Doug McMillon was just 17 years old when he started working in Walmart warehouses in the summer of 1984.
He has since moved up the retail giant’s career ladder, from unloading trailers for $6.50 an hour to becoming the company’s youngest CEO since its founder Sam Walton – with a salary of $25 million.
In the 30 years between his start and taking the helm in 2014, McMillon rose from promotion to promotion, holding a position as a store assistant in Tulsa before setting foot in headquarters in January 1991 as a fishing tackle buyer and working his way up the ranks worked in management.
Now, he says, many of Walmart’s 2.1 million employees are emailing him asking how they could emulate his success at the company. His answer? Volunteer to better protect your boss.
“One of the reasons I got the opportunities I got was because I would raise my hand when my boss was out of town and he or she was visiting stores or something,” he revealed in a recent interview with strategy.
The CEO added that he would even offer to fill in for his boss in meetings, whether or not he was willing to answer any questions that came up.
Instead of dismissing questions above his pay grade and waiting to hear back from his manager, he proactively responded, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out quickly and get back to you.”
“I then put myself in an environment where I became a low-risk promotion because people had already seen me at work,” McMillon concluded.
Do your job well and be a team player
McMillon offered two other tips for rising from the bottom to the top of a company: Do your job well and be a team player
“Don’t take your current job for granted,” said the 57-year-old managing director. “The next job won’t come if you don’t do the job you have well.”
“Be a great teammate – you learn to lead, you learn to influence through the way you interact with your colleagues,” he added. “Treat them well, help them, help them do a better job.”
The simple advice is similar to that of Pano Christou, CEO of Pret A Manger. Like McMillon, Christou is one of the few executives who works his way to the top from the factory floor.
Today Christou is the CEO of the UK’s largest sandwich chains – and he reiterated that he got to where he is today through hard work while being kind to his colleagues.
“I’ve seen people so focused on the next role that they take their eyes off their current job,” Christou said Assets. “My philosophy has always been: If you do a great job, people will notice you.”
By focusing on excelling in his current job and being the best in his cohort – without taking shortcuts or stabbing his colleagues – promotions followed quickly.
“When I was promoted, I was typically the youngest person or the shortest person in a position within my age group, and most of my career,” he said. “If you work hard and keep your head down, things can happen.”
This story was originally published on Fortune.com