There’s much in the press these last few weeks about the end of the BillG era at Microsoft. If you haven’t seen it, I found this pictorial narrated by Gates to be one that portrayed him in a very different light. The transcript of this internal memo and this one also provided some clues into how he thinks and communicates.

People like to contrast Apple with Microsoft and correspondingly Steve Jobs with Bill Gates. The more I think about it though, the more I think the two are more alike than different.

Both dropped out of college for the right reasons. Both have made a huge mark in not one, but two industries. Jobs in computers and animated movies. Gates in software and philanthropy.

What strikes me about each though, is how instinctual they are in business, how huge their dreams are, how clearly and directly they communicate with the people in their organizations and how deeply involved they are in the smallest of details. We’ve all heard that each has tendencies to be controlling and harsh. Yet neither organization suffered from turnover. So clearly, people put up with it. Why is that?

Nobody wants a bunch of f-bombs dropped on them in front of their peers, much less in private. That behavior by Gates and Jobs was tolerated because the audacity of their vision and the clarity of their communication inspired people in ways that resulted in the world actually being changed.

So for me as entreprenuer the lessons are clear

*) People really will unite behind a vision of changing the world so be bold and courageous to frequently focus the team on these grand aspirations.

*) Communicate directly and clearly even when the message won’t initially be welcome. It’s better to err on the side of saying what needs to be said with a suboptimal delivery than to not say what needs to be said because you can’t find the right words.

*) Every seemingly unimportant little detail adds up to make a huge difference. Don’t settle. Demand the best.