In a recent interview with the BBC, Bill Gates revealed that in Microsoft’s early days, he used to memorize the license plates of his employees so he would know when they were arriving and leaving. While he admitted this might sound controlling, he also said it was a good measure of who was fully committed in the company’s early days. Gates was passionate about the company, but never ruthless. "I was quite fanatical about work," Gates said. "I worked weekends, and I didn't really believe in vacations. I had to be a little careful not to apply my standards to how hard [employees] worked." This is an important lesson for both entrepreneurs at a new company and managers at established organizations. Drive and desire are important, of course, but it can’t be all consuming; it should never get to the point where the workforce becomes overly stressed or burned out.