Congratulations Graduating Class of 2021!

Congratulations Class of ’21! You did it!

Graduation is a time to celebrate, reflect on the sacrifices and accomplishments of the past, and imagine the hope, excitement, and possibilities of the future.

In our new reality, where the pace of change is so rapid that people are required to learn “in the moment,” the ability to gain new knowledge is becoming more valuable than the knowledge itself. This is especially true today as tech fundamentally reshapes the nature of our world.

The pandemic still encompassing our globe – coupled with unrest in regions around the world – has set a defined line of a before and after era. Historians will look back on this period as a once-in-a-generation defining moment to challenge old assumptions and drive structural changes.

I’ve said before, “Sometimes it takes a decade to make a week of progress. Sometimes a week gives you a decade of progress.” This is because in periods of relative calm, we simply can’t (or won’t) drive real systemic change. We are just getting started with this transformation. As humans, we must come together and eliminate constraints that cause friction. Yet, upending the status quo often requires a fresh view.

Today, every business is a technology business, and the world is becoming more digitized than ever. There has never been a better – or more important time – to be a technologist.

We cannot afford to think of tech as someone else’s problem; we must ALL play a role in helping to ensure tech innovation gets harnessed as a force for good. We can transform the turmoil of this time into a recovery that creates world-changing technology to improve the life of every human on the planet.

Over the past several years, I have spoken extensively on the “superpowers” of technology. Each impressive on their own, together; they reinforce and amplify one another.

·      Cloud – unlimited scale.

·      Connectivity – unlimited reach.

·      Intelligent Edge – combining the digital with the physical world.

·      AI – bringing intelligence to everything.

In 1986, I was architecting the 486 chip at Intel and my marketing manager declared, “We’ve got to make the 486 a great AI chip!”

What happened? Absolutely nothing…for 30 years.

But today, the data sets are large enough, the compute is great enough and the algorithms smart enough that we can create incredible breakthroughs. I like to think of this as a three-decade-long overnight success.

These superpowers are impacting every aspect of human existence – how we learn, live, worship, and work. And, as we’re all too familiar, COVID was a huge catalyst for even faster change. Almost overnight, every employee became a remote worker and every student become a digital learner.

As you embark on the next phase of your journey, you are the superheroes who will use these superpowers as the basis for innovations we cannot even begin to imagine yet.

My career advice to all of you as you take the first steps on that journey:

Find something you are good at and that you love to do – with people you enjoy.

40 years into my career, I’m still as fired up today as I was when I first walked in the door. And I want to be able to share that passion for innovation. Never lose that excitement and drive to change the world.

Write a mission statement – and live it.

Keep the most important thing, the most important thing. This sounds pretty simple, and in many respects, it is! However, you’d be surprised how often this is poorly executed. Define the vision of your future and where you want to be; this will help you continue to learn the lessons you thought you already knew.

Understand intellectual integrity and live your life in a relentless pursuit of what is right. Not mostly right, but – fully and completely right. Ultimately, your values are what define you and set you apart from the competition.

Follow the two rules of a great career: 1) Do great things in your role today.

Early in my own career, I had advanced from technician to entry-level engineer. I was a precocious junior manager in charge of a key process for the 386 silicon chip. I realized that there were persistent problems with our computer systems and disaster loomed on the horizon.

I verified my data insisted to our executive staff that we urgently escalate the matter. I was pointing my finger at veritable God’s of the silicon industry, Robert Noyce – inventor of the integrated circuit; Gordon Moore – author of the industry-shaping “Moore’s Law”; Andy Grove – founder, president and soon to become CEO of the company, later to become Time magazine Man of the Year.

This brings me to the second part of this piece of advice. 2) Prepare for the next job.

A week or so after this meeting, I was working intently in my office, wrapped up in my own little world of problems, ideas, and design. Suddenly a loud ring from my desk phone jolted me back to reality. (This was back in the time when phones with physical bells and dial tones still existed.)

