Inspirational (college) speech

University of Ottawa
School of Business Graduates’ Reception event
Keynote speech
March 23, 2005

The following speech was written for a senior manager at Cisco.

Listening, Learning and Adapting: Tips and Strategies for a Prosperous Journey

Thanks for the nice introduction. It’s great to be back here.

It’s hard to be surprised anymore with world news. But earlier this month I was truly stunned when a man completed a flight around the world in 3 days—without stopping. It was the first non-stop solo round the world aircraft flight.

67 hours in the air …No sleep for 3 nights… Crammed in a single engine plane, flying solo… and a hair raising ending. He wasn’t sure he was going to make it until he literally touched down in Kansas. …
(oh, and by the way, no shower for over 3 days)

I’m a pilot so the achievement was even more impressive to me.

But the reason I mention this is it’s a perfect example of what you can do if you dare to dream, put your mind to it and maximize your natural talents.

Think of all the great leaders of past and present, from Thomas Jefferson to today’s business leaders. All had a burning desire to succeed, rise above failure and reach new heights… to go where others had never been. Each one developed certain winning/and leadership qualities that allowed them to do extraordinary things. And each one showed an uncanny ability to adapt to change, to roll with the punches and keep advancing toward a greater goal.

That’s the subject of my speech today—learning, growing and adapting.

Each one of you has leadership qualities, and the potential for greatness. Within each one of you is a Fosset—and a Lincoln, a Martin Luther King, and a Mother Theresa for that matter. And now you have an incredible education that most people would envy.

But to truly tap those inner resources, and rise to your personal heights, you have to be able to adapt to change. Darwin said it years ago. “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent…but the ones most responsive to change.”

Today that means new sets of leadership, communication and thinking skills.

Like Fossett, you’re starting on your own journey, to explore new worlds. New opportunities. You also have enormous challenges—you’re leaving the safety net of the school and jumping into the unknown. Like him you’re sailing off into new skies, so buckle up—and plan your trip carefully.

Number one—you need a central core ideology, a clear set of beliefs and purpose. This will serve as your compass on the journey.

Look to the world’s great leaders and companies, and you’ll find each has a strong central core belief system, which gives them the ability to change to stay ahead of the curve. This is true of them personally, and their companies.

The core ideology serves as the company’s soul, according to the book Built to Last, which chronicled the greatest companies of our time. Core ideology is really about your “core values” plus “purpose”. Think of it as your navigation system.

Walt Disney’s goal was to “bring happiness to families.” For Henry Ford, it was to “democratize the automobile” and make it available to the masses. General Electric was “improving the quality of life through technology and innovation.” More recently, with eBay, it would be to empower individual buyers and sellers. With my company, Cisco, it’s to transform the Internet into a more powerful business enabler.

You have to think bigger than just making money. In 17 of 18 cases, in the Built to Last study, the model companies were more ideologically driven and less profit driven than their peer companies. They made money but also pursued broader, more meaningful ideals.

Disney could have said it existed to make cartoons for kids. But instead it said it wanted to make kids happy. Cisco isn’t just about making hardware; it’s about transforming the Internet into something that improves the way we work, live and play (and learn.)

Personally, you should also think broadly. You really have to ask yourself, as these leaders did, “why do I exist? What is my purpose in life?”
“Is my compass pointed true north?”

When you develop a core ideology, you’re putting a stake in the ground: This is who I am. This is what I stand for. It’s what I’m about.

This frees you to adapt to change, and chart a bold path. A visionary company—and leader—“must be willing to change everything, except its basic philosophy of doing business,” according to Thomas J. Watson Jr., IBM’s founder and former chairman.

So write down your core ideology, and let the world know who you are. Then beat your drum loudly, and never stop. A visionary company—or leader-- continually pursues but never fully achieves or completes its purpose. Walt Disney once said, “Disneyworld will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

Likewise, you’ll never completely “arrive” at your destination, because you’ll always be achieving and growing.

Another key to adapting to change and reaching your potential is building relationships. The world today is more than ever about connecting with people. Relationships serve as the bridges on your journey.

I can’t stress the importance of communication and people skills. The Internet is an incredible tool. But it often comes down to dealing directly with real people, and communication skills.

At Cisco, I manage marketing for the enterprise, which are Cisco’s largest companies. We deal with dozens of different groups at Cisco, and hundreds of different people. The company operates through virtual teams. These are set up to develop or market a product, or other task. At any one time I might find myself with people from different parts of the company. How I work with all these people—the relationships I build, how I connect the dots—will determine whether I’m successful.

Think of yourself as a “connector.” This is a term used in the book, The Tipping Point.
Connectors are people who naturally spread ideas through their relationships. Connectors look at the world different. While most people are carefully screening out people (for their looks, mannerisms, stature), the connector is open to everyone and every idea. They have a knack for connecting with people far different than them, building bridges that lead them to new opportunities.

