Bill Gates and Problem Solving

In a recent Harvard commencement speech (as reported in the Wall Street Journal), Bill Gates noted that the student newspaper, the Crimson, had called him "Harvard's most successful dropout."

To which, Gates responded: "I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class...I did the best of everyone who failed."

In the analytical style for which he became famous in technology circles, Gates' recommends a four step approach to problem solving:

1. Determine your goal
2. Find the "highest-leverage" approach to reaching that goal
3. Discover the ideal technology for that approach
4. Make the smartest application of the technology that you already have