3 Things Gates Learnt From Buffett

Few people in the US are more successful than Bill Gates. But that doesn’t mean the billionaire knows everything. There are still important business lessons to be learned by America’s richest man -and who better to learn them from than Gates’ friend and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett? Earlier this year Gates traveled to Omaha for Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders meeting. He outlined the three most important lessons he learned from Buffett.

Look at the Big Picture

When Gates first met Buffett, his immediate instinct was to focus on the surface of his success: picking and investing in stocks. But Gates quickly learned that key to Buffett’s success runs much deeper -it’s about the big picture of a business. “He has a whole framework for business thinking that is very powerful,“ Gates writes.

Be Honest with Shareholders

Buffett takes time every year to send a letter to shareholders, a practice that inspired Gates to do the same. While Buffett’s letters offer business and investing insights, Gates believes his candor is what makes them stand out.

Value your Time

“No matter how much money you have, you can’t buy more time,“ Gates reminds us, noting that Buffett understands this better than anyone. Buffett makes an effort to be available to his close advisers and always finds time to personally answer phone calls from them. “He’s very generous with his time for the people he trusts,“ Gates says.