A Message to Graduates: You Can Always Make Another Choice
Lynda McDermott
I work with leaders and teams to implement "Stay in the Game Leadership" strategies to achieve winning results! I am an in-person and virtual coach and workshop facilitator and a Certified Speaking Professional.
If you’re really lucky right now you have your health, you have your loved ones and you have your freedom to continue to make choices.
?A time to Reflect on Your Graduation and Life’s Journey?
Graduation, whether from high school or college, represents a transition for ending one journey of your life and beginning another.
?This transition period can raise serious and provocative questions:
I had the privilege several years ago to deliver a commencement speech to the graduating seniors of my alma mater, Miami University (Ohio).?Sitting at my own graduation at Miami University I never dreamed that one day I would have the opportunity to reflect on my own leadership lessons?and impart some of that wisdom to young adults who were getting ready to leave one world and journey into another.?I've spoken with business leaders in over 35 countries around the world, but without a doubt I considered this the most important speech I'd yet to make.?I wanted to say something about the subject of leadership that would be helpful and practical and make a real difference in their lives.
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My main leadership message to all graduates then, and in this graduation season in particular this year is this:?Regardless of the questions in front of you, it is absolutely imperative that you trust and listen to your inner voice to help you develop answers to your questions for today and tomorrow and to know when you may need to make the next choice. I believe it is never too soon (or too late!) to remind young people that their responsibility is to "lead your life, don't just live it".?
Some people may advise you, to paraphrase Yogi Berra or Alice in Wonderland, “When you see a fork in the road take it”.?I would heed, instead, what former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said, “If you see a fork in the road - don’t just take it, that leads to nowhere.?Ask yourself first:?Will this path reflect my own deepest values and aspirations, and not necessarily defer to the wishes of others”?
And most importantly, as you make your choices and gain wisdom from your decisions and experiences remember this: YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE ANOTHER CHOICE.
I have summarized the lessons learned from this speech into an eBook titled LEADERSHIP LESSONS FOR GRADUATES, which we are offering to you for FREE??So even though some of the examples and stories are somewhat dated, the leadership lessons endure today.
To download a copy of this eBook, simply click here. Please leave a comment or email me at [email protected] to let us know what you think!?And please pass this on to others who you believe could benefit from reflecting on their own leadership life lessons.
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1 年What a wonderful gift your ebook is for graduates, Lynda. I especially appreciated the line in your article when you wrote: "Will this path reflect my own deepest values and aspirations, and not necessarily defer to the wishes of others?" Whether young people are graduate high school or college, they may hesitate to make decisions based on what THEY feel is best for them and instead turn to parents, teachers, friends, and others for their opinions. Though it's important to respectful of these opinions, ultimately the choices need to be those of the graduates themselves. So, thank you so much for your important message.