my sister sent me this from scotland where she is working with a nice nice company after finishing her mba. and it couldnt come at a more appropriate time.
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This speech was delivered during the commencement exercises of the
University of Philippines graduating class of 2003 by Mr. Butch Jimenez,
the youngest commencement speaker in the university's history.
He once dreamed of doing so and it came true!
Students wished they had a pencil or paper to jot down notes during the
speech; some even wished they had a tape recorder. Some members of the
faculty found his speech practical, refreshing and funny!
Butch Jimenez, head of PLDT's media & strategic communications
department, delivered this speech at the UP Diliman Class 2003 commencement
exercises.
What's better than...?
By Butch Jimenez
Better than being negative
As college students, you're just about to set sail into the real world.
As you prepare for the battle-ground of life, you'll hear many
speeches, read tons of books & get miles of advice telling you to work hard,
dream big, go out & do something for yourself and have a vision.
Not bad advice, really. In fact, following these nuggets of truth may
just bring you to the top. But as I've lived my life over the years, I
have come to realize that it is great to dream big, have a vision, make
a name & work hard. But guess what: There's something better than that.
So my message today simply asks the question, What's better than...?
Let's start off with something really simple. What's better than a long
speech? No doubt, a short one. So, you guys are in luck because I do
intend to keep this short.
Now, let me take you through a very simple math exam. I'll rattle off a
couple of equations & you tell me what you observe about them. Be
mindful of the instructions. You are to tell me what you observe about the
equations.
Here goes: 3+4=7, 9+2=11, 8+4=13, and 6+6=12. Tell me, what do you
observe?
Every time I conduct this test, more than 90% of the participants
immediately say, 8+4 is NOT 13, it's 12!
That's true & they are correct. But they could have also observed that
the three other equations were right. That 3+4 is 7, that 9+2 is 11,
and that 6 + 6 is 12.
What's my point? Many people immediately focus on the negative instead
of the positive. Most of us focus on what's wrong with other people
more than what's right about them. Examine those four equations. Three
were right & only one was wrong. But what is the knee-jerk observation?
The wrong equation.
If 10 people you didn't know were to walk through that door, most of
you would describe those people by what's negative about them. He's fat.
He's balding. Oh, the short one. Oh, the skinny girl. Ahhh, 'yung
pango. Etc.
Get the point? It's always the negative we focus on & not the positive.
You'll definitely experience this in the corporate world. You do a
hundred good things & one mistake-guess what? Chances are, your attention
will be called on that one mistake.
So what's better than focusing on the negative? Believe me, its
focusing on the positive. And if this world could learn to focus on the
positive more than the negative, it would be a much nicer place to live in.
Better than working hard.
We have always been told to work hard. Our parents say that, our
teachers say that & our principal says that. But there's something better
than merely working hard. It's working SMART.
It's taking time to understand the situation & coming out with an
effective & efficient solution to get more done with less time & effort. As
the Japanese say, "There's always a better way."
One of the most memorable case studies I came across with as I studied
Japanese management at SophiaUniversityin Tokyowas the case of the
empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics
companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a box of
soap that was empty. It immediately isolated the problem to the
assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the
delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly
line empty. Management tasked its engineers to solve the problem.
Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with
high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that
passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt,
they worked hard & they worked fast.
But a rank-and-file employee that was posed the same problem came out
with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan &
pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on & as each soap box
passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Clearly, the engineers worked hard, but the rank-and-file employee
worked smart. So what's better than merely working hard? It's working
smart. Having said that, it is still important to work hard. If you could
combine both working hard & working smart, you would possess a major
factor toward success.
Better than dreaming big.
I will bet my next month's salary that many have encouraged you to
dream big. May be even to reach for the stars & aim high. I sure heard that
about a million times right before I graduated from this university.
So I did. I did dream big. I did aim high. I did reach for the stars.
No doubt, it works. In fact, the saying is true: "If you aim for
nothing, that's exactlywhat you'll hit: nothing."
