Keynote Speech:  The Four Ps for Success After Graduation

 

Graduate 2012:

Thank you for the opportunity to be your Key Note Speaker at the 2012 Vinh Quy Bái Tổ celebration this year.  Thank you TRUNG TÂM VĂN HOÁ VIỆT NAM for  keeping the tradition and value of our Vietnamese culture burning brightly for the past ten years.  Thank you parents for your commitment to support your sons and daughters to become the person they are today.  And most important thank you graduates for your discipline and focus to pursue your academic degree(s) in time of so much temptations to take the easy route.

I was asked to compressed 22 years of my career experience into a 15 min speech that would be most impactful and useful for the 2012 graduates to succeed in life.  After much reflection, I would like to share my four P’s to sustain success after graduation.  The for Ps stand for Plan, Prepare, Produce and be Paramount in whatever you do.

Plan – Always have a plan for something that is important to you.  Steven Covey once said “Start with the end in mind.” Know where you want to go and have an idea of what that looks like when you get there or else any direction and anything will do.  When I was 9 years old  I had a plan/goal to get a doctorial degree.  At 34 years old I finally received it and in a discipline that I inspires me.  When I graduated from college I had a plan to get married at 28.  If figured by that time I would be mature enough, have a stable income and career and be in a nice relationship.  Well that plan did not come to realization until I celebrated  my 31 birthday.  So, plans are great to have, but be agile too to work the plan.  And if it does not work in the end, have plan B and C ready.

Prepare – Be prepare for opportunities to knock at your door.  Many times I see people so unprepared that they miss great fortunes and career advancements because they were not ready (mentally, physically, spiritually or educationally).  When you are not prepared you waste time making the decision, when you should already know the answer.  Continue your education and certifications, find mentors and ask questions, because the more knowledge and experience you gain the wiser you become and more doors will open for you.  The Scout Motto is Be Prepared - To do the right thing at the right moment.   So, circling  back to the first P- plan.  Not everything you plan will go as plan, but if you are prepared it will go better than planned.

Produce – During the schooling phase, a student’s job is to learn and produce good grades.  Grades are one deliverable that  people measure to determine success.  In the working world, what you produce or deliver is the measuring stick for success.  The bigger, the more complex the deliverable the bigger the reward.  So think in terms of what am I delivering to the company, for my boss, my project and how are my result stack up to my competitors.  There is no correlations between how much time you put into your goal versus how much you produce, but there is a difference in working hard and working smart.  Chose the smart path, you will go much further up the ladder of success.  There are two type of people in this world, those that produce results and those that produce excuses for not getting the results.   What type of person are you?

Paramount – Having a plan, being prepared and just delivering results is not enough to separate you from the average.  To be successful you have to distance yourself from the pack.  Water boils at 212 degrees.  That one degree makes the greatest difference between which state water should be in.  What is that one degree for you?  So being paramount to me means doing the best you can do, putting 101% into your idea, project, or work.  You have to be above average for others to see you and to invest in you.  Discover your passion and it will endlessly power your work.

If you combine the four P’s – Plan, Prepare, Produce and be Paramount in what you do, you will have a winning combination with a greater chance for success in whatever you set your heart on.  Robert Collier once said “Success is the sum of small efforts-repeated day in and day out.”  Success is not easy or else anyone can do it, but success is not hard either because others have done it.

I wish each of the 2012 graduates the best of luck and a bright future.  Congratulations on your graduation!

John C. Nguyen