Melinda French Gates has shared some career advice she received from Warren Buffett that greatly impacted her. In a recent episode of the LinkedIn podcast Hello Monday, the philanthropist talked about Buffett’s wisdom in the early days of the Gates Foundation. “Warren Buffett once told us, ‘Find your bullseye of what you’re working on and let the other things disappear.
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,'” Melinda recalled. Buffett’s involvement with the Gates Foundation was notable. He served as a trustee from 2006 to 2021 and made substantial contributions totaling $36 billion as of 2022.
During the podcast, Melinda also offered her own advice on career decisions. She emphasized the value of having a circle of trusted confidants. “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.
Buffett’s guiding bullseye advice
Later in the conversation, Melinda discussed the issue of self-doubt, particularly among women. “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,” Melinda said. “That employer saw something in you. So lean into that.”
Reflecting on her own experiences, she shared, “I have surrounded myself over time with people who believed in me … and I tried to push away the people who didn’t believe in me.”
Since stepping away from the Gates Foundation in June 2024, Melinda has 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.
Melinda also discussed how her high-profile divorce from Bill Gates changed her approach to her goals. “Fundamentally, I’m the same person,” she told the host. But I can use my full voice in any way I want to.
And my full 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 Saulo Mohana on Unsplash
