從首席執行官到新聞記者再到政治家,今年《財富》全球40位40歲以下商業精英榜單上云集了各行各業不安于現狀的卓越的創新者。為了進一步了解他們是如何走上成功之路的,我們請他們分享了一些對他們幫助頗深的職業建議,包括如何克服障礙,成長為更好的領導者。這些建議可能來自導師、老板和公眾人物,也許最有用的還是來自他們的父母。
在壓力下成長
凱瑟琳·柯里,31歲,幣安網首席執行官
我在香港外匯交易大廳工作的第一年,老板在我的顯示器上粘了一張便利貼,上面寫著:“壓力是一種特權。”這句話來自全球網壇頂尖選手比利·簡·金。
這句話提醒我們,在很大的壓力之下,能盡力為如此高的賭注而戰本身就是一種榮譽。壓力代表著即將做的事情值得奮斗,值得傾盡全力,大膽嘗試。
關于放棄
邁克爾·卡普斯,31歲,Vitalk Health創始人兼首席執行官
我獲得的最好建議來自成功的巴西企業家里卡多·伊柯達,在2017年,他是我的導師。當時,公司大概十幾個人,我剛開始學習當首席執行官。里卡多注意到我一直在進行微觀管理,我本人也承擔了很大壓力,于是他對我說:“身為首席執行官意味著,你要成為房間里最無能的人。”起初我完全不理解,我想:“無能?首席執行官必須了解公司的一切!”
然而隨著時間推移,我才真正理解里卡多給予我的建議。身為首席執行官,我的目標是招攬很多優秀的人,幫他們發揮最大的潛力。如果我最終成為房間里最無能的人,就意味著我做得很好,說明我成功建立了一支比我強的高手隊伍。從那以后,我改變了管理方式,放下很多自我,努力幫助員工成功,甚至不惜犧牲自身利益。多聽,少說話。
來自父母的箴言
莫娜·查拉比,33歲,《衛報》駐美國數據編輯
我媽媽的建議是:“不要高看別人,也不要看低別人。”
卡洛琳娜·加西亞,35歲,Netflix原創系列總監
我父母總是說,“Toma el toro por las astas”,意思是“抓住公牛的角。”這樣才能避免分析抓不住重點。
戈德-伊斯·里維拉,35歲,Twitter文化與社區全球總監
母親給了我最好的職業建議。她十幾歲便生下我,從營銷公司接待員開始奮斗,最后成為營銷行業的領導者,現在她跟全世界最大的一些品牌都合作過。
同時,她也是非常稱職的母親,從未錯過我的獨奏會或學校演出,而且在黑人女性幾乎不受歡迎的領域里表現出色。
當我剛開始工作并遇到一些障礙時,我問她如何才能找到自信,在開會時堅持自己的想法。她說,要相信自己的想法和其他人的想法一樣重要,因為“不是每個高層都能了解全面。”雖然這只是簡單的感受,但讓我銘記不忘。
突破障礙
嘉麗薩·華盛頓·普萊斯,31歲,iHeartMedia政治與宣傳副總裁
“很多事情,你可能是第一個去做的。但不要最后一個做。”——卡瑪拉·哈里斯
她經常對年輕女性,特別是有色人種女性下屬說起這句話,提醒她們不能為了打破障礙而打破障礙,真正的目標應該是為身后追隨的人們開辟出一條道路。
施瓦妮·斯洛亞,38歲,Tala首席執行官兼創始人
使我收益最深的職業建議來自老板伊娃·韋斯曼。當時我正在聯合國人口基金會工作,剛到加納參加為期四個月的研究項目,很快就得知打算研究的數據實際上并不存在,至少并不是分析師能理解的形式。
她告訴我:“想辦法解決!”從那以后,我工作中一直堅持這種精神。
我知道她相信我,相信我有能力去解決這種似乎無法克服的挑戰。我的解決方案是通過把自己變成一個行走的會計軟件來搭建數據。我去社區進行訪談和觀察研究,記錄下小微企業家的日常收入。我在加納以及西非和撒哈拉以南非洲的經歷,變成了創辦Tala的動力,我也經常在團隊成員遇到困難時,鼓勵他們“想辦法解決!”
