--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You've got to give great tools to small…" description: "\"You've got to give great tools to small teams. Pick good people, use small teams, give them excellent tools...so that they are very productive in terms..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/bill-gates-137_good-people_you-ve-got-to-give-great-tools-to-small_1866314.jpg" --- # You've got to give great tools to small teams. Pick good… ![“You've got to give great tools to small teams. Pick good people, use small teams, give them excellent tools...so that they are very productive in terms of what they are doing. Make it very clear what they can do to change the spec. Make them feel lik” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/bill-gates-137_good-people_you-ve-got-to-give-great-tools-to-small_1866314.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/bill-gates-137_good-people_you-ve-got-to-give-great-tools-to-small_1866314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/bill-gates-137_good-people_you-ve-got-to-give-great-tools-to-small_1866314.jpg) > “You've got to give great tools to small teams. Pick good people, use small teams, give them excellent tools...so that they are very productive in terms of what they are doing. Make it very clear what they can do to change the spec. Make them feel lik” [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Providing small teams with excellent tools and clear goals boosts productivity and innovation. **In simple terms:** Give teams good tools and clear direction. Key Takeaway Equip teams and define clear objectives. Themes productivity teamwork leadership Mood motivational pragmatic Type leadership business When to use this quote - software development - startup growth - project management Key Concepts management theory tool empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What tools do your teams need most? - How do you ensure clarity of purpose? A Different Perspective Overreliance on tools can ignore human factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change Spec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-spec-2546609/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Small Teams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-teams-1015828/) [Team work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-work/) [Teams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teams/) [Teams Excellent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teams-excellent-2546610/) [Teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teamwork/) [Use Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-small-1487267/) ## Related quotes > [You’ve got to give great tools to small teams. Pick good people, use small teams and give them great tools so that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/you-ve-got-to-give-great-tools-to-small-teams-pick-good-people-use-2/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The small teams are playing well. That's visible, and it has had an impact on German football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bastian-schweinsteiger/the-small-teams-are-playing-well-that-s-visible-and-it-has-had-an/) [Bastian Schweinsteiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bastian-schweinsteiger/) > [They think so small, they use small words. But not me, I'm smarter than that, I've worked it out. I'm stretching my mouth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/they-think-so-small-they-use-small-words-but-not-me-i-m-smarter-than/) [Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/) > [We may easily be too big for God to use, but never too small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/we-may-easily-be-too-big-for-god-to-use-but-never-too-small/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [From building a fire one can learn something about artistic composition. If you use only small kindling and large logs, the fire will quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/from-building-a-fire-one-can-learn-something-about-artistic/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [You can be too big for God to use, but you can never be too small for God to use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/you-can-be-too-big-for-god-to-use-but-you-can-never-be-too-small-for/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [Teams do not go physically flat, they go mentally stale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/teams-do-not-go-physically-flat-they-go-mentally-stale/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [Most teams aren't teams at all but merely collections of individual relationships with the boss. 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I've been doing this for 30 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-trapattoni/i-know-how-teams-work-i-ve-been-doing-this-for-30-years/) [Giovanni Trapattoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-trapattoni/) > [I like working in small teams where people on the team have very different skills than what I have and that banter back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-dean/i-like-working-in-small-teams-where-people-on-the-team-have-very/) [Jeff Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-dean/) > [“We have always found that people are most productive in small teams with tight budgets, time lines and the freedom to solve their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rollwagen/we-have-always-found-that-people-are-most-productive-in-small-teams/) [John Rollwagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rollwagen/) > [The Premier League is difficult. The small teams can beat the big teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-hazard/the-premier-league-is-difficult-the-small-teams-can-beat-the-big-teams/) [Eden Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-hazard/) > [Everyone wants to support, like me as a kid, the small teams because they can trust they are going to give their best against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogo-jota/everyone-wants-to-support-like-me-as-a-kid-the-small-teams-because/) [Diogo Jota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogo-jota/) > [Sometimes people, not the players, play the game before it's started and that's a problem because there are no small teams in the Premiership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kolo-toure/sometimes-people-not-the-players-play-the-game-before-it-s-started/) [Kolo Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kolo-toure/) ## More by Bill Gates > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) [Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## More Good people quotes > [“Any discussion of money and success would be lacking if I did not state that money is neither good nor bad. In the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/any-discussion-of-money-and-success-would-be-lacking-if-i-did-not/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) > [From what I have seen, I am driven to the conclusion that religion is only good for good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/from-what-i-have-seen-i-am-driven-to-the-conclusion-that-religion-is/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Constantly look for the good in people and in situations. When you find it, tell the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/constantly-look-for-the-good-in-people-and-in-situations-when-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Life is all about experiences and being able to work with good people is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/life-is-all-about-experiences-and-being-able-to-work-with-good-people/) [Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/) > [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Freedom and liberty lose out by default because good people are not vigilant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/freedom-and-liberty-lose-out-by-default-because-good-people-are-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [One of the things that I miss about Canada is that even the strangers, you have an immediate rapport, there's just an understanding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/one-of-the-things-that-i-miss-about-canada-is-that-even-the-strangers/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [“...I'd be interested in any tips you have for somebody starting out.” “Uh-huh,” I said, looking out the window. 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