We can all learn something from those around us, no matter how vastly different their worldview, if we're open to it. That's how the world's most successful people got to where they are today.
Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo
My friend Andre said to me, "You know, Marissa, you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to pick the right choice, and I’ve gotta be honest: That’s not what I see here. I see a bunch of good choices, and there’s the one that you pick and make great." I think that’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten.
From a 2011 interview with the Social Times
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, Google
"Find a way to say yes to things. Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learn something new. Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids."
From Katie Couric's book "The Best Advice I Ever Got" excerpted by The Daily Beast
Jim Whitehurst, President and CEO, Red Hat
"For any business there are three levels of leadership. One is getting somebody to do what you want them to do. The second is getting people to think what you want them to think; then you don’t have to tell them what to do because they will figure it out."
"But the best is getting people to believe what you want them to believe, and if people really fundamentally believe what you want them to believe, they will walk through walls."
From a 2012 interview with The New York Times
Brian Chesky, CEO and co-founder, Airbnb
When Airbnb was going through Paul Graham's Y Combinator program, the legendary programmer and startup mentor told Chesky:
"Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like."
From a 2013 interview with Pando Daily
Terry J. Lundgren, CEO, Macy's
Gene Ross, the man who recruited Lundgren at Bullock, told him:
"You’re not going to do this forever. There’s a finite amount of time you’re going to be doing this. Do this really, really well. And if you do this really, really well, everybody will see that, and they’ll move you onto the next thing. And you do that well, and then you’ll move."
From a 2009 interview with The New York Times
Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
When Sandberg was thinking she wouldn’t accept an offer to be Google’s general manager, Eric Schmidt told her, “Stop being an idiot; all that matters is growth.” She says that’s the best advice she ever got.
Source: All Things D
Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway director Thomas Murphy told him:
"Never forget Warren, you can tell a guy to go to hell tomorrow — you don't give up the right. So just keep your mouth shut today, and see if you feel the same way tomorrow."
From a 2010 interview with Yahoo!
Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft
"Warren Buffett has taught me a lot of things, but he got me thinking very early on that at some point I'd have the opportunity and responsibility to give the wealth back.
And so, literally decades before the foundation got started I was reading about philanthropists from the past … what they'd done and how it worked."
From a 2012 interview with ABC News
Richard Parsons, former chairman, Citigroup
Steve Ross, the former CEO of Time Warner, told him:
"Just remember, it's a small business and a long life. You're going to see all these people again."
From the 2008 HACR Roundtable
Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder, Rent The Runway
"Just do it. There's no benefit to saying, 'I'm just doing this because it will get me to this new place,' or 'I'm just going to go into this analyst program because it will prep me for X.'
"If you're passionate about something, go for it, because people are great at what they love and when they're the happiest."
From a 2011 interview with The Huffington Post
Roman Stanek, CEO and founder, GoodData
"10 years ago I had a meeting with a good friend of mine, and his first question was 'What is your strategy? I was building a startup and I was looking at execution, so I told him what I was going to do, this is the model, and so on."
"He said 'No, no, no, what is your strategy? You have to understand where you're going. You have to understand your assets are and what you're leveraging. Even if you're solving problems and running around and working 80 hours a week, it's not enough. You have to have a strategy.'"
From a 2012 interview with Business Insider
Steve Schwartzman, chairman and CEO, Blackstone Group
"My high school coach, a 50-year-old named Jack Armstrong ... would shout, 'Remember—you’ve got to make your deposits before you can make a withdrawal!' ...
"Coach Armstrong came to mind in one of my first weeks on Wall Street, 35 years ago. I’d stayed up all night building a massive spreadsheet to be ready for a morning meeting. ... The partner on the deal, however, took one look at my work, spotted a tiny error, and went ballistic.
"As I sat there while he yelled at me, I realized I was getting the MBA version of Coach Armstrong’s words. Making an effort and meeting the deadline simply weren’t enough."
From a 2008 blog post at Harvard Business Review
Ben Silbermann, co-founder, Pinterest
"Don't take too much advice. Most people who have a lot of advice to give — with a few exceptions — generalize whatever they did. ...
"Every company carves its own path, and founders are under pressure to make their startups look like the last successful company everyone remembers."
From a panel discussion at SXSW 2012.
Source: businessinsider.com
