Has someone ever given you advice that stuck with you?
Most people who have achieved business success got some solid advice along the way. In the latest episode of Fortune’s Tech-Cetera series, we asked several CEOs and other executives about the best advice they ever got.
Judging from those responses, it sounds like you can come across worthwhile advice at any age and in pretty much any situation. New York Stock Exchange president Tom Farley says his father told him at a young age, “if you’re going to do something, do it well.” Health and beauty products startup Walker & Company’s founder and CEO, Tristan Walker, received some sage advice early in his career while he worked on Wall Street: “Spend the first third of your life learning, the second third earning, and the last third returning.”
Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan Chase vice chairman Noah Wintroub tells Fortune that he received some memorable advice by reading the billboard of a tire store. “It said, ‘If someone decides to show you their true colors, believe them,'” he recalled.
Not surprisingly, many of these successful business leaders echoed each other in touting a strong work ethic and for people having a passion for their careers. “The harder you work, the luckier you get,” advises Andrew Wilson, CEO of video game company Electronic Arts. R.J. Pittman, eBay’s chief product officer, says the best advice he’s received concerned putting passion ahead of a paycheck. “Stick to what you love and that is how you will be most successful,” Pittman says.
Watch the video above for more of the best advice these business leaders have received.