http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/13/technology/sal_khan_best_advice.fortune/index.htm

FORTUNE -- "One of the powerful things Bill Gates told me is 'Learn to say no.' You don't have to make everyone happy. I've also learned by observing how deeply he goes into anything he cares about. How well he knew the nuances of my product was a huge signal that no manager should feel they're above the pay grade.

"But one piece of advice that's driven me the most came from a commencement speech by then-MIT president Charles Vest. He said to keep on moving. Cheesy, but it's amazing how true it is. Don't talk about stuff. Do it. When your organization is paused, and when the spirit of just seeing what happens dies, that's when you should be worried. Before I make a video for Khan Academy, I don't think, Let me go talk to some people and do focus groups. Obviously you have to have some learning, but if it's ruining the tempo of activity, you have to rethink things. At the end of the day, what matters is whether your product works and whether people like it."