Reflections on World’s Leadership

Mr. Bill Gates (Good Leader)

Mr. George Walker Bush (Bad Leader)

Presented to: Prof. Dr. Hayfaa A. Tlaiss
Prepared by: Sarwat Praveen
Student Number: 3518229
Section-2 & Group-2
Table of Contents

MR. BILL GATES 2
INTRODUCTION2
ABOUT HIS LIFE…2 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF BILL GATES4
GROWING AND LEARNING4 HAVING VISION5 CARING ABOUT PEOPLE5 MY PERCEPTION, WHY BILL GATE IS A GREAT LEADER…6 BILL GATE IS MY INSPIRATION7 MR. GEORGE WALKER BUSH8 EARLY LIFE AND CAREER8 MY PERCEPTION, WHY HE IS BAD LEADER9 GEORGE BUSH FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM…9 FEW GOOD STEPS TAKEN BY GEORGE BUSH10 GEORG BUSH SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM10 GEORGE BUSH POST PRESIDENCY11 HOW DID HIS LEADERSHIP STYLE IMPECT ME AND MY LEADERSHIP STYLE 11 REFRENCES…13

Mr. Bill Gates
INTRODUCTION
William Henry "Bill" Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate, philanthropist, investor, computer programmer, and inventor. Gates is the former chief executive and chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen. He is an exceptional leader in the business field. Being named the richest man in the world for the past decade by Forbes magazine, it was clear that Bill Gates must be an outstanding business leader taking his company Microsoft from a small firm that was founded in 1975 to a global company that is worth many hundreds of billions of dollars today.
ABOUT HIS LIFE
Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.
Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer – the MITS Altair.
In his junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates’ foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry.
Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft’s mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its industry-leading investment in research and development each year.
Gates was married on Jan. 1, 1994, to Melinda French Gates. They have three children. Gates is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf, tennis and bridge.
In 1999, Gates wrote “Business @ the Speed of Thought,” a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is available in more than 60 countries. “Business @ the Speed of Thought” has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed on the best-seller lists of the “New York Times,” “USA Today,” “The Wall Street Journal” and on Amazon.com. Gates’ previous book, “The Road Ahead,” published in 1995, was at the top of the “New York Times” bestseller list for seven weeks.
Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development.
In addition to his love of computers and software, Gates founded Corbis, which is developing one of the world’s largest resources of visual information – a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe. He is also a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which invests in companies engaged in diverse business activities.
Philanthropy is very important to Gates. He and his wife, Melinda, started a foundation in 2000 to help reduce inequities in the United States and around the world. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning, with the hope that in the 21st century, advances in these critical areas will be available for all people. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.gatesfoundation.org
Leadership Qualities of Bill Gates
In the same way that every truly worthy recipe has a couple of key ingredients that make it unique and amazing, leaders also tend to have key qualities that enable them to shine. Such is the case for Bill Gates. Along with Paul Allen, Bill Gates founded what is now one of the most successful companies in the world, Microsoft. He frequents Forbes Top 100 lists, recently ranking as the richest person in America. In fact, he previously appeared on the World’s Billionaires list by Forbes for 12 consecutive years (CNN). In addition, he’s the recipient of numerous awards including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society, Bower Award for Business Leadership and more. He’s also become known for his significant role as a philanthropist. Nobody could deny that Gates has had a significant impact on the world, and that he is someone worth emulating. Below are some leadership qualities of Bill Gates.
Growing and learning
After landing billionaire lists several times, it would be easy for Gates to become prideful or think he knows it all. But he’s not that way. In fact, a recent Forbes article highlighted his efforts to improve on his communication and public speaking skills (Forbes). Gates is also known for his wisdom in seeking council from others. He often speaks of how much he has learned from Warren Buffett. Gates once commented that Buffett has a “brilliant way of looking at the world” (BBC). Like a sponge, Gates tries to soak in lessons learned from his mentor in order to become a better leader.
Having vision
Without a doubt, Bill Gates is a man with vision. It was vision that inspired him to pursue the creation of a graphical interface that became Microsoft software. Looking back to his interviews about the development of Microsoft, Gates says he always knew he wanted to have more than a single product. The company wanted to hire in more software people and develop a full product line. From the beginning, he recognized potential for growth and opportunity. His ability to envision goals also reaches into his philanthropic pursuits. It can be seen in the malaria project he is now pursuing at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal is to eradicate malaria, and he’s laid out a strategy to get from A to B. His abilities to envision and strategize make it easy for others to follow him.
Caring about people
It would be hard to talk about the life of Bill Gates and not discuss philanthropy and humanitarianism. Along with Warren Buffet, Bill and Melinda Gates were the founders of the giving pledge, a pledge taken by some of the world’s wealthiest people to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes or charitable organizations. Gates once said “I hope you will reflect on what you’ve done with your talent and energy. I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you work to address the world’s deepest inequities, on how well you treat people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity” (Bloomberg Businessweek). This is the kind of caring and empathy that causes people to stand behind a leader. He is the type of person who isn’t working toward his own goal of personal gain; he is working to help others grow. This is a key quality that successful leaders often embody.
Anyone who wants to inspire or lead can do so. The key is to not lose key qualities like a humble attitude, vision, or empathy in the process. Great leaders like Bill Gates are successful in staying grounded which enables success. His qualities and achievements set a great example for rising leaders.
My Perception Why Bill Gate is A Great Leader * Bill Gates is a great leader. He is the most successful entrepreneur of 20th century. He believes in achieving his goals through hard work. He also believes that if you are intelligent and know how to use your intelligence, you can reach your goals and targets. * He is a fast learner as he developed the first software at the age of 13. * He had a vision, he learned to treat software as a business. * He is a master mind person, before IBM PC was launched, Microsoft acquired the operating system renaming it 86-OS from Seattle computers and launched in market. * He is very intelligent and aggressive, Microsoft bundled the Explorer browser with its Windows operating system. This was an aggressive move by Gates to counter the business benefit of becoming a market leader. * He is very innovative, Microsoft adapted to the existing products and developed new products centered on the Internet. It deployed productivity software as well as authoring tools. * He is a philanthropist, Bill Gates and his wife Malinda are the founder of “Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation” which is one of the largest private foundations in the world.
Why Bill Gate is My Inspiration * He is my great inspiration and his all of his leadership qualities will impact my leadership style, because intentionally or unintentionally I am trying to follow him. * He is my great inspiration because he is a hardworking, goal oriented and very intelligent person. * He has a vision and capabilities to fulfil his vision. * He believes in team work. * He thinks in long term and he never stops learning. * He is humble and ground to earth person, his qualities and achievements set a great example for rising leaders. * He is very caring about needy people, he gives majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes. He and his wife is running a charitable organization and spends millions of dollars on needy people’s around the world.