瑪格麗特·阿納杜,38歲,高盛城市投資集團負責人
安吉拉·戴維斯引用了一句話:“你要表現得好像有可能徹底改變世界,而且要一直堅持。”這點至關重要,因為我們投資的社區面臨非常復雜的挑戰,而且其根源是數十年的不平等。
與他人合作
莉莉·彭,37歲,谷歌產品群經理
“信任不是一場零和游戲”,我在谷歌的導師菲爾·納爾遜經常這么說。這種思維方式對解決醫療領域的問題特別有用,因為解決問題需要不同背景的人們組成團隊進行合作。
大衛·羅吉爾,37歲,MasterClass聯合創始人兼首席執行官
要跟那些與你想法不一樣的人們一起工作。通常情況下,人們喜歡招聘那些認同或“天生適合”公司價值觀的人。但如果抱有如此想法,往往會錯過那些思想多元的人,他們會為了追求更好的結果提出異議,從不同的視角和專業知識出發進行討論。要選擇敢于表達異議的員工。
還有,“找個好的心理醫生”——我的父親(曾是離婚律師)。
威爾·艾哈邁德,30歲,WHOOP創始人兼首席執行官
“你應該聽聽大家都怎么說。”不記得誰對我這么說過,但這句話確實幫我從年輕的企業家成長為更稱職的領導者。我剛創立WHOOP時,很多人都說我會失敗,或者說我應該采用不同的方式,結果我豎起一堵墻,隔絕這些負面反饋。
采取認真傾聽但并非一味聽從的方法后,我便能承認不同的觀點,并嘗試更深入地理解別人的聲音,又不必因為要按照別人說的做而承受負擔。
回憶個人生活
馬努·庫馬爾·杰恩,39歲,小米全球副總裁,小米印度董事總經理
我得到的最好建議來自我在麥肯錫的第一個老板——伊雷娜·維塔爾,是她把我招進了公司。她教會我重視工作和生活的平衡。
她告訴我,選擇合適的生活伴侶是最重要的職業決定。一個人跟配偶相處的時間最多,要彼此分享各種起伏。如果選擇了合適的伴侶,對方理解并支持你的抱負,幾乎什么事都可以做成。
最后,堅持前進
凱特·約翰森,38歲,梅奧診所國家政策和政府事務主管
“讓自己有用。”我在中西部長大時,幾乎每個人都這么說。
馬修·A·切利,38歲,Cherry Lane Productions的作家、導演兼制片人
“持續創作,努力工作,美好的事就會發生。”我的經紀人莫妮卡·A·楊說(財富中文網)
從首席執行官到新聞記者再到政治家,今年《財富》全球40位40歲以下商業精英榜單上云集了各行各業不安于現狀的卓越的創新者。為了進一步了解他們是如何走上成功之路的,我們請他們分享了一些對他們幫助頗深的職業建議,包括如何克服障礙,成長為更好的領導者。這些建議可能來自導師、老板和公眾人物,也許最有用的還是來自他們的父母。
在壓力下成長
凱瑟琳·柯里,31歲,幣安網首席執行官
我在香港外匯交易大廳工作的第一年,老板在我的顯示器上粘了一張便利貼,上面寫著:“壓力是一種特權。”這句話來自全球網壇頂尖選手比利·簡·金。
這句話提醒我們,在很大的壓力之下,能盡力為如此高的賭注而戰本身就是一種榮譽。壓力代表著即將做的事情值得奮斗,值得傾盡全力,大膽嘗試。
關于放棄
邁克爾·卡普斯,31歲,Vitalk Health創始人兼首席執行官
我獲得的最好建議來自成功的巴西企業家里卡多·伊柯達,在2017年,他是我的導師。當時,公司大概十幾個人,我剛開始學習當首席執行官。里卡多注意到我一直在進行微觀管理,我本人也承擔了很大壓力,于是他對我說:“身為首席執行官意味著,你要成為房間里最無能的人。”起初我完全不理解,我想:“無能?首席執行官必須了解公司的一切!”
