Gates is also quick to acknowledge his close pal Warren Buffett as a teacher whose wisdom has made a huge impact on his life.

“No matter how much money you have, you can’t buy more time,” writes Gates. “There are only 24 hours in everyone’s day.Warren has a keen sense of this. He doesn’t let his calendar get filled up with useless meetings.”

And successful people, like Buffett and Gates, are keenly aware of centering their whole day around the things that matter the most. They manage themselves extremely well in order to manage their time to focus on that “one thing.”

As the CEO of Microsoft, Gates once expressed an ideology now in demand in people-centered work cultures: “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

One thing remains more true now than ever Good leaders set themselves apart by effec...