Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2013. The roles it cites are as of that date: Jim Yong Kim as World Bank president, Jeff Immelt as GE chairman and CEO, Arianna Huffington at the Huffington Post and Guy Kawasaki at Motorola Mobility.
This is the third instalment of LinkedIn’s “Influencers” series, and this time more than 70 leaders from Fortune 500 companies were asked what young university students need to know to succeed in the future.
Some share words they had already spoken in their commencement speeches, while others give us some of the advice they wish they had received, both before going to university and right after finishing. (Also read: The best advice ever given to university students)
Many of these leaders have been through everything from the difficulties of starting their own company to being rejected by employers, but they all have something in common: after persisting and facing obstacles, they ended up succeeding. Here are what we consider the 10 best tips or lessons from this “Influencers” series.
1. Jim Kim, president of the World Bank
I’m sure most of you are worried about what the future may bring. All I can tell you is that the future is not only uncertain, but there is a very high probability that it will be even more uncertain than you imagine.
But uncertainty only means that nothing is predetermined. Uncertainty means the future is ours and we are the ones who will shape it. Uncertainty is freedom. Many of you will discover along the way a great deal of talent you didn’t know you had, and you will have the chance to go further than you can imagine today.
2. Richard Branson, Virgin Group
Mr Branson has already given 9 excellent tips for entrepreneurs. This time he talks about something else:
See also: One of the best pieces of business and career advice I ever received
Even if you have studied a degree in a specific field or sector, don’t rule out continuing to learn or moving in other directions. Don’t limit yourself to a comfort zone.
My advice is that when you finish university, before you start looking for a job, you should take a few months off and travel the world. The number of business ideas we can pick up by travelling the world is enormous.
3. Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post
Success as we have defined it may no longer be sustainable for human beings or for society. What I urge you to do is to fight and climb to take your place at the top of the world, but in order to change the world. That is now in the hands of the new graduates.
4. Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE
Don’t wait for the economy to stabilise before someone gives you a job. Don’t wait for a time when there is more certainty and someone offers to hire you. Today, you will have to create your own future.
5. Guy Kawasaki, Motorola Mobility
Challenge the known and embrace the unknown. One of the biggest mistakes we can make in our careers and in our business is to accept the known and resist experiencing the unknown.
Don’t marry too young. I know many people who regret marrying too early. I have yet to meet anyone who regrets marrying too late. Guy Kawasaki also gave us 8 tips for entrepreneurs.
6. Wendy Kopp, Teach For America
There are some myths about success.
The first myth is that to succeed in business or change the world we need a great business idea. Not true. Larry Page and Sergey Brin did not set out to revolutionise the web. They were students whose initial idea was to rank online searches according to the importance of existing websites. In fact, they tried to sell the Google search engine, but nobody bought it.
See also: 10 life lessons that go against popular belief
The second myth is that imitating someone or something will not lead you to success in business. That isn’t true either. The world needs more imitators, preferably ones who improve on the original. Google was not the first search engine, nor was Facebook the first social network. Both were imitators. If you have an idea, go for it. If your idea already exists, improve on what exists.
7. Michael Fertik, Reputation.com
Starting a company is hard. Everyone knows that. Starting a business also means taking risks. Every company is at risk for a few years, whether it’s a tech company, a hardware shop or a café…
So remember… when things get complicated, and you can count on them getting complicated, I always advise carrying an extra “ounce” of energy so you can get up every morning and master those days. Also carry a litre of strength and optimism so that the bad days don’t master you.
8. Charlene Li, Altimeter Group
Learn from the Silicon Valley kids. The success of these young millionaires comes solely from the fact that they challenge authority and the status quo. Sometimes you don’t change a product or service; you change an entire ecosystem. Nobody tells them what can and cannot be done, because for them anything is possible with a computer. They want a better, different world, and for that you have to challenge everything.
9. Dan Sanker, CaseStack
In life you should run away from three things: luck, 4-hour workdays and quick, easy money.
Luck doesn’t exist, so don’t go looking for it; work at creating your own luck. Looking for a 4-hour job and wanting to succeed implies that success can be achieved without effort. And anyone who offers you quick, easy money is either breaking the law or deceiving you. I know a lot of people with a great deal of money. None of them made it easily or without effort.
10. Ilya Pozin, founder of Ciplex
Having a university degree is not the same as getting hired in the future. Most employers don’t care about your marks or grades either. In the end, when hiring from among hundreds of candidates, what counts is not what you have but what you can contribute to a company.
How do you get an employer to see that? By making an impact and showing strength, passion, knowledge and experience in the subject. Even so, the employer may not recognise that you are what the company is looking for. Just in case, don’t rule out starting your own company.
Further reading
- The best advice 9 successful businesspeople ever received
- Mistakes 4 successful people learned from
- 5 things successful people do
- 26 lessons to prepare your child for the real world
Featured image: Koch / MSC, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
