“I studied everything but never topped. But today the toppers of the best universities are my employees.”

This statement challenges the traditional belief that academic rank is the primary indicator of one's future success or leadership ability. The deeper strategic insight is that the "topper" often excels at following a predefined path, while the leader is the one who creates the path and coordinates the specialists. In today’s corporate world, this reminds us that vision, risk-taking, and the ability to hire talent are the ultimate competitive advantages. People share this today as a motivational badge of honor for those who take unconventional paths or prioritize practical results over perfect scores. Gates, who was a brilliant but non-conforming student at Harvard, used his broad interests to see connections that others missed, eventually hiring the best specialists to build his vision. The practical lesson for students is to focus on developing a wide range of skills and the ability to work with people who are smarter than you in specific areas. True power comes not from being the best at a single subject, but from being the one who can coordinate the best at many for a common goal.