Career advice from these five super-successful people

LinkedIn recently asked the top minds in business to reflect on the best advice they ever received and what they did with those words of wisdom.

Here's what these super-successful people like Richard Branson, Suze Orman, Michael Powell, Mary Barra and Chip Bergh had to say.

Richard Branson



'Listen more than you speak' The Virgin Group founder says the most important tip he ever received was from his father. Growing up, Branson recalls being in a home where his mother was "dreaming up new entrepreneurial schemes left, right, and centre," while he and his sisters ran wild.

"Amidst all the fun and chaos, dad was always a supportive and calming influence on us all. He wasn't quiet, but he was not often as talkative as the rest of us. It made for a wonderful balance, and we always knew we could rely on him no matter what. Within this discreet support lay one of his best and most simple pieces of advice for me: Listen more than you talk."

Suze Orman



'The elephant keeps walking as the dogs keep barking' "I've built a successful career around giving advice," writes Orman, a TV host and personal finance guru. "And that very success has often made me a target of criticism. Not helpful, constructive criticism, but nasty feedback entirely disconnected from facts." She says when she first encountered the blowback, she was angry and perplexed. But then she learnt to be an elephant. "A wise teacher from India shared this insight: The elephant keeps walking as the dogs keep barking," she says. "The sad fact is that we all have to navigate our way around the dogs in our career: external critics, competitors, horrible bosses, or colleagues who undermine. Based on my experience, I would advise you to prepare for the yapping to increase along with your success."

Michael Powell



'Don't play in the baby pool' "I heard my father [Colin Powell] say it first: 'Refuse to play in the baby pool.' ... I have no interest in playing on the minor league field. I want to play on centre court. If you are going to win, you are going to have to beat me there,'" writes Powell, the president and CEO at NCTA. This is more than bravado, he explains. "It is a challenge to others to treat you fairly and let them know you are wise to the inferiority game. It is also a challenge to yourself to be excellent and not to allow others to move you to perform off Broadway, or accept comfortable consolation prizes."

Mary Barra


'Talent only goes so far. Hard work does the rest' The best advice Barra ever received came from her parents, who always encouraged her to work hard and pursue her early love of math. "This was great advice for two reasons," writes the GM chief executive. "First, it led me to do something I really loved. In my experience, in work and in life, there are lots of smart, talented people out there. But talent alone is never enough." The second reason this was great advice, she says, is that it steered her toward a career in engineering at a time when few women were pursuing work in science, technology, engineering, or math. "What advice would I give to someone thinking about careers today? The same advice I got: Do what you love and work hard. And if you love math or science, get ready to love what you do."

Chip Bergh



'It's better to make the wrong decision than to make no decision at all' Bergh, the CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. and a 28-year veteran of Procter & Gamble, spent his "formative" years as a US Army Officer in a combat unit in Germany during the peak of the Cold War. "In many ways, it was my military experience that shaped who I am and how I think about leadership," he explains. One valuable lesson he learnt? It's better to make the wrong decision than to make no decision at all. "Indecision can paralyse an organisation," he writes. "Strong leaders are not afraid to make decisive decisions".