The hardest thing for leaders is to keep themselves and their companies
relevant. Given the enormous shifts in technology today, it's easy to '
become obsolete overnight. To keep ahead of the pack, Bill Gates, when he
ran Microsoft, began his celebrated "Think week." Once or twice a year
he would retreat from the world to focus deeply on a topic crucial to the
software maker's foture. During his Think weeks, Gates admonished
Microsoft executives to pivot to the Internet or face extinction, and gave
the green light to Xbox Live. After Gates left to run his foundation,
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stopped doing Think weeks. One young
CEO, however, is reportedly interested in pursuing the habit: Mark
Zuckerberg of Facebook. Given his youth, his ambition, and that he may
overtake Gates as the richest individual in America, there would be a nice
symmetry to it. - V.H.