然而隨著時間推移,我才真正理解里卡多給予我的建議。身為首席執行官,我的目標是招攬很多優秀的人,幫他們發揮最大的潛力。如果我最終成為房間里最無能的人,就意味著我做得很好,說明我成功建立了一支比我強的高手隊伍。從那以后,我改變了管理方式,放下很多自我,努力幫助員工成功,甚至不惜犧牲自身利益。多聽,少說話。
來自父母的箴言
莫娜·查拉比,33歲,《衛報》駐美國數據編輯
我媽媽的建議是:“不要高看別人,也不要看低別人。”
卡洛琳娜·加西亞,35歲,Netflix原創系列總監
我父母總是說,“Toma el toro por las astas”,意思是“抓住公牛的角。”這樣才能避免分析抓不住重點。
戈德-伊斯·里維拉,35歲,Twitter文化與社區全球總監
母親給了我最好的職業建議。她十幾歲便生下我,從營銷公司接待員開始奮斗,最后成為營銷行業的領導者,現在她跟全世界最大的一些品牌都合作過。
同時,她也是非常稱職的母親,從未錯過我的獨奏會或學校演出,而且在黑人女性幾乎不受歡迎的領域里表現出色。
當我剛開始工作并遇到一些障礙時,我問她如何才能找到自信,在開會時堅持自己的想法。她說,要相信自己的想法和其他人的想法一樣重要,因為“不是每個高層都能了解全面。”雖然這只是簡單的感受,但讓我銘記不忘。
突破障礙
嘉麗薩·華盛頓·普萊斯,31歲,iHeartMedia政治與宣傳副總裁
“很多事情,你可能是第一個去做的。但不要最后一個做。”——卡瑪拉·哈里斯
她經常對年輕女性,特別是有色人種女性下屬說起這句話,提醒她們不能為了打破障礙而打破障礙,真正的目標應該是為身后追隨的人們開辟出一條道路。
施瓦妮·斯洛亞,38歲,Tala首席執行官兼創始人
使我收益最深的職業建議來自老板伊娃·韋斯曼。當時我正在聯合國人口基金會工作,剛到加納參加為期四個月的研究項目,很快就得知打算研究的數據實際上并不存在,至少并不是分析師能理解的形式。
她告訴我:“想辦法解決!”從那以后,我工作中一直堅持這種精神。
我知道她相信我,相信我有能力去解決這種似乎無法克服的挑戰。我的解決方案是通過把自己變成一個行走的會計軟件來搭建數據。我去社區進行訪談和觀察研究,記錄下小微企業家的日常收入。我在加納以及西非和撒哈拉以南非洲的經歷,變成了創辦Tala的動力,我也經常在團隊成員遇到困難時,鼓勵他們“想辦法解決!”
