This is the time of year college graduates hear words of wisdom at commencement exercises. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, appeared at Gallaudet. Taylor Swift delivered at NYU. Emmanuel Acho spoke at my alma mater, UT-Austin.
Elsewhere, Russell Wilson, Abby Wambach and Dwyane Wade represented the sports world. Kamala Harris, Mike Pence and Condelezza Rice appeared from the political spectrum. Tyler Perry, Henry Winkler and Ken Jeong came from the entertainment industry.
These had me wondering, if I were asked to speak at a graduation, what life lessons would I share with those setting out to find their place in the world? After some reflection, here are five:
1) Your word is the most important asset you own. Be honest and candid. Show up as promised. Fulfill your commitments on time.
2) The ability to listen is an art. It requires eliminating distractions and being fully present for the other person. It means not thinking about what you’re going to say while the other person is speaking. It demands avoiding judgments around what you’re hearing. Like every art form, the ability to listen takes daily practice to master.
3) People don’t spend much time thinking about you. So don’t worry about them. Focus on what you can control and keep moving forward.
4) Work throughout your career with a coach you trust – and allow yourself to be transparent and vulnerable with them. They don’t have to know your industry or understand your role. They do need to be detached from the emotions of your work, ask powerful questions that get you to think, and believe that you’re meant to be great.
5) In the end, how much money you made, how many toys you had, how popular you were don’t really matter. Live each day so that at your funeral, people come up to your family and say things like: ‘he’s the finest man I ever knew;’ ‘she went out of her way to put others first;’ ‘I will always remember the time your [father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle] helped me when I needed it most.’
