YouTube CEO's No. 1 success tip: It's 'the secret sauce'—I wish I got 'that advice early in my career'

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has four words of advice for anyone looking to succeed: Be true to yourself.

The sentiment "sounds clichéd," but Mohan wishes he took it to heart when he was younger, he said at a recent Stanford Graduate School of Business event.

"[It's] the most salient thing, and this is actually advice I give to people [asking], 'What is the secret sauce of being a successful creator on the platform?' It really is just being true to yourself," he said.

"I wish somebody had given me that advice early in my career, because nothing rings more true."

Mohan was hired to lead Google's display advertising business in 2008, then moved to YouTube seven years later as chief product officer. He took the reins as CEO last year.

The experience at YouTube, Mohan said, taught him about the value of authenticity. By his estimation, the most successful creators on YouTube are transparent about their real lives and show their personalities in videos.

"Whether they're sports creators, whether they're musicians or artists … of course, they're incredibly talented and know how to tell stories, but they're true to themselves," Mohan said. "[Viewers] can tell instantaneously whether that is actually, truly your authentic self."

Authenticity isn't just helpful for attracting followers on social media. It's also useful in the office and other workplaces. Some studies suggest that emotionally intelligent leaders — who display signs of authenticity, empathy and adaptability at work — are better at connecting with their employees. The result: Those employees are more engaged at work.

That interest and care can encourage productivity: "Highly engaged employees improve their team's performance by up to 27%," management consulting company Gartner reported in a 2022 study.

Being genuine at work can be helpful even if you're not in charge. It's especially important for young people early in their careers, Mohan said at the Stanford event.

You can scour your boss's LinkedIn profile for inspiration or obsess over landing the so-called perfect job by age 25 — but it might be better to chart your own path. Start by taking inventory of your own abilities and goal, then follow opportunities that come your way, he suggested.

"Think really hard about setting your own course … longer term," Mohan said. "Just try to really answer the question … 'How is this going to be truly about what I want as opposed to what other people's expectations are of me?'"

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