Micromanagement

I'll address this in Lesson , "Avoiding Micromanagement," but for now stop and consider whether you might be keeping too close an eye on your staff or handling too many of the responsibilities in your organization yourself. Are you viewed as overbearing?


Closeness

Steer clear of getting too close to your staff. You are a leader, not your employees' best friend. It's hard to criticize or chastise someone you view as a friend, and even harder for that employee to see the criticism as unbiased.

Temper

Put your negative emotions aside. We're all human, but as a leader you must avoid negative outbursts or personal attacks on coworkers.

Arrogance

You are not a supreme deity. Remember that you wouldn't be a leader without a staff. Avoid autocratic behavior.

A leader is also not synonymous with a manager. Management involves specific business-critical functions such as tending to a budget, developing a product, and generating reports.

However, leadership is an important part of being a manager. A manager who works to improve his or her leadership skills can surpass the status quo to improve the unit's performance.

Caution

Don't confuse management with leadership. Management and leadership are not the same thing. Management involves specific organizational functions such as budgeting and producing a product. Leadership is one part of management that deals with how you communicate with the others in your organization.

Tracking Success With A Goal Tracking Chart

Creating a goal tracking chart is as simple as drawing a basic grid or table. Create as many vertical columns as you have goals to include, and include a horizontal row for every sub-goal or milestone you wish to divide your goals into, plus one row on top for your "Finish By" date and one row below for your goal heading or title. [Hint: Creating a goal tracking chart poster-sized on inexpensive and brightly colored poster board ensures visibility and accountability!]

Complete and use your chart according to the instructions below:

1. Place the name of one goal, or a major section of a larger project goal, in the row of boxes at the bottom of the chart.

2. In the row of boxes at the top of each chart, in the appropriate column above each goal or goal section, place the deadline for that goal, if applicable.

3. Break down each goal or goal section into individual steps that make sense for each one (pound loss intervals for a weight loss goal, steps for completing and sending off a college application, action steps that make up a project phase, etc). Fill in the boxes in each column between the goal title and the finish date with stages involved in meeting that goal, starting with the first step in the lower-most square, just above the goal heading or title, and working your way up to the deadline. Use as many or as few boxes as you need.

4. Cross out, color in or place a sticker, etc., in each goal-step box as you complete that step. By placing several related goals on one chart, you can track whether or not one goal is getting the lion's share of your attention, and you can eliminate worry over forgetting about less vital, but still important, goals in the flurry of day-to-day life.

Large projects can easily be managed using the goal tracking chart by grouping all of the goals specific to each phase of the project together on seperate charts. This way, you can ensure that all project goals are met in a timely manner, and the project as a whole is completed smoothly and efficiently, with no forgotten stepping-stones or bottlenecks.

Courtesy : http://www.ezinearticles.com

A Winner's Education - What You Need to Know in Order to Succeed

How much do you remember about what you were taught in school? If you're like most people, you remember little of the irrelevant facts stuffed into your unwilling young mind by overzealous teachers.

Schools were created during the Industrial Revolution to prepare young people to work in factories. They were essentially a training ground for conformity and mediocrity and of course a source of cheap labor.

Times have changed dramatically. We now longer live in the Industrial Revolution, we now live in the Information Age. But schools have remained the same...stuffing kids heads with obscure facts that have no relevance to their lives whatsoever. After 12 years in this institution of learning, kids are ill-prepared to face the challenges of the real world.

I propose a new type of school, one where children are taught things that will actually benefit them later on in life. Courses like Marriage 101, Wealth Creation 102, Communication skills 103, Budgeting and Financial Planning 104, Positive Thinking 105 and so on would be the norm. And with textbooks like Awaken the Giant Within, Think and Grow Rich, The One Minute Millionaire and Chicken Soup for the Soul. And how about teachers the likes of Anthony Robbins, John De Lemme, Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen.

Oh how I wish I had attended a school like that. Don't you?

It's not too late, you know. There's still time to learn all that you wish you had learned in school. But nobody is going to do it for you. You have to grab the bull by the horns and start the process of self-education independently. The only teacher watching over your shoulder will be yourself. And the best part is you get to choose exactly what you want to learn, how you want to learn it (by reading a book, listening to a CD, watching a video, attending a seminar, participating in a tele-class etc). And you get to set your own pace. No exams to write, no pressure at all, just the joy of learning what enriches your life and mind an speaks to your heart and soul.

Courtesy : http://www.ezinearticles.com

How To Set Strong And Powerful Goals

Anyone can set a goal. But to achieve your objectives, your goals need real muscle. The strength and power of this muscle will depend on how specific, achievable, challenging, measurable and inspirational your goals are.

A strong and powerful goal must be aligned with the overall picture of who you are and how you want your life to be. Setting strong and powerful goals are not as hard you think. In fact, it is as simple as a-b-c if you follow the methods given below.

1. Make sure your goal is specific and measurable.
It must have an end point where you will know you have "achieve it". Wishy-washy goals get wishy-washy results. Instead of the statement: "My business will be successful", let your goal be: "My successful online business is turning over $200,000 a year with a net profit of 40% by the end of 2 years. Be very specific and measurable.

2. Write Down Your Goals
It is proven that people who externalize their goals by writing them down achieve them far more often than those who do not. There is something about the act of writing that gets intention out of your head and into the physical world where it will happen.

It is so much better if you record your written goal somewhere you can see it often. Put it in your bathroom, stick it on your study desk or even have it as a wall-paper on your personal computer.

3. Keep Your Written Goals Short And To The Point.
The story of why you want the goal and how you are going to get it can dilute the power of the goal. A goal that is brief, punchy and very easy to remember has much more strength and energy. Here are one example to express your goal not as story but as strong and powerful goal.

Story: I have lost 5kg by next New Year by eating less and exercising more, so I will look good at networking dinners and staff meetings in my new suit and I won't need to keep the jacket on to hide my stomach.

Strong and powerful goal: I have lost 5kg and looking wonderful by the next New Year.

4. Your Goal Must Have A Completion Date.
A "some day" goal that is not dated just sits out there in the future as a dream or possibility that may or may not happen. The trouble is that without setting a deadline for your goal, one day you may wake up and find that some day has been and gone and it is too late. You may want to keep your time frames short so that you can enjoy step-by-step success. This can help you stay motivated to achieve your goals.

5. Make Your Goals Realistic
Be very careful of choosing goals that are just pipe dreams, or that sound wonderful and will impress your peers but honestly have no base in reality for you. This will lead to failure and you will feel disappointed. Worse still, loss of credibility with yourself and those around you. One of the most common traps in unrealistic goal setting is the time frame. For example, is it realistic for you to have captured a world wide market for your new product in three months time? Is financial freedom by this time next year realistic? The bottom line is that it is your perception of whether the goal is realistic and achievable that matters and not anyone else. If you have the heart, courage and tenacity to go against the odds, do not let anyone discourage. GO FOR IT!

Courtesy : http://www.ezinearticles.com

Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder, chairman, former chief software architect, and former CEO of Microsoft, the world's largest software company. Forbes magazine's list of The World's Billionaires has ranked him as the richest person in the world for the last thirteen consecutive years,^[3] and recent estimates put his net worth near $82 billion.^[2] When family wealth is considered, his family ranks second behind the Walton family.^[4][5]

Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Although he is widely respected by people who see his wealth as a product of intelligence and foresight,^[6][7] his business tactics have often been criticized as unethical or anti-competitive, and have, in some instances, been ruled as such in court.^[8][9] Since amassing his fortune, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000.

Early life

William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington to William H. Gates, Jr. (now Sr.) and Mary Maxwell Gates. His family was wealthy; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate Bank and the United Way, and her father, J. W. Maxwell, was a national bank president. Gates has one older sister, Kristi (Kristianne), and one younger sister, Libby. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William Gates III or "Trey" because his father had dropped his own "III" suffix.^[10] Several writers claim that Maxwell set up a million-dollar trust fund for Gates.^[11] A 1993 biographer who interviewed both Gates and his parents (among other sources) found no evidence of this and dismissed it as one of the "fictions" surrounding Gates's fortune.^[10] Gates denied the trust fund story in a 1994 interview^[12] and indirectly in his 1995 book The Road Ahead.^[13]

Gates excelled in elementary school, particularly in mathematics and the sciences. At thirteen he enrolled in the Lakeside School, Seattle's most exclusive preparatory school where tuition in 1967 was $5,000 (Harvard tuition that year was $1,760). When he was in the eighth grade, the school mothers used proceeds from a rummage sale to buy Lakeside an ASR-33 teletype terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric computer.^[10] Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in BASIC and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. After the Mothers Club donation was exhausted he and other students sought time on other systems, including DEC PDP minicomputers. One of these systems was a PDP-10 belonging to Computer Center Corporation, which banned the Lakeside students for the summer after it caught them exploiting bugs in the operating system to obtain free computer time.

At the end of the ban, the Lakeside students (Gates, Paul Allen, Ric Weiland, and Kent Evans) offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for free computer time. Rather than use the system via teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied source code for various programs that ran on the system, not only in BASIC but FORTRAN, LISP, and machine language as well. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when it went out of business. The following year Information Sciences Inc. hired the Lakeside students to write a payroll program in COBOL, providing them not only computer time but royalties as well. At age 14, Gates also formed a venture with Allen, called Traf-O-Data, to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor. That first year he made $20,000, however when his age was found out they lost a lot of business. ^[14][15]

As a youth, Bill Gates was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout.

According to a press inquiry, Bill Gates stated that he scored 1590 on his SATs.^[16] He enrolled at Harvard University in the fall of 1973 intending to get a pre-law degree,^[17] but did not have a definite study plan,^[18] While at Harvard he met his future business partner, Steve Ballmer.

Microsoft

Main article: Microsoft

BASIC

Microsoft staff photo from December 7, 1978. Gates in bottom row, first from left.

After reading the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics that demonstrated the Altair 8800, Gates contacted MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems), the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and others were working on a BASIC interpreter for the platform.^[19] In reality, Gates and Allen did not have an Altair and had not written code for it; they merely wanted to gauge MITS's interest. MITS president Ed Roberts agreed to meet them for a demo, and over the course of a few weeks they developed an Altair emulator that ran on a minicomputer, and then the BASIC interpreter. The demonstration, held at MITS's offices in Albuquerque, was a success and resulted in a deal with MITS to distribute the interpreter as Altair BASIC. Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Allen at MITS, and they dubbed their partnership Micro-Soft.^[20]

Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.^[21] This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various systems.

According to Gates, people at Microsoft often did more than one job during the early years; whoever answered the phone when an order came in was responsible for packing and mailing it. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, he personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit.^[22]

IBM partnership

In 1984, Bill Gates appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine; he has since appeared seven more times.

In 1980 IBM approached Microsoft to make the BASIC interpreter for its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the widely used CP/M operating system.^[23] IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M that Seattle Computer Products had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS, but did not mention that IBM was a potential customer. After adapting the operating system for the PC, Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC-DOS in exchange for a one-time fee.^[24] Gates never understood why DRI had walked away from the deal, and in later years he claimed that DRI founder Gary Kildall capriciously "went flying" during an IBM appointment, a characterization that Kildall and other DRI employees would deny.

As several companies reverse-engineered the IBM architecture and developed clones ^[25] Microsoft was quick to license DOS to other manufacturers, calling it MS-DOS (for Microsoft Disk Operating System). By marketing MS-DOS aggressively to manufacturers of IBM-PC clones, Microsoft went from a small player to one of the major software vendors in the home computer industry. Microsoft continued to develop operating systems as well as software applications.^[26][27]

Windows

See also: History of Microsoft Windows

Bill Gates, Mitch Kapor, and Fred Gibbons representing Macintosh software vendors in 1984.

In the early 1980s Microsoft introduced its own version of the graphical user interface (GUI), based on ideas pioneered by the Xerox corporation, and further developed by Apple.^[28] Microsoft released "Windows" as an addition and alternative to their DOS command line, and to compete with other systems on the market that employed a GUI. By the early 1990s, Windows had pushed other DOS-based GUIs like GEM and GEOS out of the market. The release of Windows 3.0 in 1990 was a tremendous success, selling around 10 million copies in the first two years and cementing Microsoft's dominance in operating systems sales.^[29]

By continuing to ensure, by various means, that most computers came with Microsoft software pre-installed, the Microsoft corporation eventually became the largest software company in the world, earning Gates enough money that Forbes Magazine named him the wealthiest person in the world for several years.^[30][31] Gates served as the CEO of the company until 2000, when Steve Ballmer took the position.^[19] Microsoft has thousands of patents,^[32] and Gates has nine patents to his name.

