It seems that everywhere you turn, people are more than willing to share basic leadership and career advice. However, what about the more uncommon advice?
We asked 13 C-suite individuals to share some of the secrets to their success, advice that made an impact on their own paths, and the uncommon sense and counterintuitive lessons they wished they had learned earlier in their leadership careers and lives.
This is a rare opportunity to tap into information and learning that isn’t readily available elsewhere. No matter where you are in your career and life journey, you, too, can benefit from applying the counterintuitive wisdom and insight these leaders have shared.
“It’s your personality and humanity that supercharge meaningful connections with the people you spend your workdays with. This is especially true in the hybrid world. As a company scales, one-to-one relationships become more difficult. My advice is to integrate parts of who you are—your personality, your passions, your learnings—into company traditions and explain what these traditions mean to you as an individual every time they surface. At Daily Harvest, we do quarterly fireside chats with people across different industries and sectors. Broadening my thinking and pulling inspiration from afar are things that have always been part of my process, so I opened it up to the entire company. People want to know who their leaders are and what they stand for both inside and outside of the workplace.”
— Rachel Drori, founder and CEO, Daily Harvest
“Never let a day go by without saying thank you. Sharing gratitude means that you are putting goodness and positivity into the world. There is no downside. The act of sharing gratitude is at the core of how I live my life. It’s a driving force for why I’ve built my company, Snappy. My advice for everyone is to normalize daily moments of gratitude. Even when things are tough, always be grateful for what you have and make sure to let the people in your life know you’re thankful for them. When we take the time to say thank you, whether through an action, a personal note, or a gift, we share a joyful feeling that people will remember. Share your thanks, be appreciative of others, and celebrate all the wins—big and small. Life is too short not to spread smiles and happiness everywhere you can.”
— Hani Goldstein, CEO and cofounder, Snappy
“Conventional wisdom says the early bird gets the worm, but my wisdom is the worm can be eaten at any hour. We all have different biological rhythms and different chronotypes. This impacts not only our sleep but also when we are most productive. My best time for deep focus at work is not the morning like so many CEOs you read about who get up at 5 a.m. I do deep work from 10 p.m. to midnight when most people are busy sleeping. Figuring out when you are biologically in the zone is critical. And shaping your life around it is transformational.”
— Jilliene Helman, CEO, RealtyMogul
“I sit at the helm of one of the largest public safety NGOs in the fourth largest city in America and, each day, I navigate hard situations, challenges, and deeply complex issues. Through it all, I’ve learned and taught myself to follow three behaviors that have made all the difference in my leadership. In fact, I would say that productive leadership requires these three. Here they are: grace, humility, and unabashed determination. There’s grace in how I treat others and engage with all, regardless of the circumstances. There’s humility in understanding we all rise and we all fall together, so the best outcome for all is the one I seek for my organization. And there’s unabashed determination when it comes to reaching the goals I have set out for myself, the organization, our team, and the community, as well as in overcoming challenges that come our way. A mix of these three ingredients yields a work-life balance, respect for yourself and your colleagues, and a contagious work ethic that rubs off on others.”
— Rania Mankarious, CEO, Crime Stoppers of Houston, and host of The Balanced Voice Podcast
“My first job, aged 14, was in a fish and chip shop. It wasn’t glamorous in any way: I was washing dirty pots from the café and the greasy paraphernalia from the shop. After only two weeks in the job, the lady who ran the café went on holiday and I was parachuted in, into a pinny and front of house. This particular day was extremely busy and will always stick in my mind. As I rushed to plonk a couple of plates of fish and chips on a table, the elderly woman customer I was serving touched my arm and said, ‘I know you are very busy love, but it doesn’t hurt to smile.’
“This comment has stayed with me for life and has really helped both in business and personally, too. A smile on your face is contagious and allows us to empathize and even experience other people’s feelings, something that is really important as a leader. This customer wasn’t afraid to give feedback, and I wasn’t afraid to take it. To this day, I passionately believe that having a smile on your face is a key ingredient in leadership.”
