June 17 is Father's Day. A look at some life-defining advice super-successful business leaders got from their dads.
Indra NooyiThe PepsiCo chairman and Chief Executive Officer says the best piece of advice her father gave her changed her attitude towards life and work. "Whatever anybody says or does," he told her, "assume positive intent. This is a simple shift, but the results can be huge.
Mark CubanThe billionaire tech entrepreneur, investor, and Dallas Mavericks owner says his dad, who upholstered cars, advised him to stay young. "My dad says it over and over, 'Today's the youngest you're ever going to be. You've got to live like it. You've got to live young every day.' And that's what I try to do."
Steve BallmerThe former Microsoft CEO said his father asked to put his mind, body and soul to whatever he does. "My dad said, 'If you're going do a job, do a job. And if you're not going to do a job, don't do a job. And that is the key of everything."
Steve JobsPaul Jobs - Steve Jobs' adoptive father - taught him to make great things and pay attention to minor details. His biographer, Walter Isaacson, wrote Paul Jobs was himself a great mechanic. "Once they were building a fence. And he said, "You got to make the back of the fence that nobody will see just as good looking as the front of the fence. Make it perfect."
Richard BransonThe Virgin Group founder said his dad was an anchor of calm and support. His best advice was: "Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak."
Bill GatesAccording to the former Microsoft CEO, the elder Gates once advised him to 'Invest in things - even if you're not good at them'. Also, Gates adds that his father encouraged him to "to go out for a lot of different sports like swimming, football, soccer. "At the time I thought it was kind of pointless, but it ended up really exposing me to leadership opportunities and showing me that I wasn't good at a lot of things," he says.
Meg WhitmanThe former Hewlett-Packard CEO said one of the most important piece of advice from her father was 'there is no point in being mean to anyone at any time. You never know who you're going to meet later in life. And by the way, you don't change anything by being mean. Usually you don't get anywhere'.
Anand PiramalAnand Piramal (here with his father Ajay Piramal) said RIL Chairman and his would-be father-in-law Mukesh Ambani gave him the best advice when he was 25. "He told me -- 'Being a consultant is like watching cricket or commentating about cricket, while being an entrepreneur is like playing cricket. You can't learn how to play cricket by commentating. If you want to do something, be an entrepreneur in the long-term and start now.
Anjali SudSud was elevated to the post of CEO of Vimeo in July 2017 after joining the company as the head of marketing in 2014. She says her success at this early age is because of her dad. "My dad's given me great advice. Probably one piece of advice that I give to others that he's given to me is to live outside of your comfort zone. It speaks somewhat to the philosophy of 'put yourself in positions where you might not have a ton of experience.