Mr. George Walker Bush
INTRODUCTION
George W. Bush America’s 43rd president, served in office from 2001 to 2009. Before entering the White House, Bush, the oldest son of George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. president, was a two-term Republican governor of Texas. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School, Bush worked in the Texas oil industry and was an owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team before becoming governor. In 2000, he won the presidency after narrowly defeating Democratic challenger Al Gore. Bush’s time in office was shaped by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against America. In response to the attacks, he declared a global “war on terrorism,” established the Department of Homeland Security and authorized U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
George Walker Bush was born July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, the first child of George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Pierce. He was raised in Midland and Houston, Texas, with four siblings, Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy. Another younger sister, Robin, died from leukemia at the age of three in 1953. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University in 1968, and then served as an F-102 fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. Bush received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1975. Following graduation, he moved back to Midland and began a career in the energy business. On November 5, 1977, he married Laura Welch (1946-), a librarian and school teacher. The couple had twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, in 1981.
In 1978, Bush ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas but lost to his Democratic opponent in the general election. Afterward, he returned to his oil business, which he sold in 1986. Bush moved to Washington, D.C., to work on his father’s successful 1988 presidential campaign, and the following year became an investor in the Texas Rangers baseball team (he sold his ownership stake in 1998 for $15 million).
In 1994, Bush defeated Democratic incumbent Ann Richards to become governor of Texas. He was re-elected four years later. In the summer of 1999, Bush announced his candidacy for president, and campaigned as a “compassionate conservative.”
MY PERCEPTIONS, WHY HE IS A BAD LEADER
GEORGE W. BUSH: FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM: 2001-2005
Bush’s first term in the White House was dominated by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against America, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed, and their aftermath. The following month, in response to the attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to overthrow the Taliban government, which was suspected of harboring Osama Bin Laden (1957-2011), leader of Al-Qaeda, the organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban regime was quickly toppled; however, Bin Laden was not captured for another decade.
With the goal of protecting the United States from future terrorist attacks, Bush also signed the Patriot Act into law created the Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, which was officially established in November 2002. Then, in the spring of 2003, the United States invaded Iraq in order to overthrow leader Sadaam Hussein (1937-2006), whose regime was accused of supporting international terrorist groups and possessing large caches of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In December 2003, U.S. forces captured Hussein (who was later executed by Iraqi officials); however, no WMDs were ever discovered.