Strategy and management

Bill Gates giving his deposition at Microsoft on August 27, 1998

Since Microsoft's founding in 1975 and as of 2006, Gates has had primary responsibility for Microsoft's product strategy. He has aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft has achieved a dominant position he has vigorously defended it. Many decisions that have led to antitrust litigation over Microsoft's business practices have had Gates' approval. In the 1998 United States v. Microsoft case, Gates gave deposition testimony that several journalists characterized as evasive. He argued with examiner David Boies over the definitions of words such as: compete, concerned, ask, and we.^[33] BusinessWeek reported:

Early rounds of his deposition show him offering obfuscatory answers and saying 'I don't recall' so many times that even the presiding judge had to chuckle. Worse, many of the technology chief's denials and pleas of ignorance were directly refuted by prosecutors with snippets of e-mail Gates both sent and received.^[34]

Gates later said that he had simply resisted attempts by Boies to mischaracterize his words and actions. As to his demeanor during the deposition, he said "Whatever that penalty is should be levied against me: rudeness to Boies in the first degree."^[35] Despite Gates' denials, the judge ruled that Microsoft had committed monopolization and tying, blocking competition, in violation of the Sherman Act.

Gates meets regularly with Microsoft's senior managers and program managers. By all accounts he can be extremely confrontational during these meetings, particularly when he believes that managers have not thought out their business strategy or have placed the company's future at risk.^[36][12] He has been described shouting at length at employees before letting them continue, with such remarks as "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" and "Why don't you just give up your options and join the Peace Corps?"^[37] However, he often backs down when the targets of his outbursts respond frankly and directly.^[38] When he is not impressed with the technical hurdles managers claim to be facing, he sometimes quips, "Do you want me to do it over the weekend?"^[39][40]

Gates' role at Microsoft for most of its history has been primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's programming language products. (See also: DONKEY.BAS) He has not officially been on a development team since working on the TRS-80 Model 100 line, but he wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company's products.^[39] On June 15, 2006, Gates announced that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing Ray Ozzie in charge of day-to-day management and Craig Mundie in charge of long-term product strategy.^[41][42] One of his last initiatives before announcing his departure was the creation of a robotics software group at Microsoft.

Personal life

Bill Gates and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Davos. January 26, 2003

Gates married Melinda French of Dallas, Texas on January 1, 1994. They have three children: Jennifer Katharine Gates (1996), Rory John Gates (1999) and Phoebe Adele Gates (2002). Bill Gates' house is one of the most expensive houses in the world, and is a modern 21st century earth-sheltered home in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington in Medina, Washington. According to King County public records, as of 2006, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $125 million, and the annual property tax is just under $1 million. Also among Gates' private acquisitions is the Codex Leicester, a collection of writings by Leonardo da Vinci, which Gates bought for USD $30.8 million at an auction in 1994.^[43]

Gates's e-mail address has been widely publicized, and he received as many as 4,000,000 e-mails per day in 2004, most of which were spam. He has almost an entire department devoted to filtering out junk emails.^[44] Gates says that most of this junk mail "offers to help [him] get out of debt or get rich quick", which "would be funny if it weren't so irritating".^[45]

Wealth and investments

Gates has been number one on the "Forbes 400" list from 1993 through to 2006 and number one on Forbes list of "The World's Richest People" from 1995 to 2006 with around 50 billion U.S. dollars. In 1999, Gates's wealth briefly surpassed $100 billion causing him to be referred to in the media as a "centibillionaire".^[46] Since 2000 the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the dot-com bubble and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In May 2006, Gates said in an interview that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world, stating that he disliked the attention it brought.^[47]

Gates has several investments outside Microsoft. He founded Corbis, a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company headed by longtime friend Warren Buffett.^[48] He is a client of Cascade Investment Group, a wealth management firm with diverse holdings.

Philanthropy

Gates in Poland, 2006

In 2000, Gates founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organization, with his wife. Bill Gates Sr. has credited David Rockefeller's generosity and extensive philanthropy as an influence on his son. The two of them met several times with him and have modeled their giving in part on the Rockefeller family's philanthropic focus on global problems being ignored by governments and other organizations.[1]

The foundation's grants have provided funds for college scholarships for under-represented minorities, AIDS prevention, diseases prevalent in third world countries, and other causes. In 2000, the Gates Foundation endowed the University of Cambridge with $210 million for the Gates Cambridge Scholarships. The Foundation has also pledged over $7 billion to its various causes, including $1 billion to the United Negro College Fund. According to a 2004 Forbes magazine article, Gates gave away over $29 billion to charities from 2000 onwards. These donations are usually cited as sparking a substantial change in attitudes towards philanthropy among the very rich, with philanthropy becoming the norm.^[49]

Public school support

One of Gates' primary interests is improving the public schools. He has donated substantially toward that goal, and also appeared on programs with personalities such as Oprah Winfrey to emphasize the crisis in American education. He has also appeared before Congress for this purpose.

