Melinda Gates - A Leading Figure During the COVID19 Crisis

Melinda Gates has been a leading figure in our response to the COVID19 crisis. Through her work in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she has made us aware of how our increasing global connectedness means we need a global response to the crisis for our greatest chance at success, with the need to focus on the poorest communities. She has also described how the disease will have differing impacts on the two genders. Whilst men appear to be having a higher death rate, the indirect adverse consequent of the disease on women’s lives is notably higher.

What can we learn from Melinda Gates

Proactive Leadership – Melinda Gates has stood as an influential leader in this crisis, proactively influencing the decision making and leading our response to the virus. This is despite not having any formal qualifications in the field. Where does she get her drive and influence from? It’s through years of hard work, experience, interest and active involvement in the field of disease prevention through her work in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her actions are something we can all learn from. She has shown us that we don’t need to wait for qualification or training in order to start contributing to a field which interests us. And we certainly shouldn’t use the fact that we have no training or experience in a field to limit our ambitions.

Using Money to Influence and Make the World a Better Place – Melinda Gates is an example of a woman using money to influence the world, making it a better place, and contributing to the world in ways which is meaningful to her, whilst positively impacting the lives of many. In response to the COVID19 crisis, her foundation is building factories for seven promising coronavirus vaccine candidates.

Whilst many believe that seeking money and wealth is unethical, Melinda Gates demonstrates that money can be used as a powerful tool to enable change and progress a cause. She therefore focuses much of her energy on her philanthropic work where she can make huge contribution through funding. The lesson we can take away is the enormous power that wealth and money gives us to contribute to our world in meaningful ways. Without funding, our practical ability to progress a cause remains limited and protracted.

Let us learn from Melinda Gates that we can be and become a proactive leader through hard work, and active involvement in our field of interest. Let’s also learn from her of the power that money and wealth can have on our ability to enable change and contribute meaningfully to our world.