But there's something better than dreaming big. Believe me, I got
shocked myself. And I learned it from the biggest dreamer of all time, Walt
Disney.
When it comes to dreaming big, Walt is the man. No bigger dreams were
fulfilled than his. Every leadership book describes him as the ultimate
dreamer In fact, the principle of dreaming & achieving is the core
message of the Disney hit song, "When You Wish Upon a Star".
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are; anything
your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream, no
request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do," as
Jiminy Cricket sang.
But is that what he preached in the Disney company? Dream?
Imagineering.
Well, not exactly. Kinda, but not quite. The problem with dreaming is
if that's all you do, you'll really get nowhere. In fact, you may just
fall asleep & never wake up.
The secret to Disney's success is not just dreaming, it's
IMAGINEERING.. You won't find this word in a dictionary. It's purely a Disney word.
Those who engage in imagineering are called imagineers. The word
combines the words "imagination" and "engineering."
In the book "Imagineers," Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, claims that
"imagineers turn impossible dreams into real magic."
Walt Disney explained there is really no secret to their approach.
They just keep moving forward-opening new doors & doing new things,
because they are curious. And it is this curiosity that leads them down new
paths. They always dream, explore & experiment. In short, imagineering
is the blending of creative imagination & technical know-how.
Eisner expounds on this thought by saying that "Not only are imagineers
curious, they are courageous, outrageous & their creativity is
contagious."
The big difference with imagineers is that they dream & then they DO!
So don't just be a dreamer, be an imagineer.
What's better than vision. You must have all been given a lecture at
one time or another about the importance of having a vision. Even
leadership expert John Maxwell says that an indispensable quality of a leader
is to have a vision. The Bible also makes it very clear that "Without
vision, people perish." So no doubt about it, having a vision is
important to success.
But surprise! There's something more potent than a vision. It's a
CAUSE. If all you're doing is trying to reach your vision & you're pitted
against someone fighting for a cause, chances are you'll lose.
The Vietnam War is a classic example. Literally with sticks & stones,
the Viet Cong beat the heavily armed US Army to surrender, primarily
because the UShad a vision to win the war, but the Vietnamese were
fighting for a cause.
In the realm of business, many leaders have visions of making their
Company No.1, or grabbing market share, or forever increasing profits.
Nothing really wrong with that vision, but take the example of Sony
Founder Akio Morita. He did not just have a vision to build the biggest
electronics company in the world. In his biography, "Made in Japan,"
he reveals that the real reason he set up Sony was to help rebuild his
country, which had just been battered by war. He had a cause he was
fighting for. His vision to be an electronics giant was secondary.
What's the difference between a vision & a cause? Here's what sets them
apart... No one is willing to die for a vision. People will die for a
cause. You possess a vision. A cause possesses you. A vision lies in
your hands. A cause lies in your heart. A vision involves sacrifice. A
cause involve the ultimate sacrifice.
Just a word of caution. You must have the right vision & you must be
fighting for the right cause. In the end, right will always win out.
It may take time & it may take long. But if you have the right vision &
are fighting for the right cause, you will prevail. If not, no matter
how sincere you are, if you are not fighting for what is right, you will
ultimately fail.
Having been given the opportunity to study in UP, no doubt, much has
been given to you in terms of an excellent education. Don't forget that
in return, much is now required of you to use that education not just
for yourself, but for others.
And as you move up & start reaching the pinnacle of success, even more
will be required of you to look at the welfare of others, of society &
of the country.
A final review
What's better than focusing on the negative? Focus on the positive.
What's better than working hard? It's working smart.
What's better than dreaming? Imagineering.
What's better than doing something for yourself? Doing something for
your country.
What's better than a vision? A cause.
What's better than a long speech? Definitely, a short one.
Thank you & congratulations, UP Diliman graduating class of 2003.
"Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never
ends."
just make sure that you can grow from your roots and listen to a whole range of shit to create your own style. 
