Buffett’s career advice shapes Gates Foundation strategy

Melinda French Gates has shared valuable career advice she received from billionaire Warren Buffett during the early days of the Gates Foundation. In a recent episode of the LinkedIn podcast “Hello Monday,” Melinda recalled Buffett’s words of wisdom: “Find your bullseye of what you’re working on and let the other things fall away. You’ll feel better if you keep your talents in that bullseye and keep working on those issues, and you’ll feel less bad about letting other things go.” Buffett, who served as a Gates Foundation trustee from 2006 to 2021 and contributed $36 billion to the foundation as of 2022, emphasized the importance of focus in one’s work. Melinda also shared her own advice about having a trusted circle when making major career decisions. “Trust yourself — that you know why you’re making this career shift and moving to this role — but keep a set of trusted advisors around you,” she said. She stressed the significance of confidence, especially for women in the workplace. “They think, ‘Oh, maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe I don’t deserve to belong here. Maybe I shouldn’t.’ And the truth is no, that employer saw something in you. So lean into that,” she said.

Buffett’s bullseye advice for careers

Melinda remarked on the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive individuals and distancing herself from those who do not believe in her. After she departed from the Gates Foundation in June 2024, Melinda is now focused on her own nonprofit, which works on projects to empower women. “What I am doing now in full force is making sure that women’s rights are not only on the agenda but that women are setting the agenda,” she explained. “Women’s rights globally and in the United States have been rolled back. I make zero sense of the fact that my granddaughter will have fewer rights right now because of the Supreme Court than I did. Melinda also discussed how her high-profile divorce from Bill Gates changed her approach to her goals. “Fundamentally, I’m the same person,” she said. “But I can use my full voice however I want. And my complete resources in any way I want to. And that, to me, is something I’ve been saying about women in society: that they should have their full voice, resources, and decision-making authority. And now I’m role modeling that.” Image Credits: Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash