I FIRST WOULD LIKE TO THANK PRESIDENT HOTZLER, THE FACULTY, GRADUATES, PARENTS AND THEIR GUESTS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2005.
WHAT A GREAT DAY; YOU HAVE YOUR DEGREE IN YOUR HANDS AND YOU ARE SAYING TO YOURSELF “I’VE DONE IT”! BUT THIS IS REALLY A GREAT DAY FOR YOUR PARENTS AND A GOOD DAY FOR YOU.
WOW! YOU’RE LOOKING AT ME SAYING TO YOURSELVES, “HOW CAN HE SAY THAT, I WORKED HARD FOR THIS DEGREE. THIS IS A GREAT DAY.”
DON’T OVERSELL YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEM, AFTER ALL YOU DID PUT THE EFFORT IN, BUT LET’S LOOK AT YOUR PARENTS. THEY HAVE WORKED HARD TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND SUPPORT YOU. IN AS MUCH AS YOU ARE HERE TODAY, THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL, AND WE SHOULD APPLAUD THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR THEM.
THE HISTORIAN WILL DURANT ONCE WROTE, “SIXTY YEARS AGO I KNEW EVERYTHING; NOW I KNOW NOTHING; EDUCATION IS A PROGRESSIVE DISCOVERY OF OUR OWN IGNORANCE.”
YES, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR EDUCATION. ALBEIT A GOOD BEGINNING. BUT WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT? WE HAVE HEARD THE CLICHÉ “SLOW AND EASY DOES IT.” SUCCESS IS NOT ONE GIANT LEAP, IT IS A SLOW AND GRADUAL RISE.
HOW WILL YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES WERE THE DECADES WHERE THE TRILOGY WAS ME, MYSELF AND I. WE’VE GOT TO START THINKING ABOUT US, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR COUNTRY AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO COMPETE.
YES, COMPETE. THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING IN WHATEVER PATH YOU TAKE. THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN THIS COUNTRY IS PROBABLY MORE COMPETITIVE THAN MOST COUNTRIES. DEMANDS ARE HIGH, REWARD IN MOST CASES FOLLOW SUIT. BUT ONE MUST BE PREPARED -- PREPARED TO LEARN, PREPARED TO LISTEN, PREPARED TO BE CHALLENGED AND PREPARED TO BE EMBARRASSED.
YOU ARE BLESSED WITH GOOD INTELLIGENCE, WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU TO BE THE INQUIRING MIND. IT IS THROUGH THIS INQUIRY THAT SUCCESS COMES TO FRUITION, ALONG WITH A FEW NECESSARY FAILURES AND EMBARRASSMENTS.
I HAVE ATTENDED MANY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES. SOME BORING, SOME CHALLENGING AND SOME INTERESTING. AT ONE CONFERENCE THEY RAN A TAPE ON PARADIGMS AND HOW THEY CAN BECOME OUTDATED. “WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY” CAN LEAD COMPANIES DONE THE PATH TO BANKRUPCY. THERE ARE MANY STORIES ABOUT COMPANIES FAILING BECAUSE THEY WHERE STUCK IN THE PAST. THERE ARE MANY STORIES ABOUT COMPANIES MISSING OUT ON OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY WERE USE TO DOING THINGS.
FOR INSTANCE, DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT COUNTRY DISCOVERED THE BATTERY-OPERATED WATCH? NOW MOST OF YOU WOULD PROBABLY SAY JAPAN, BUT YOU WOULD BE WRONG. IT WAS A SWISS WATCHMAKER THAT MADE THIS DISCOVERY. BUT WHEN HE PRESENTED HIS IDEA TO A FAMOUS SWISS WATCH COMPANY, IT WAS REJECTED, BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, WATCHES ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE LITTLE WHEELS AND SPRINGS. AFTER HIS IDEA WAS TURNED DOWN BY THE SWISS HE PRESENTED IT TO THE JAPANESE AND THEY LEAPED AT THE OPPORTUNITY.
THERE ARE MANY STORIES LIKE THIS AND THEY WILL CONTINUE. WE MUST FIGHT OFF OUR HUMAN TENDENCIES, TO CONFORM, IF WE ARE GOING TO PROGRESS. TO HELP US AVOID OUR TENDENCIES WE MUST UTILIZE THE WORDS “WHAT” AND “WHY.” THE INQUIRING MIND ASKS BOTH QUESTIONS. NOT ONE. WHAT’S SO SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE USE OF THOSE TWO WORDS VERSES JUST ONE? QUITE SIMPLY, IT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE.
JUST THINK ABOUT THIS: TWO YOUNG ENGINEERS GO TO A JOBSITE WHERE A TUNNEL IS BEING BUILT AND SEE THINGS THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN IN THEIR LIVES AND THEY ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT’S THIS OR THAT, AND THAT’S FINE BECAUSE THEY LACK THE EXPERIENCE TO ASK THE QUESTION WHY? BUT AFTER THEY HAVE GAINED SOME EXPERIENCE THE QUESTION, “WHAT,” WITH OUT “WHY” IS UNACCEPTABLE. IT SHOWS A LACK OF REAL INTEREST. THE ENGINEER ASKING “WHAT” WITHOUT “WHY” IS LAZY. HE JUST WANTS TO BE INFORMED, AND HE DOES NOT HAVE ANY DESIRE TO INTRODUCE ANOTHER APPROACH OR IDEA. HE IS NOT INTERESTED IN THE PROCESS, HE IS ONLY INTERESTED IN THE RESULT.
OBVIOUSLY THE PERSON THAT WILL ADVANCE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS THE ONE THAT ASKED BOTH “WHAT” AND “WHY.” HE OR SHE WILL LEARN MORE, BECAUSE ONCE EXPLAINED THEY WILL FORM THEIR OWN OPINIONS AND CREATE THEIR OWN SOLUTIONS. THE “WHAT” TYPE PEOPLE WILL NEVER SUCCEED, EVENTUALLY THEIR WEAKNESSES WILL SHOW AND THEIR RISE WILL CEASE.
BE THE PERSON WHOSE MIND IS TRULY A SPONGE, CONSTANTLY SOAKING UP KNOWLEDGE SO THAT YOU CAN FORM YOUR OWN IDEAS AND SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. BE THE INQUIRING MIND AND CONTINUE THE LEARNING PROCESS THROUGH AN AGGRESSIVE WORK ETHIC AND CONTINUATION OF YOUR FORMAL EDUCATION.
I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO SPEAK TO MANY STUDENT GROUPS AND SOMETIMES I HAVE THE TENDENCY TO RAMBLE ON SO I REMIND MYSELF ABOUT THIS JOKE I ONCE READ, WHICH GOES LIKE THIS:
A NOTORIOUS WINDBAG WAS ONE OF SEVERAL SPEAKERS SCHEDULED TO ADDRESS THE AFTERNOON SESSION OF A TRADE SHOW. WHEN HIS TURN CAME, HE WENT ON AND ON, OBLIVIOUS TO THE FACT THAT THE CROWD KEPT THINNING. WHEN HE FINALLY LOOKED UP FROM HIS NOTES, HE WAS ENRAGED TO DISCOVER THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE PERSON LEFT IN THE ENTIRE HALL, A RATHER GRIM-LOOKING MAN SEATED JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE PODIUM. THE SPEAKER TURNED TO HIM AND SAID, “AT LEAST YOU ARE A GENTLEMEN.” THE GRIM-LOOKING MAN PAUSED FOR A MOMENT, SHRUGGED AND SAID, “I’M SORRY, “BUT I’M NOT A GENTLEMAN. I’M THE NEXT SPEAKER.”
ON THAT NOTE I WILL CONTINUE…
OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS I HAVE HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK TO BUSINESS GROUPS, SPEAK AT CORPORATE SEMINARS AND TO STUDENT GROUPS, FROM COLUMBIA, STATE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY, CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK AND THE NEW YORK SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED SPEAKING AT THESE VARIOUS FUNCTIONS, I WAS (AND STILL AM) SOMEWHAT NERVOUS, BUT THE ENJOYMENT I GET OUT OF THESE TALKS IS SO FULFILLING THAT MY NERVOUSNESS DISAPPEARS MOST OF THE TIME.
THE IDEA OF PASSING ON, THROUGH CONVERSATION, YOUR LIFE’S EXPERIENCE, YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIELD THAT YOU ENJOY AND HAVE SPENT YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS LIFE IN, IS TREMENDOUSLY FULFILLING. I GET THE GREATEST THRILL WHEN I SPEAK ON A PARTICULAR SUBJECT AND IT SPARKS THE INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS. “FIRE AWAY,” I SAY, “ASK ME ANY QUESTION YOU WANT, ASK ME WHAT AND WHY.”
I HAVE DEEP FEELINGS THAT ANYBODY WHO REACHES A LEVEL OF COMPETENCE AND HAS THE TIME AND THE ABILITY TO SHARE HIS OR HER KNOWLEDGE WITH STUDENTS, SHOULD IN FACT DO THIS. JUST THINK HOW MUCH BETTER PREPARED STUDENTS WOULD BE IF THEIR EDUCATION HAD A LIBERAL SPRINKLING OF LECTURES FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
THERE ARE TOO MANY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMEN AND WOMEN WHO DON’T DO THE RIGHT THING. THEY ARE SO CAUGHT UP IN THEIR CAREERS, THEIR QUEST
FOR STATUS AND FINANCIAL REWARDS, THEY DON’T INVEST ANY OF THEIR TIME IN STUDENTS, WHO TRULY ARE THE FUTURE OF THEIR COMPANIES AND THIS COUNTRY.
IN A COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS GIVEN BY RONALD REAGAN, HE SAID THE FOLLOWING, “EDUCATION IS NOT THE MEANS OF SHOWING PEOPLE HOW TO GET WHAT THEY WANT. EDUCATION IS AN EXERCISE, BY MEANS OF WHICH, ENOUGH MEN AND WOMEN, IT IS HOPED, WILL LEARN TO WANT WHAT IS WORTH HAVING.”
I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT WHEN YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PASS YOUR LIFE’S EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE ON, YOU WILL DO IT WITH-OUT HESITATION. BELIEVE ME, YOU WILL BE A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE OF THIS INVESTMENT OF YOUR TIME.
IN CLOSING, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A MOVIE I SAW WITH MY YOUNGEST SON. ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO I TOOK MY SON MATTHEW, WHO AT THE TIME WAS 13, TO SEE “SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.” I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT TAKING HIM, DUE TO THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THE MOVIE. BUT I DECIDED HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT. ONCE INTO THE MOVIE I WAS SOMEWHAT UNEASY IN MY SEAT TRYING TO CONTROL MY OWN EMOTIONS. I WONDERED IF MY SON UNDERSTOOD THE MAIN THEME OF THE MOVIE AND AS I OCCASIONALLY GLANCED OVER DURING THE MOVIE, TO SEE IF HE WAS OKAY, I COULD SEE HE WAS FIGHTING OFF EMOTIONS.
WE SAT SILENTLY FOR THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE MOVIE. THE EMOTIONS WITHIN OURSELVES WERE SOMEWHAT DRAINING. WHEN THE MOVIE ENDED, I COULD NO LONGER CONTROL MY OWN EMOTIONS AND HAD TO TAKE SOME DEEP BREATHS TO CALM MYSELF. WHEN I LOOKED OVER AT MY SON, HE WAS CRYING AND CONTINUED TO CRY UNTIL WE GOT INTO THE CAR. I SAID TO MYSELF, “HE GOT IT, HE UNDERSTOOD THE MAIN THEME OF THE MOVIE. THE THEME WAS SUMMED UP TOWARD THE END, WITH THE CAPTAIN’S DYING WORDS TO PRIVATE RYAN, “EARN THIS” AND AT THE CONCLUSION WITH MR. RYAN, AT THE GRAVE OF HIS CAPTAIN FIFTY YEARS LATER, ASKING HIS WIFE IF HE HAD LED A GOOD LIFE.
“EARN THIS” AND “HAVE I LEAD A GOOD LIFE?”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS IS WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT. YOUR PARENTS AND YOUR TEACHERS HAVE INVESTED THEIR TIME IN YOU. DON’T WASTE THEIR EFFORTS, MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND LEAD A LIFE THAT IS FULL -- FULL OF LOVE, FULL OF HUMILITY AND FULL OF COMPASSION. AMERICA IS IN GREAT NEED OF ANOTHER GREAT GENERATION AS GOOD AS THE GENERATION THAT LED US THROUGH WWII. BE THAT GENERATION. AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS.