Best Advice
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?”
Stumble it!
Joe Raasch :: May.03.2008 :: Innovation, Leadership ::
Treasure every moment you have with your little girl because they grow so fast.
Thank you for visiting! That is great advice.
We’re excited about our Baby Girl coming this July (or August if she takes her time…)
Joe
“Don’t spend more than you earn.”
Hi Steve,
They should be teaching that one in Kindergarten!!
Joe
Someone once told me the same thing–if you need something done now, give it to the busiest person on the team–it will surely get done. Another good piece of advice is to never contradict your boss in public.
Hi Troy,
Thanks for visiting! Great advice - contradicting your boss in public is a definite “CLM” - Career Limiting Move.
Joe