Transition

On June 16, 2006, Gates announced that he would move to a part-time role with Microsoft (leaving day-to-day operations management) in July, 2008 to begin a full-time career in philanthropy, but would remain as chairman. Gates credited Warren Buffett with influencing his decision to commit himself to charitable causes.^[50] Days later, Buffett announced that he would begin matching Gates' contributions to the Foundation.^[51]

Publicity

Bill Gates at Consumer Electronics Show, January 4, 2006

Awards and recognition

Time Magazine named Gates one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005 and again in 2006. Gates and Oprah Winfrey are the only two people to make all four lists. Time also collectively named Gates, his wife Melinda and U2's lead singer Bono as the 2005 Persons of the Year for their humanitarian efforts. That same year Gates was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2006, Gates Foundation was awarded the Premio Príncipe de Asturias en Cooperación Internacional. In a list compiled by the magazine New Statesman in 2006, he was voted eighth in the list of "Heroes of our time".^[52] Gates was listed in the Sunday Times power list in 1999, named CEO of the year by Chief Executive Officers magazine in 1994, ranked number one in the "Top 50 Cyber Elite" by Time in 1998, ranked number two in the Upside Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in The Guardian as one of the "Top 100 influential people in media" in 2001.

Gates has received three honorary doctorates, from the Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands in 2000,^[53] the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden in 2002 and Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in 2005. Gates was also given an honorary KBE (Knighthood) from Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2005,^[54] in addition to having entomologists name the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honor.^[55]

Bill and Melinda received the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation on May 4, 2006, in recognition of their world impact through charity giving.^[56] In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program "Un país de lectores".^[57]

Welcome to Successful Life Style

We all are smart enough presently in whatever job we do or position we are in, no doubt, but strategies reveal that the present status is not up to the mark to turn our personality into a Successful one. So the advert of this blog.

I have made some efforts to make all of my visitors to enable them to DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL PERSONALITY in them irrespective of their age, position, status, country, etc.

As you know well we have all potential kept in-built inside us. The only thing is to unleash the hidden potential and find THE SUCCESSFUL PERSON IN YOU.

Don't worry, because you are now at the RIGHT PLACE to start your journey towards SUCCESS no matter whatever you do presently, no matter wherever you dwell upon, no matter whatever your dream is .... just join hands with me....

Lets move together towards THE GREAT SUCCESS IN OUR LIFE.

THE MAN AND THE OPPORTUNITY

No man is born into this world whose work is not born with him.
—LOWELL
Things don't turn up in this world until somebody turns them up.
—GASFIELD
Vigilance in watching opportunity; tact and daring in seizing upon opportunity; force and
persistence in crowding opportunity to its utmost of possible achievement—these are the martial
virtues which must command success.
—AUSTIN PHELPS
There never was a day that did not bring its own opportunity for doing good that never could have
been done before, and never can be again
—W H, BURLEIGH

History furnishes thousands of examples of men who have seized
occasions to accomplish results deemed impossible by those less resolute.
Prompt decision and whole-souled action sweep the world before them. True,
there has been but one Napoleon.

There may not be one chance in a million that you will ever receive
unusual aid; but opportunities are often presented which you can improve to
good advantage, if you will only act.
The lack of opportunity is ever the excuse of a weak, vacillating mind.
Opportunities! Every life is full of them. Every lesson in school or college is an
opportunity. Every examination is a chance in life. Every patient is an opportunity.
Every newspaper article is an opportunity. Every client is an opportunity. Every
sermon is an opportunity. Every business transaction is an opportunity,—an
opportunity to be polite, —an opportunity to be manly,—an opportunity to be
honest,—an opportunity to make friends.
Every proof of confidence in you is a great opportunity. Every
responsibility thrust upon your strength and your honor is priceless. Existence is
the privilege of effort, and when that privilege is met like a man, opportunities
to succeed along the line of your aptitude will come faster than you can use
them.