A good example is Herb Kellerher, founder and chairman of SW Air. He treats all his employees with equal respect. While other airlines are losing money, he’s built a money-making empire by “respecting and trusting” his employees. They know he means it. When he’s talking to an employee, they get 110% of his attention. When “I’m talking t them,” he says, “that person is the only person in the world.”

People are the key to success on every level. In the book, Good to Great, the authors found that the key ingredient for a successful company was the people. Amazingly, it wasn’t a single, bold leader. It wasn’t a brilliant idea. It wasn’t a clever marketing program. It was about “getting the right people on the bus” and the wrong people off.” Then they figured out where to drive it.

The book profiled companies like Nucor, the mini (steel) maker, as an example. Nucor put a huge emphasis on finding the right people, ones who had character traits like work ethic, character, and commitment, beyond just education. They built plants in farming areas, where they could hire locals with strong “farming values.” (rise early, work hard, etc). With the right people on the bus, companies like Nucor were more adapt at managing market upheavals, and other change. They were more adaptable.

With the right people in your own life, you’ll also be able to ride the waves of change better. Think of people who you rely on now as you develop your career. Are they the right people? What can you do to get the right people on your bus, the dead weight off?

Connecting is all about building relationships, connecting with the right people, creating your own networks. Be sure you’re casting a wide net, connecting with a vast array of people. You never know; the next contact you make could change your life.

And don’t neglect your personal relationships. In the book, The Millionaire Next Door, the typical millionaire had a small number of very close, long time friends. They’d also been married on average for well over 20 years…often to their college sweetheart. Their spouse was a partner and large contributor to their success. Ignore the Donald Trumps of the world and the siren calls of popular culture. I can tell you from personal experience that through the ups and downs of life, there is no substitute for a strong partner.

Learning is the other key.

Last, you have to keep learning. Gaining knowledge is a life-long pursuit.

That’s because you have to constantly reinvent yourself to stay ahead of the market. Today’s knowledge is like wonder bread, a short shelf life; obsolete in 3 or 4 years. In Silicon Valley, 1/3 of the workers are employed in companies that didn’t even exist 10 years ago. And futurists estimate that 50% of the jobs available in 10 years haven’t even been invented yet.

Rather than look at graduation as a destination, think of it as the first leg of a long journey. You should learn as much in the next four years or more than you did in the last four. This means “regraduating” every four years, and reinventing yourself.

Your learning will now come from outside the classroom—from the job, from colleagues, managers and clients, from experiences. How you absorb and use these lessons and knowledge will shape your journey.

The real key is listening. Leaders actually learn, not by just talking and driving programs…but by listening.. and having an incurable curiosity in what people are saying.

Sam Walton, just days before he died, sat on his deathbed, and listened as senior sales managers apprised him of Walmart’s status. His ability to put the right people on the bus, listen to them, and build, helped him create one of the true powerhouse companies in the world.

Going forward, most of your education will be self –education-- in learning the things you need to know, and in listening to the voices that come from within. If you aren’t learning and reinventing yourself, you’re dieing. William Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

You may even appreciate the wisdom of those closest to you. Mark Twain once said, “When I was 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the man around. But when I got to be 21 I was astonished at how much he’d learned in seven years.”

SUMMARY
The world has changed dramatically since I graduated. Back then academic types ruled: Drucker, Porter. Now we look up to business leaders and companies, with funny names like eBay, Yahoo and Google. I only had a few choices, like GM and IBM. Now there are hundreds of choices—and challenges. Technology, meantime, is transforming the way we work, live and play. Change is accelerating.

You’ll have to keep running faster and faster. By the time you’re in your 30’s, the next generation will be breathing down your back. That’s my son’s—the digital generation—and they’ll be competing with you.

Yet, looking back, I can now see it’s not the fastest or brightest person that succeeds in the end. It really is the person who develops the skills, knowledge and mindset to weather change, the hills and valleys in life—the people who adapt to change.

When Fossett took off, his innovative plane unexpectedly burned or lost more than a ton of fuel right after takeoff. He almost had to abort the trip in Hawaii. Near the end he was still afraid he’d run out of fuel and have to ditch in the ocean. Yet he powered ahead and landed safely.

That’s what you’ll have to do: power ahead, no matter what the obstacles.

In the end, it’s s really about building something much bigger than you. The great business leaders like Disney, Ford and Walton built things that guaranteed to outlive them. So don’t be afraid to think big, to explore, to dare to dream and make an impact.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

And Mark Twain pointed out that, “Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

And enjoy the journey.

Thank you and good luck.
©2005 Ivy & Ivey Communications. All rights reserved.