瑪格麗特·阿納杜,38歲,高盛城市投資集團負責人
安吉拉·戴維斯引用了一句話:“你要表現得好像有可能徹底改變世界,而且要一直堅持。”這點至關重要,因為我們投資的社區面臨非常復雜的挑戰,而且其根源是數十年的不平等。
與他人合作
莉莉·彭,37歲,谷歌產品群經理
“信任不是一場零和游戲”,我在谷歌的導師菲爾·納爾遜經常這么說。這種思維方式對解決醫療領域的問題特別有用,因為解決問題需要不同背景的人們組成團隊進行合作。
大衛·羅吉爾,37歲,MasterClass聯合創始人兼首席執行官
要跟那些與你想法不一樣的人們一起工作。通常情況下,人們喜歡招聘那些認同或“天生適合”公司價值觀的人。但如果抱有如此想法,往往會錯過那些思想多元的人,他們會為了追求更好的結果提出異議,從不同的視角和專業知識出發進行討論。要選擇敢于表達異議的員工。
還有,“找個好的心理醫生”——我的父親(曾是離婚律師)。
威爾·艾哈邁德,30歲,WHOOP創始人兼首席執行官
“你應該聽聽大家都怎么說。”不記得誰對我這么說過,但這句話確實幫我從年輕的企業家成長為更稱職的領導者。我剛創立WHOOP時,很多人都說我會失敗,或者說我應該采用不同的方式,結果我豎起一堵墻,隔絕這些負面反饋。
采取認真傾聽但并非一味聽從的方法后,我便能承認不同的觀點,并嘗試更深入地理解別人的聲音,又不必因為要按照別人說的做而承受負擔。
回憶個人生活
馬努·庫馬爾·杰恩,39歲,小米全球副總裁,小米印度董事總經理
我得到的最好建議來自我在麥肯錫的第一個老板——伊雷娜·維塔爾,是她把我招進了公司。她教會我重視工作和生活的平衡。
她告訴我,選擇合適的生活伴侶是最重要的職業決定。一個人跟配偶相處的時間最多,要彼此分享各種起伏。如果選擇了合適的伴侶,對方理解并支持你的抱負,幾乎什么事都可以做成。
最后,堅持前進
凱特·約翰森,38歲,梅奧診所國家政策和政府事務主管
“讓自己有用。”我在中西部長大時,幾乎每個人都這么說。
馬修·A·切利,38歲,Cherry Lane Productions的作家、導演兼制片人
“持續創作,努力工作,美好的事就會發生。”我的經紀人莫妮卡·A·楊說(財富中文網)
From CEOs to journalists to politicians, this year's class of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 is an incredible group of innovators who refuse to rest on their laurels. To get a little bit of that magic combination of determination and foresight, we asked them to tell us the best career advice they ever got. They shared tips on everything from pushing through obstacles to being a better leader that came from mentors, bosses, public figures, and—perhaps most useful of all—mom and dad.
On thriving under pressure...
Catherine Coley, 31, CEO at Binance.US
In my first year on the FX trading floor in Hong Kong, my boss slapped a Post-it on my computer monitor: “Pressure is a privilege,” a quote from the No. 1 in the world tennis player, Billie Jean King.
It’s a reminder that when the pressure is on, it is an honor to compete for such high stakes. Pressure is the greatest indicator that what you’re about to do next is worth the fight, worth giving your all, worth going for it big.
On letting go...
Michael Kapps, 31, founder & CEO at Vitalk Health
The best advice I received was from Ricardo Ikeda, a successful Brazilian entrepreneur who was a mentor of mine in 2017. At the time, our company had about a dozen people or so, and I was just learning how to play the part of CEO. Ricardo, upon noticing my incessant micromanagement and stress, said, “As a CEO, you need to be the most incompetent person in the room.” At first this made no sense to me. “Incompetent? A CEO must know everything about his/her company!” I thought.
However, over time, I grew to really appreciate Ricardo’s advice. My goal as a CEO must be to surround myself with great people and help them achieve their utmost potential. If I do end up being the most incompetent person in the room, then that means that I’ve done my job properly! It means that I’ve succeeded in building a killer team that is better than me. Since then, I took a completely different attitude to management. I let go of a lot of my ego, helped our employees succeed even at my expense, listened more, and talked less.
On listening to your parents...
Mona Chalabi, 33, data editor at Guardian US
Advice from my mom: “Don't look up to anyone and don't look down on anyone.”
Carolina Garcia, 35, director of original series at Netflix
My parents always say, “Toma el toro por las astas,” which means, “Grab the bull by the horns.” It helps cut through analysis paralysis!
