On April 30, 2008, Fortune magazine published an article titled, “Best advice I ever got” on the best advice received by 25 “accomplished people” that influenced their lives. Here are six that I like:

  • Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg, LP: “The advice was, first, always ask for the order, and second, when the customer says yes, stop talking”
  • Peter G. Peterson, Co-founder and Senior Chairman, Blackstone Group: “Focus on those things you do better than others.”
  • Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, Pepsico: “Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent.”
  • Charlene Begley, President and CEO, GE Enterprise Solutions: “Spend a ton of time with your customers.”
  • Elon Musk, Founder and CEO, Spacex: “Don’t panic.”
  • Andrea Guerra, CEO, Luxottica: “…in your first years of business life, you shouldn’t go chasing after fancy titles, but try to find people who can teach you something.”

I found it a challenging exercise to come up with the “best advice I ever got.” I’ll share this one:

“Give your busiest people the most work. They know how to get stuff done.” I received this from a retired businessman who was working part-time taking care of the building I worked in while at GE.

What is the “best advice YOU ever got?”

Joe Raasch :: May.03.2008 :: Innovation, Leadership :: 6 Comments »