A letter to graduating students
By Dean Betsy Ziegler
Good morning, graduates!
Looks like it is going to be a beautiful one. Today is a big/important day and I hope you feel very proud. My Kellogg journey has been shared with many of you, so I am sure you know this day is particularly meaningful to me as well. You are my last class, it was an honor to serve as your Dean of Students. Your graduation, the convocation events this week, and the exit conversations I’ve had with many members of this class have inspired a bit of personal reflection.
Over the last 15 + years, I’ve developed five “life mottos” that I wanted to pass along to you to consider as you take the next step in your life journey.
- Aspire to achieve no unmanaged outcomes: For any personal or professional situation, envision the outcome you desire, think through potential challenges, get out ahead of the situation and pre-solve for any issues. This requires moments of reflection and deep thinking, great organization and the courage to articulate what is important to you – despite potential resistance. Try it. I promise that once you start thinking this way, you will feel much more in control of your career and life.
- Cultivate mentor and mentee relationships: Mentors matter– we all need support. Finding a mentor should be at the very top of your to-do list but not be forced. My “bar” for a mentor is a person who is actively thinking about and helping me navigate my career. My personal mentors have changed every five years or so. I’ve needed different guidance over time and different people to meet those needs. Understand how you too can begin to mentor others. My mentor-mentee relationships continue to be some of the most rewarding of my life.
- Focus on your response to the “bounce” vs. the “bounce” itself: You will make mistakes. Some will be big, and some will be small. I’ve made dozens so far in my career. Your mentors and those more senior than you have also made them, even though they may not be willing to talk abut them. In my experience, people won’t remember the mistakes themselves (or the negative bounce), they will remember how you respond to those situations. Attitude, perseverance, standing tall supersedes all else. (As a side note, when you lead people – sharing vulnerability and opening up to having made mistakes yourself will be respected and rewarded. Very few are willing to do this)
- Resist the urge to go underground:You will have moments of sheer panic – that you were a hiring mistake; that you made an unforgivable error on an analysis; that you are overwhelmed by the workload/responsibility. I promise you this is normal and happens to everyone, even if they don’t want to admit it. Resist the urge to go underground and hide. Instead, ask for help, say you don’t know if you don’t know or call your friends for support. It is a sign of strength to say you don’t know but are willing to do everything you can to figure it out, to find the answer, to solve the problem. Organizations that hire Kellogg graduates do not make hiring mistakes. Remember, you belong, you have earned a seat at the table. You will be great, but you can’t be great totally on your own…something you’ve undoubtedly learned at Kellogg.
- Plan to live a full and happy life:Every 6 months that I was at McKinsey, I asked myself – Am I still learning? Am I still making an impact? Am I still having fun? For 11 years, the answers to these questions were yes. At year 11, I started to feel differently, so wrote out a 40×40 list (things I wanted to do by the time I was 40) and started executing. My world totally opened up. I was a seat filler at the Primetime Emmys, travelled around the globe, attended the Aspen Ideas Festival…and I made choices that got me to Kellogg. I firmly believe that you have to plan to live a full and happy life. It is so easy to get caught up in the routine, put your head down and work, and define yourself by your professional accomplishments. Figure out what is important to you over time (not necessarily what others think is important), and make intentional choices that bring you the greatest personal happiness. You may want to walk down a path that everyone around you thinks is crazy or risky. If you have conviction that this path is for you, own it, make the brave choice and take it.
Each of you is amazing. You are a Kellogg leader, an achievement few people can claim. Many doors and opportunities will be open to you. Have confidence, articulate what is most important to you and use that as your guidepost for navigating life’s big decisions.
While your days as a student have come to an end, your connection to Kellogg lasts for a lifetime. Take advantage of the opportunities provided by our global alumni network – leverage it and contribute to it.
I look forward to seeing each of you on the graduation stage later today and hearing about all of your personal and professional success going forward.
Thank you for all that you have contributed in the classroom, through the clubs and conferences, and in/around the broader community.
Congratulations!
Betsy
Dean Elizabeth Ziegler is the Chief Innovation Officer – Education and Technology at Kellogg. Follow her on Twitter: @DeanZ_Kellogg.