The Wharton Graduation Speech I Never Gave
I recently came across a draft of a graduation speech I wrote but never delivered.
The speech was from May 2009 when I graduated from The Wharton School with an MBA. I threw my hat in to give the speech but was not selected. I am still glad I tried.
In revisiting what I wrote, I can see that the speech needs ... more. But I leave it here now because it's knocking in my head and heart to come out, and so many of the soundbites we learned those years are more true and salient than ever.
For context, which my WG'09 classmates will remember well, this was spring 2009 and the global economy was in full recession from the sub-prime mortgage crisis. In September 2008, the beginning of our second year, Lehman Brothers would file for bankruptcy, and markets would plummet. For MBA students, it was not an ideal time to find a job, even if it was a fascinating time to study the economy and its interconnectedness. Many of my classmates would end up course-correcting their career visions, including me. I went into business school thinking I would pursue a career in financial services with a focus on impact investing and ESG. I graduated and instead joined a pre-seed fin-tech start-up called LearnVest. I've been in start-ups ever since and continue to thank my lucky stars that I found an industry and people I love.
Here's the speech from May 2009 ...
My mother always told me to behave like a duck. Calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddling like hell underneath.
For many of us, the first year at Wharton provided us with the opportunity to master behaving like a duck even if you still don't care to admit it; confident and put-together on the surface, but paddling like hell underneath to take advantage of it all … and still not be late for MGEC (managerial economics) class.
Seven classes at any given time, 800 classmates to meet, approximately 1 million clubs and conferences to participate in and a life outside of school to remember.
After what seemed like only a few uppercuts, employer info sessions, and cohort karaoke parties, we had gone through an unspoken rite of passage into our second year. A summer internship reminded us of the joys of student life, and we returned to Philadelphia with the seasoned wisdom that Follies and Fight Night are not to be missed, and that there really is no good excuse to miss Pub.
I for one looked up and realized how incredibly lucky I was to be at Wharton.
And while looking up, the economy fell.
The global financial crisis has made what we study at Wharton that much more important, and not just in derivative analysis.
It has illuminated how our decisions as future leaders will ripple through society, and that there is a fine line between prosperity and recklessness.
As Professors debated the crisis, we realized the irony and implications of graduating from the premier finance school during these uncertain times.
In seeking, guidance, I often turned to guest speakers and Wharton Leadership Lectures for insight.
The following are some of the more memorable words of wisdom:
Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized the importance of accountability. He said that change is the only constant, so we better be comfortable leading in it, and that the hardest thing we will do, and do right, is pick good people.
Gary Weinstein, the former Global Chief Administrative Officer of Lehman Brothers said that the biggest mistake we are likely to make is putting complete trust in the wrong person.
Kris Tompkins of Patagonia reminded us to never barter our ethical compass.
Muhtar Kent, the CEO of CocaCola told us that vision without the right execution is just a vision.
Nancy Mahon, Executive Director of MAC Aids Fund candidly expressed that she aspires to be a person she admires.
Professor Stuart Diamond, the man who captured your hard-earned auction points, told us that leadership does not necessarily inspire emotion or passion, but rather it fosters long-term commitment and a basis for a connection.
Last year, before the markets collapsed, Diamond warned us that a key threat to any leader is being too busy, too wrapped up in the momentum, to fix the root of a problem.
Recently, Alex Counts of the Grameen Foundation cautioned us to not become isolated by our education and our privilege and to not let our ivy league MBA translate into underestimating those without such opportunities.
Perhaps my favorite leadership lecturer was Kevin Roberts of Saatchi and Saatchi. Kevin was a restless, animated speaker with a sailor’s tongue and a love for rugby. He was unequivocally forthright in his belief that Wharton graduates have the power to change the world, but that half of us won’t realize it in time.
All in all, three themes emerged from the leadership lectures.
The first is the importance of having mentors that will point out the lessons you may otherwise miss.
The second is our role and responsibility as future leaders and innovators.
The third theme is joy. Along with stressing the importance of accountability and integrity, our accomplished guest speakers told us to make sure we have sheer, naked, unadulterated joy in our lives.
Already, my classmates have embodied all three themes; we are trusted advisors to each other, you have and will make a meaningful difference, and you have given me pure joy.
So now, at the brink of graduation, I know my learning has just begun. Though for many of us it is the end of organized student life – the end of long spring breaks, of days when a 9am class feels unreasonably early and when you are consistently amazed that such smart people can still work so hard with a chronic hangover.
Whether at Wharton you have thrived academically, socially or romantically, the Wharton experience has become a part of your story.
The next year and the uncertainties in our economy are bound to bring challenges. We may choose to continue to act like ducks, calm, and unruffled on the surface, or we may have found a more authentic style that suits us better. Either way, may you find what you are looking for, and may it include unadulterated joy. I know I graduate grateful to have you as part of my story and future.
To our Wharton years.
*****
I originally posted this speech on LinkedIn.