I'm 80 and worked at the same company for almost 60 years. Here are the biggest lessons I learned about being successful at work.

Linda Zierolf

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Linda Zierolf, 80, who lives near Dayton, Ohio. She has worked at the same company since she was 18 and has no plans to retire. Zierolf, who is financially comfortable, said her company, while very different from a staffing and technology perspective, still has the same values and friendly people it had in the 1960s. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.