In the most annoyed voice I could muster, I demanded, “Who is it?”

“Andy,” came the reply.

It was Andy Grove. (The good news is that this piece of advice does not involve an anecdote about me getting fired.)

“I was impressed by your presentation the other day,” said Andy. “What do you read? What are you studying? What's your next career goal? What's the next job that you want?”

Shocked and stammering, I mumbled something about how all I wanted was get my chip out the door.

“Those are lousy answers. Be in my office in a week with better ones,” he replied.

He was right about my answers. I had been entirely unprepared for his line of questioning. Other than “being an engineer,” I hadn’t considered what I wanted to ultimately accomplish.

I had two options – show up in the company president’s office with thoughtful reflections or flee the country. (I seriously considered both thoroughly.)

Find a mentor. And listen to them.

A week later, my answers were a lot more thought out and a mentoring relationship that lasted 35 years had begun.

I joke that it was like going to the dentist and not getting Novocain. Andy was tough, he was hard, but he made me better. These are the kind of relationships you need for whatever life path you pursue. I still have calls with my mentors to this day.

Almost every great leader I’ve ever met can point back to these influences in their own life and careers – each immediately able to describe their “Andy Grove.” We are like diamonds in the rough and we need mentors to help knock off the rough and show the beautiful facets inside.

There are different types of mentorships – ones like Andy, hard and pouring into you; buddies you have along the way; and those where you’re reaching into someone else’s life.

All allow you to develop substance and confidence. Combined they allow you find your true potential.

Expect the unexpected. Learn to embrace change and challenge.

Crises occur, and will occur again, often due to events well outside your control. Don’t dismiss these as “aw crap” moments and try to hunker down and do nothing more than survive.

Realize they call it work for a reason; not every day is a walk in the park. You will struggle. You will get angry. You will fail. You’ll lose that deal. You’ll be passed over for the promotion.

Use these for the opportunities they are (even if you don’t want to admit it in the moment) and employ the 5Ls of leadership to grow:

Listen.

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." True and active listening is respectful, thoughtful, and guiding. Ask open questions and listen hard for the answers – both what is said and left unsaid.

HiPPO’s (the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion…) often dominate by default; listen to the surrounding noise and don’t let the signal drown out quieter or lower-level voices.

Learn.

Embrace the unrelenting thirst for learning. Have humility and be open to change – maintain a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset because even when times are good and the wind is at your back, you can be sure a new challenge will be waiting just around the corner.

You will make mistakes; just don’t repeat the same one. By having a relentless pursuit of self-improvement, you can influence others to lift their performance too.

Lift

Challenge demands resilience. Yet resilience isn’t just about recovering from setbacks, but owning the failure and using it as a springboard to push onward and upward. When times are challenging – leaders lift the countenance of the organization. Things are never as good (be paranoid as Andy liked to say) and never as bad – LIFT.

Link

Connect the dots across diverse teams to ensure shared understanding, purpose, and inspiration. Break down silos within organizations to build trust and nurture the exchange of ideas and skillsets.

Love

This is a word not much seen in academia or business. It is the passion you so often hear about – for every aspect of your journey – including all inherent challenges and rewards.

It starts with self-love. Be at ease with who you are. Bring your whole self to work which is at the heart of Diversity & Inclusion. Don’t cultivate personas for different parts of your life. The skills individuals have in one area of their life are often surprisingly beneficial to another part. It is these differences in thought, experience, background and culture that enrich and empower high-performance teams and ultimately drive innovation.

Innovation is the lifeblood of technology. We have the opportunity to improve the lives of every human on the planet through… technology. We have the opportunity ahead to build out the world we want to live in. We cannot stand still; we must move forward, faster to the future.

It is up to us – to YOU -- to define this new era, before it defines us.

Class of 2021, I humbly pass the future to you. I’m looking forward to working with you on so many developments that are “not possible.” Yet.