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Feature
‘Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal’ Advice to those on the launching pad: ‘Go for it.’ By Norman R. Augustine Ed Note: In recognition that May and June are the prime months for commencement addresses, the following article is adapted from Mr. Augustine’s remarks to the 2006 graduation class of Drexel University in Philadelphia, during ceremonies in which he was awarded an honorary degree. To receive a degree from Drexel University is a great honor indeed. In fact, one of my predecessors as CEO of Martin Marietta Corp. received his undergraduate degree at this remarkable institution, as did many other of my colleagues. Nonetheless, I am acutely aware of the difference between the degree I am grateful to have just received and the degrees that will soon be conferred upon each of you — yours being known in the world of academia as earned degrees! As Neil Simon once remarked, “Would you let an honorary mechanic work on your brand new Mercedes?” The commentary that was offered about my career was exceedingly generous. But among those who would perhaps take a somewhat different perspective is Mr. Laurence Peter, progenitor of the renowned “Peter Principle.” Shortly after I published my first book, I received a letter from Mr. Peter — whom I have never met, but whose letter I treasure. He stated that he had been studying my career and that I had undermined his entire life’s work: I had, he asserted, risen not one, but two, levels above my level of competence! I would like to begin by congratulating each and every one of you on the accomplishment that is represented by the degrees that will be bestowed upon you today. Importantly, I would also like to congratulate all those who have so loyally supported you in your endeavor, particularly your parents and your teachers. In thinking about what remarks might be worthy of such an auspicious occasion, I solicited advice from my wife of 44 years. After careful consideration, she counseled, “Well, whatever you do, don’t try to sound intellectual, clever or charming … just be yourself!” ‘I Won’t Keep You Long’ So I will try to do that, and, furthermore, follow the advice once given by a student to Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today, when Neuharth, a graduation speaker, asked the student what his fellow graduates might like to hear from him. “Not much!” replied the student! So, as George Steinbrenner is said to have told his new managers during the early years of his ownership of the Yankees, “I won’t keep you long.” On occasions such as this, it is of course the custom for speakers to offer a few pithy tidbits of advice. I will try to comply with that expectation, even though I do so with considerable trepidation in view of the fact that a friend of mine recently reminded me that “spouting whales get harpooned.” Undaunted, the first observation I would offer, an observation which is in fact a bit “contrarian,” states that one should not spend too much time or effort planning one’s life. Be assured that I subscribe to the words of that great philosopher, Yogi Berra, who said that, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you could end up someplace else.” Prepare Oneself Broadly The problem is that there are simply too may uncontrollable variables in life to permit detailed long-range planning. It is, of course, not unimportant to have a general sense of what one wants to do with one’s life, but it is equally important to prepare oneself broadly and then take advantage of opportunities as they unexpectedly appear. That is, it is usually easier to engage the future than to predict it. A colleague of mine used to remind us, “When opportunity knocks, try to answer the door!” Turning to my second piece of presumed wisdom, I believe that in one’s career it is particularly important to focus upon present responsibilities and not worry too much about “getting ahead.” No one has said this better than Sir William Osler, considered by many to be the father of modern Western medicine, in his farewell remarks as he departed the faculty of Johns Hopkins to undertake his new responsibilities at Oxford. He counseled, “I have had … personal ideals. One to do the day’s work well and not to bother about tomorrow. It is … to it, more than anything else, I owe whatever success I have had — to this power of settling down to the day’s work and trying to do it well to the best of one’s ability, and let the future take care of itself.” The Most Valuable Personal Asset Third, I would observe that the most valuable personal asset any human being possesses is his or her reputation … even more valuable than one’s health. In the business world, we have seen tragic examples of individuals who lost sight of this truism. I was saddened to read that 56 percent of college students responding to a recent survey stated that they believed the only difference between executives at Enron and executives at other large companies was that the ones at Enron got caught. I can tell you from my own 50 years’ experience in business and in government that the overwhelming majority of people I dealt with were honorable, decent, dedicated individuals. In fact, I have been involved in a number of business transactions involving billions of dollars that were founded on a handshake. Most of those individuals whom I have seen lose their reputations have done so not because of any one large and conscious transgression, but rather because of a series of increasingly marginal actions that eventually culminated in some tragic step that became their undoing. In this respect, life can be a slippery slope. Fourth, I would encourage you to undertake pursuits outside of your regular job responsibilities. This is not to suggest that your employment is either unimportant or unrewarding, but rather to suggest that you will be able to contribute much more to the world; find much greater satisfaction in life and, ironically, do your job better, if you can find a few activities that you very much enjoy outside of your regular responsibilities that you very much enjoy. In my own case, in addition to enjoying my family these included such pursuits as the Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, and adventure travel — the latter having permitted me to visit 101 countries and to have stood on both the North and South Poles; to have dog-sledded in Alaska; rafted the Grand Canyon; and to have ridden into Timbuktu on a camel. How good does life get?! What Brutus Tells Caesar and Cassius And then we come to the piece of advice you have all been awaiting — the last piece! For this I would simply observe that life is not a spectator sport — it certainly is not a dress rehearsal. In this lifetime, everyone is confronted with many decisions as to whether to remain in their comfort zone, preserving the status quo, or — in the words of Robert Frost — to take “the road less traveled by.” Brutus tells Caesar and Cassius, using the noun of the times, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries.” Or, as this engineer/businessperson would state it, in somewhat less eloquent terms: “GO FOR IT!” Congratulations! |
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| Norman
R. Augustine is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of the
Lockheed Martin Corp. He is a member of the boards of Black and Decker
Corp., ConocoPhillips, and Procter & Gamble Co. He is or has been a
trustee of Johns Hopkins, MIT, and Princeton as well as Colonial
Williamsburg, and is a former chairman of the American Red Cross and
the National Academy of Engineering and a former president of the Boy
Scouts of America. He is a member of the editorial advisory board of
Directors & Boards and has written a number of key reference
articles for the journal. He earned his undergraduate degree (1957) and his masters (1959) in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University. Upon retiring from industry, he served until 1999 as a professor at his alma mater. In April 2007 he was presented with the prestigious Bower Award for Business Leadership — recognizing his leadership of Lockheed Martin and his extensive public service focused on U.S. science and technical leadership driven by research, innovation, and improved science and math education. The Bower Award is presented by the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia (http://www.fi.edu/franklinawards). Past laureates include Johnson & Johnson’s James Burke, Motorola’s Robert Galvin, Hewlett-Packard’s David Packard, and Intel’s Gordon Moore. Copyright © 2007 Directors & Boards, P.O. Box 41966 Philadelphia, PA 19101-1966. All rights reserved. Contact the webmaster. < Privacy Notice > |
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