— Joanna Swash, group CEO of Moneypenny and member of the Prime Minister’s Business Council
“Seek discomfort. What I mean by that is, when you start to win, put yourself back into a position where you feel uncomfortable again. Although it may seem counterintuitive, rapid growth stems from being consistently uncomfortable. When you set unrealistic deadlines, learn a new skill, or take calculated risks, you’re on the right trajectory.”
— Henry Organ, NFLPA agent and cofounder, Disruptive Sports
“I have spoken with numerous executives and managers who believe they must change the way they manage younger employees. They believe millennials don’t like structure. I have found the exact opposite to be true. Many millennials experienced ‘helicopter parenting,’ and were told their entire lives they were ‘special,’ while parents intervened in their achievements and treated their kids with kid gloves. However, those I encounter in highly structured organizations tend to thrive. They tell me they actually appreciate specific responsibilities, being empowered to complete those responsibilities, and being held accountable for actions and results.”
— Michael Southard, CEO, The SRI Group, Inc.
“Put your self-care on your planner. You probably have a written or digital planner with your business and family commitments clearly documented so that you get all of the important things done, right? But what about your ‘me time’? I recommend putting your long baths, lunchtime, walks/runs on the calendar before you jot down those other commitments, because there’s power in making yourself a priority.”
— Adria Marshall, founder and CEO, Ecoslay
“My boss for a couple of decades at Intel, Andy Grove, wrote a book Only the Paranoid Survive. When you are feeling comfortable and confident and not worried about the competition, you are probably in serious trouble.
“The second [bit of advice] relates to business forecasts: When the numbers are too good to believe, don’t. Much like the paranoid quote, when things seem to be going extremely well, there is probably big trouble around the corner.
“Lastly, if you start to listen to the freshly minted MBAs who are industry experts for the big investment houses, you are in serious trouble. If you know your industry, if you’ve been through the ups and downs, you know way more about your business than the so-called expert analysts. Case in point about Intel: We kept investing in Moore’s Law when the experts said it was no longer valid. That was 30 years ago and the Law [industry trend] continues today.”
— Craig R, Barrett, retired Intel chair/CEO, chair, BASIS Charter Schools
“People don’t resist change. They resist threats to the things they care about, even if they are only subconsciously aware of those things. Feelings are not evidence of anything other than evidence that someone is experiencing complex actions in the brain. Yet feelings are often given primacy during decision making, which can be disastrous because they often confound rational thinking when it’s most needed.”
— Peter Mulford, executive vice president, chief innovation officer, BTS Inc.
“The future belongs to business leaders who are willing to question whether or how effectively the businesses they run contribute to solving the big issues of our time: protecting our natural environment, human health, and all life on our planet. Those who do so with transparency, courage, and vision will reinvent their business models in ways that serve the goals of a more livable, equitable, and peaceful society. They will win our hearts, minds, and loyalty as they help us shape our future.”
— Sherra Aguirre, founder and CEO Emeritus, Aztec Facility Services
“There is productivity in stillness. I spent the first few decades of my life prioritizing being busy and doing work constantly, without emphasizing the importance of a good pause. Now, I find that those pauses are beyond helpful; for me, that can mean stepping away from something that isn’t working (usually technology) or taking multiple breaks throughout the day (10 minutes to reflect or just sit with my eyes closed).
This practice has helped me value how my time is spent by actively choosing to be still throughout my day. Ultimately, I wish I had known earlier in my career that you can work smarter by pausing. I like to say now: Pause, reboot, return!”
— Kate Balch O’Neill, COO, LIVING-DANCE
“Most people would say that there are no shortcuts to success. However, in a conversation with another colleague, we discussed the fact that we can point to the shortcuts in our success journey: Intentionally positioning yourself with people who are where you want to go, who are doing what you want to do, who have achieved what you want to achieve. That’s the shortcut! This journey is not one that we have to take alone. The quicker we realize that the quicker we can get to that next level, and then we keep going.”
— Myoshia Boykin-Anderson, president and principal consultant, AndTech Solutions, LLC
Jennifer Mrozek Sukalo is a speaker, author, and transformational expert. She is the author of the book series Claim Your Swagger and the creator, founder, and CSO of SWAGGERU.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