Few Good Steps Taken by George Bush
In his first term, Bush won Congressional approval of widespread tax-cut bills and the Medicare prescription drug coverage program for seniors; signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law; allocated billions of dollars to fight HIV/AIDS around the world; created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and withdrew America’s support of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which was signed by President Bill Clinton and was intended to combat worldwide global warming (Bush said he was concerned that the international agreement’s requirements would hurt the U.S. economy).
Bush ran for re-election in 2004 and defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry (1943-), a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, by a margin of 286-251 electoral votes and with 50.7 percent of the popular vote to Kerry’s 48.3 percent
GEORGE W. BUSH: SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM: 2005-2009
Bush enjoyed strong public approval ratings throughout much of his first term; however, during his second term his popularity plummeted. Critics said Bush had used misleading claims about Iraq’s WMDs as a justification for the invasion of that Middle Eastern nation. Additionally, after Hurricane Katrina devastated America’s Gulf Coast region in August 2005, resulting in some 1,800 deaths and billions of dollars in damages, the Bush administration was widely criticized for its slow response to the disaster.
A troubled economy also contributed to Americans’ dissatisfaction with Bush. He began his presidency with a federal budget surplus; however, factors such as the enormous cost of fighting two wars and the broad tax cuts led to annual budget deficits starting in 2002. Then, in 2008, with America experiencing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Congress passed a series of controversial Bush administration-sponsored plans to bail out the financial industry with hundreds of billions in federal funds. Bush also lobbied unsuccessfully for a plan to replace Social Security with private retirement savings accounts.
Throughout his terms, Bush rarely wavered from his stance as a social conservative. He made two nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court, both in 2005: Chief Justice John Roberts (1955-) and Samuel Alito (1950-), both regarded as judicial conservatives.
GEORGE W. BUSH: POST-PRESIDENCY
Following the January 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama (1961-), Bush left office as a polarizing figure. He and first lady Laura Bush returned to Texas, where they divided their time between homes in Dallas and Crawford. In 2010, Bush released a memoir, “Decision Points,” in 2010, but otherwise maintained a low national profile.
How did his leadership style impact me and my leadership style? * Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas but Mr. Bush Jr. didn’t do any of the act that make him a great leader. I never wanted to be like him. * He did virtually nothing for 3½ years after the economy bottomed out, and U.S dove deep into the Great Depression. * He presided over the worst and most easily preventable terrorist attack in history – one that killed 3,000 people. * He started two wars, and then completely bungled both of them. He financed them off the books with borrowed money, and used that money to line the pockets of his largest donors. * He oversaw two recessions in less than eight years, the second one being the worst since the Hoover Depression. * He initiated a war based on false data. There were no WMDs in Iraq. Furthermore, the war was a complete strategic wrong turn that took our nation away from the pursuit of Al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. * He attempted to start a war with Iran.
And list is going on and on.

References
1. Leadership07.tripod.com. Great leaders. 2014. Available at: http://leadership07.tripod.com/id2.html. Accessed October 27, 2014.
2. News.microsoft.com. Bill Gates | News Center. 2014. Available at: http://news.microsoft.com/exec/bill-gates/. Accessed October 27, 2014.
3. Center For Work Life. Leadership Qualities of Bill Gates: how to be a successful leader. 2014. Available at: http://www.centerforworklife.com/leadership-qualities-bill-gates/. Accessed October 27, 2014.
4. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Biography of President George W. Bush. 2014. Available at: http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/president/biography.html. Accessed October 27, 2014.
5. The White House. George W. Bush. 2014. Available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewbush. Accessed October 27, 2014.