Good advice is good advice, but it is wrong to say the source of that advice doesn’t matter. So, when seeking advice, what better group of people to listed to that the most successful business leaders? They’re imaginative, fearless, bold, passionate, hard-working people—and they know a thing or two about the most helpful experiences: failure.
Below are some useful bits of advice from successful founders, CEOs, and other accomplished business leaders I have picked up recently. Use to freshen your perspective and re-inspire you to achieve your goals.
Action Over Talk
“You can’t build a company culture on what you are going to do.” Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company
Prioritise Company Direction Over Profit
“Chase the vision, not the money, the money will follow.” Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos
Keep Passion at the Forefront
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is to be great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc
Take Risks
“When I’m old and dying, I plan to look back on my life and say, ‘wow, that was an adventure,’ not ‘wow, I sure felt safe.’” Tom Preston-Werner, co-founder of Github
Be Open to Criticism
“If you can’t tolerate critics, don’t do anything new or interesting.” Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon
Success Isn’t Plural
“Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.” Drew Houston, founder of Dropbox
Learn Through Failing
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
Exceed Expectations
“Always deliver more than expected.” Larry Page, co-founder of Google
Create New Outcomes
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Tony Robbins
Choice Means Power
“I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.” Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company
Progress Over Perfection
“Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.” Seth Godin, author and founder of Squidoo