God-is Rivera, 35, global director, culture & community at Twitter
Hands down the best career advice I ever received was from my mother. My mother was a teenage mom who started as a receptionist in a marketing firm and fought her way to becoming a successful proven leader in the marketing industry who has now worked with some of the world’s biggest brands.
She did all of this while balancing being an incredible mother to me who never missed a recital or school play and while existing and excelling as a Black woman in a field that was hardly welcoming. When I first started my career and started to hit a few roadblocks myself, I asked her how she found the confidence to stand up in meetings and fight for her ideas. She told me the answer was simple: She knew that her ideas mattered as much as anyone else’s because “not everyone at the top has it all figured out.” It’s a simple sentiment but one that stuck with me forever.
On breaking through obstacles...
Jalisa Washington-Price, 31, VP, political & advocacy at iHeartMedia
“You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.” —Kamala Harris
She repeats this to young women and especially women of color who work for her as a reminder that we break barriers not for the sake of breaking them, but to continue to forge a path for all the people who will follow behind us.
Shivani Siroya, 38, CEO & founder at Tala
The best career advice I ever received came from my boss, Eva Weissman, when I was working at the United Nations Population Fund. I’d just arrived in Ghana for a four-month research project and learned quickly that the data I’d intended to study didn’t actually exist—at least in the digestible form that analysts need! She told me, “Figure it out!” And that has been my ethos ever since.
I knew she believed in me and in my ability to find a solution to what seemed like an insurmountable challenge. My solution was to build the data by becoming a walking QuickBooks. Through interviews and observational studies in these communities, I documented the daily income flows for micro-entrepreneurs. That time spent in Ghana and across West and sub-Saharan Africa became my catalyst for starting Tala, and I regularly encourage my team members to take on a “figure it out!” mindset.
Margaret Anadu, 38, head of the urban investment group at Goldman Sachs
The Angela Davis quote, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time,” has been crucial given so much of the challenges facing the neighborhoods we invest in are incredibly complex and rooted in decades of injustice.
On working with others...
Lily Peng, 37, group product manager at Google
“Credit is not a zero-sum game” is a saying that Phil Nelson, one of my mentors at Google, often uses. This mindset has been particularly useful tackling problems in health care, where solutions require folks from a range of backgrounds all working together as one team.
David Rogier, 37, cofounder and CEO, MasterClass
Surround yourself with people who think differently than you. Often times, people hire the person who is the most complimentary or a “natural fit” within the organization. But with that thinking, you often miss out on diversity of thought—people who challenge you for the good and come to the table with different perspectives and expertise. Go for the non-consensus hires.
And, “get a good therapist”—my father (and former divorce lawyer).
Will Ahmed, 30, founder and CEO of WHOOP
“You should hear what everyone says. You don't have to listen to them.” I don't remember specifically who said this to me, but it helped me evolve from a young entrepreneur to a better leader. When I started WHOOP a lot of people told me I was going to fail or that I should try to build the business differently, and, as a result, I put up a wall toward negative feedback.
This insight of hearing but not always listening allowed me to acknowledge different points of view and try to better understand them without feeling the burden of just doing what people told me.
On remembering your personal life...
Manu Kumar Jain, 39, global vice president, Xiaomi, and managing director, Xiaomi India
The best advice I ever received was from my first boss at McKinsey & Company, Ireena Vittal, who also recruited me into the firm. She taught me the importance of having harmony in [your] personal and professional lives.
She told me that choosing the right spouse/life partner is the most important professional decision that one can make. One spends the most amount of time with the spouse and shares all ups and downs with him/her. If you choose the right life partner, who understands and supports your aspirations, you can achieve almost anything in life.
And finally, just keep moving ...
Kate Johansen, 38, director of state policy and government engagement at the Mayo Clinic
“Make yourself useful.” —Everybody I ever met growing up in the Midwest
Matthew A. Cherry, 38, writer, director, and producer at Cherry Lane Productions
“Keep creating. Focus on the work and good things will happen.” —My manager Monica A. Young