Katie Couric learned to be a leader by following this humble advice from her mom

Katie Couric has been in the news business for over 35 years, and there's a simple reason the former "Today" show co-host and "CBS Evening News" anchor has had such a long lasting career: hard work.

"It's really important to pitch in, to help, to do things, to be a part of things, and never get, as my mom would say, 'too big for your britches,'" Couric told INSIDER during a recent interview in New York. "There's no substitute for hard work."

In 2013, after a longstanding career in TV news, Couric signed a reported $6 million contract with Yahoo to become a global news anchor.

The switch in news medium forced Couric to adapt.

"There's always an opportunity to learn and grow. I feel like I'm doing that now and I'm in my late fifties," the 58-year-old news veteran said. "Particularly in this day and age, you have to be willing to transform yourself, to understand a changing environment, and not cling to the status quo. I think if you do, you may be more secure professionally, but I don't think you're going to grow professionally."

In order to transform one's career, Couric says it's imperative for people in any industry to "work on their skillset."

"It's really important that people are good writers, that they have good emotional intelligence, and that you continue to work on those skills throughout the course of your career," explained Couric. "You don't stop learning just because you enter the job market. You should always be figuring out 'How does this work? How can I learn from this? How can I apply my skills in different areas and how can I help the team in general?' So those are some of the things that I would advise people to do."

Story by Aly Weisman and editing by Adam Banicki