A leader is someone who can inspire others, especially when they are in a difficult situation. The best leader I have experienced in my life is Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Company. Because of my continued love for innovation, Bill gates continue to be the main epitome of a perfect leader.
Bill Gates is a modern-day Renaissance man. He can be explained as a persuasive and influential who directs individuals toward the right path to attaining greater results. As discussed in the article, during the persuasive era, leaders used mechanisms to persuade individuals to do their best (King, 1990). He is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and technology titan, working on innovative solutions to global issues for decades. Gates has good communication skills, a key trait in any leader. He can express himself clearly and build rapport with his employees by being approachable and friendly. The biggest weakness in Gates’ leadership style is that he tends to be too trusting of others, especially when it comes to decisions that have been made without his consent or input. The latter could be problematic in the long term if he starts making decisions without consulting others and then regrets it later because they are not consulted enough or are not informed about what is happening behind the scenes (Inceoglu et al., 2018). Gates’ leadership strengths include his ability to lead by example and inspire others.
I felt inspired by Bill Gates because of his relentless pursuit of excellence and ability to remain focused on the long-term vision. In my own life, I have learned a lot from his leadership style and have found that it has helped me achieve some of my goals. His general impact on me was to drive me to be the best version of myself, which I aspire to do every day. His leadership style also taught me how important it is for people to work together as a team and ensure that everyone is pulling their weight. He taught me that there will always be risks in life, but the rewards will outweigh them. Furthermore, he showed me that you can still make things happen even when things seem impossible.
Being a positive role model for others – I am outgoing and greatly respect people. I love to help others and see them succeed. The latter is a great way to set an example, especially when working with new people or younger staff members (Henkel et al., 2019). Empowering others – I feel it is important to empower others so they can make their own decisions and do things on their initiative.
Tools that are necessary for me to be successful in this position and in my personal life. These tools can include books or seminars that have helped others before me, people who have been through similar situations, and mentors from whom I can learn how to succeed at all levels of leadership.
My strengths include communicating effectively with a large crowd and influencing them to do better. The latter is only done through continued persuasion that shapes ideas. The potential barriers include mockery and fear of failure, which can be overcome by believing in oneself and looking for advice.
I will influence the individuals to believe in themselves in everything they do and yield success. For instance, Bill Gates always influenced his team towards innovativeness, which made them stand and become a global brand. Being a positive role model and empowering others to do their best can only be done through influence.
Henkel, T. G., Marion Jr, J. W., & Bourdeau, D. T. (2019). Project manager leadership behavior: Task-oriented versus relationship-oriented. Journal of Leadership Education, 18(2), 1.
Inceoglu, I., Thomas, G., Chu, C., Plans, D., & Gerbasi, A. (2018). Leadership behavior and employee well-being: An integrated review and a future research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 179-202.
King, A. S. (1990). Evolution of leadership theory. Vikalpa, 15(2), 43-56.