Bill Gates' Ex Follows One Rule When It Comes To Workplace Conflict & Everyone Can Learn From It

Bill and Melinda French Gates' relationship lasted well over three decades. The couple was happily married for 27 years before getting divorced in 2021. The Gates initially met when Melinda started working at Microsoft in 1987. Both during and after their marriage, she made a name for herself as a philanthropist, and in 2015, Melinda founded Pivotal, "A group of organizations working to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the U.S. and around the world." Clearly, Melinda Gates has a wealth of experience being a leader in the business world, and she's certainly encountered conflicts that stem from work not being done well. But her policy when she has to give critical feedback, which could possibly kick off a conflict, is to wait two days before doing so. 

This helps ensure any criticism she delivers will be used constructively, and it also gives her a chance to be more thoughtful about the situation. On Bloomberg's "Leaders with Francine Lacqua: The Podcast," Melinda discussed conflict in the workplace, and she detailed her policy, even referring to it as one of her biggest mantras. "I told directly to my employees then and now, if I'm unhappy with work you have done, you will hear from me within 48 hours," she explained. "I'm not going to tell you right away because I need time to think it through. If I'm angry about something, to calm down." Melinda Gates may have undergone a stunning transformation, but it sounds like this policy has been long held.

Elsewhere in her chat with Francine Lacqua, Melinda French Gates pointed out that her 48-hour rule means that her employees know that if they haven't heard from her in two days, they're in the clear. "If they pass the 48-hour mark, they can be confident that the job they did was a good job," the philanthropist reasoned. She also advised other leaders to make sure to be clear in their feedback as it's the best way to ensure everyone's on the same page with what works and what doesn't, and why. The 48-hour rule makes things easier and clearer for both Melinda and her staffers, and it's a policy that just about anybody could benefit from whether at work or even in their personal relationships. Instead of reacting to something in the heat of the moment, take two days to develop a measured response. Plus, ensuring you tell someone if you have an issue within two days means that you won't bring up a problem several days or even weeks after it happened.

While Gates is often the one dispensing critiques, she's also been on the receiving end of them plenty of times too. The philanthropist reminisced on LinkedIn about a project that she promoted while at Microsoft that bombed: Microsoft Bob. "Until that point, I'd made most of my mistakes on expense reports. Failing so hard —and so publicly— was a new experience entirely," Gates shared. She showed up to the product demonstration with a T-shirt with a red target printed on it. "It told people: Let's hear it," she explained. "Our team isn't just going to endure feedback — we'll enjoy it. We want to know where we stand."