9 pieces of advice from my mentors that helped my career

  • 📰 BusinessInsider
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 113 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 49%
  • Publisher: 51%

Health Health Headlines News

9 bits of wisdom that my mentors from PayPal, Facebook, and LinkedIn gave me that I still use today as a CEO

. Though we often give them less weight relative to sponsors, their insight and objectivity are essential to our long-term success. Mentors can give us advice and guidance, helping us in ways that others, who are too close to the problem, never can. A mentor's role is to be a cheerleader, mirror, and sounding board — all things that are critical to achieving our goals.

My high school chemistry teacher, Mrs. Norma Ashburn, told me this when I was applying to college and still undecided as to where I should go. When I sought her advice, she didn't tell me where I should choose to go; instead, she gave me this kernel of wisdom. 2."Don't go with the easy choice just because it is there. Go with the right one for you, even if it is harder."

I called David, my then-boyfriend, to talk it over. He advised me to defer my acceptance and try to get into business school instead. In fact, he told me that I should aim for Stanford's Graduate School of Business for my MBA since he could more easily get a job in California. I laughed and said that was easier said than done, but that was exactly what happened.

I showed up to work on my first day and finally found the courage to tell Amy Klement, the VP of Product, that I had no idea what the role was. She shared that many of the PMs there didn't have a ton of experience, but that they hired for smarts and a willingness to learn. I never forgot that. I vowed to learn as much as I could, as quickly as possible, and I have kept that lesson close in every job since.

When I saw someone on my team struggling, and the delays started to pile up, I sought advice from my manager, Dave Li. He told me that in the short term, I was right- I could get things done more efficiently because I had been doing them for so long — but eventually, I would need to learn to scale. When I first learned about an opportunity at Facebook, it seemed like too much of a gamble. I couldn't imagine what it would mean to join a startup with fewer than 1000 people, where rumor had it that everyone worked all the time. I knew that if I took the job, I would be one of only a few moms there, and I worried that the environment wouldn't be family-friendly. The opportunity was a great one, but it felt like I had too much on the line to take the plunge.

We often don't acknowledge the work that's been done before us, but without it, it wouldn't be possible to build and move our products forward. There's no limit to appreciating others' hard work and achievements, and I always remind myself of this.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 729. in HEALTH

Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

What is it like to work at Waffle House for $2.92 an hour?Insider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Katy Perry loses a trademark battle with designer called Katie PerryInsider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Lawyer suspended after trying to sue his 'sugar baby' for $166 millionInsider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

I've stayed in 13 countries for free by house sitting. You can too.I've stayed in 13 countries for free by house sitting. Here are 3 tips for starting your own house-sitting journey.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Uber and Lyft partly to blame for customers not tipping, drivers sayUber and Lyft drivers share 3 reasons why the ride-hailing giants, not customers, are partially responsible for the bad tips they get
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

64-year-old can't get PSLF student-loan relief after paying for decadesMeet a 64-year-old therapist who's been making student-loan payments for decades while working in public service — but still hasn't gotten loan forgiveness
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »