What Focus Really Means: Learning From Bill Gates, Warren Buffett And Steve Jobs
In early July 1991, Bill Gates Sr. invited some guests over for dinner. The diners that evening included his son Bill Gates Jr., the founder of Microsoft, and Warren Buffett. These were two of the most successful men in the world, who, for many years, had taken it in turns to top The Forbes World’s Billionaires list. The host asked his dinner guests, “What factor do you feel has been the most important in getting to where you’ve gotten in life?” Buffett immediately replied, “Focus.” Bill Gates Jr. agreed. Bill Gates Gates admitted that he had been obsessed with computers since he was 13, “I mean, then I became hard core. It was day and night.” His parents were worried about him, “Although he was only in the ninth grade, he already seemed obsessed with the computer, ignoring everything else, staying out all night.” In the end, they ordered him to give up computers, which he managed to do for about nine months. In the words of Bill Gates Jr.’s college roommate, Andy Braiterman, “Bi...