Careers are shaped by our own skills, interests, experiences and ambitions. Advice or feedback from others — be it a manager, colleague, mentor or just a chance encounter — can also influence how we show up to work each day.
Six employees featured in Parallel Paths were asked, “What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?” Here are their answers.
Jennifer Choi
“There’s always room to be firm, fair and friendly. It’s advice I try to live by, both professionally and personally. I’m naturally inclined to be generous — whether that’s going the extra mile to help someone or picking up a friend’s lunch bill. But I’ve learned that being friendly doesn’t mean having to give in. In business, especially when working with internal teams or external partners, it’s about setting clear boundaries, being confident in the agreements we’ve made and staying steadfast in what’s feasible. You can uphold contracts and maintain strong relationships without compromising on what’s right.”
Lizan Gilbert
“A mentor told me, ‘If you have to say you’re the boss, you ain’t the boss.’ When she told me, it was so amazingly clear from that moment on how to show up as a boss. It was very rarely the person who spoke the most or who had the biggest ego in the room. It was generally the person who was the quietest, who sat back, and when that person finally spoke, you were like, ‘Oh, yeah. That’s the boss.’”
Katie Massay
“Be available and follow up. It’s easy to lose credibility if you don’t. Be consistent and dependable.”
Claudia Pulido
“I was feeling out of sorts with some of the meetings I was getting invited to attend. I remember saying, ‘Oh my gosh, someone asked for my opinion. What if I say something that’s misaligned with the other leaders?’
And my district manager, John Donatelli, said, ‘Just be yourself. That’s why you were asked to go — because they know you’re going to speak up and say what you think. Don’t worry about it.’
Knowing that we can be our own person — of course, learning what to say and how to say it in the right tone — is so important.”
Tina Solly
“It was something along the lines of, ‘Do you listen to respond, or are you listening to hear the conversation?’
I was at that stage when I first started where I just couldn’t wait for people to finish talking so that I could respond. And meanwhile, I’m not really listening to what you’re saying, because I’m already thinking about what I’m going to say back. Everybody was communicating, but I was not really connecting because I wasn’t listening.
I’ve learned to listen. It really struck home with me.”
Megan Wood
“I once walked out the door basically the same time as a foreman or superintendent was trying to come in, and I was like, ‘Oh, sorry, sorry. Oh, excuse me, sorry.’
I just remember him ripping the door out of my hand and saying, ‘Quit apologizing.’ And he walked away. That was all he said.
Interestingly enough, I said, ‘Oh, sorry that I apologized.’ And then I thought, ‘What am I doing?’ He’s right. I’m not sorry that I opened the door at the same time. We just opened the door at the same time.
Him saying that, combined with leadership lessons throughout my career, I’ve learned you shouldn’t apologize for something you’re not truly sorry for. His simple ‘Quit apologizing’ has turned into, this is your career, own it. Don’t be sorry for the work that you’re doing.”
