Source: This article was originally published on CNBC.

Written by: Courtney Connley, CNBC Make It

I’m often asked, “What’s the number one thing parents can do to help their kids achieve career success?”

That’s a tough question. As the mom of four millennials, I can really only answer with what worked for me.

Like most kids, mine would sometimes whine about the unfairness of life, or how hard it was to make new friends at school or how much extra work it took to get an A instead of a B or a C.

Like many parents, I’d respond with lectures about hard work, discipline, and perseverance. But lectures were always punctuated by a simple message that is key to helping kids understand the relationship between putting in extra effort and achieving your goals: Everything good is hard.

They didn’t love hearing that. But pretty early on, even by middle school, it began to make its own case and they began to see for themselves how a boatload of effort did tend to pay off.

Now that they’re adults, my kids have been exposed to the normal adversities of working life, like job layoffs, bad bosses and difficult assignments. But despite these challenges, they’ve all found professional success, and I believe that it’s because of my mantra.

Believe me, I know all too well how impossible it is to control what your kids do at school or how they fare in the real world. Life happens, but don’t discount the importance of your influence on their career trajectory.

I recommend that parents lead by example, demonstrating for kids that when it comes to achieving lasting success, there are very few shortcuts.

Hard things are hard for a reason. They’re worth it.

Suzy Welch is the co-founder of the Jack Welch Management Institute and a noted business journalist, TV commentator, and public speaker. Through its online MBA program, the Jack Welch Management Institute transforms the lives of its students by providing them with the tools to become better leaders, build great teams, and help their organizations win.