Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics, and Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, are worlds apart in terms of their leadership styles in most respects. Mary KayÆs Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) level was high, whereas GatesÆs is low (ôContingency Model of Leadership Effectivenessö). Mary Kay focused on relationships, family values, and integrity, couching them all in a pleasant personality and gentle manner. Gates, on the other hand, focuses strictly on business, with relationships appearing insignificant to him, a personality that is described as ôacerbic,ö and little regard for family values. Both Ash and Gates demonstrate excellent situational control, however. Both are highly effective leaders with top-of-the-heap companies to show for it.
Both Ash and Gates are hard workers and well respected in their industries. The secret to Mary KayÆs success is her ability to prioritize, putting the most important issues at the top. Her charismatic personality infuses her entire company, making it inviting, accepting, and rewarding for women who become a part of it. In GatesÆ case, it is his intelligence, innovative thinking, and technological savvy that have put him on top. One of their similarities is an instinctive understanding of what will work in their industry. Along with this understanding comes further insight into how the company needs to be adapted to respond to the continual changes in the market. Both companies have weathered storms that sank others, in part because of their ability to change as the tide changed.
I would much prefer working for Mary Kay, because she is more concerned about the well-being of her employees than Bill Gates is. He is focuses almost solely on success, while Mary Kay invested herself in her people and always made them feel significant. One of Mary KayÆs most notable quotes is:
We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work
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