Boone Pickens Homepage Electronic Publishing Center| |
|
| Boone Pickens Homepage Electronic Publishing Center |
|
PRESS COPY OF REMARKS FOR THE
|
|
15 MINUTES
Thank you, Dr. Stanton.
This feels like a homecoming for me because the Boone and Pickens families are both from South Carolina. I appreciate the opportunity to be part of your celebration.
I love speaking on college campuses. I’ve spoken to more than 60,000 students in past three years. What I see with today’s young people is a new entrepreneurial spirit. Students look the same from coast to coast. They have the same goals, primarily to achieve a good standard of living. You’re a new breed. . .you are truly the leaders of tomorrow, and it excites me for our country’s future. The future is not with 59-year-olds like me. All we can do for you is tell war stories and pass on some wisdom. But in time you’ll have plenty of your own stories to tell, and you’ll have your own brand of wisdom.
There’s more opportunity for success today than ever. Both the public and private sectors are cutting bureaucracy and getting back to the basic principles that made this country great. The best thing I can do for you today is to share some thoughts on what helped me succeed, gave me a happy life. They’re simple things that have served me well.
First, you must prepare yourself for the future; your degree proves you have done that.
Learn to analyze well. Assess the risks and the prospective awards, and keep it simple.
Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader: Avoid the “Ready-aim-aim-aim-aim” syndrome.
Be patient. I constantly have to remind myself and our people at Mesa about the old adage “Patience is a great virtue.”
Be realistic. . .Dream, yes, but don’t be a day dreamer.
Learn from mistakes. That’s not just a cliche. It could be the most important advice I give you today. Remember the doors that got your fingers the first time and be more careful the next trip through.
Don’t look to government to solve problems. . .the strength of this country is in its people.
Stay fit. You don’t want to get old and feel bad! You’ll also get a lot more accomplished and feel better about yourself if you stay fit.
Practice moderation. . .balance home life and work; the key is organization. There’s plenty of time for play, but you have to plan it. If you’re organized, you’ll find time for everything you like. Take as big a bite of the apple as you want. . .that’s what’s so great about America.
Keep success as well as failure in perspective. Don’t ever get to the point where you can’t go back to eating hamburger.
Most important. . .always play by the rules. Never think you have to cheat to win; you don’t even need to bend your principles. It’s like in sports. If you cheat to win, the victory is hollow at best and, after a while, nobody will be willing to play with you. There’s a lot of talk about an ethics crisis in America, but there is no ethics crisis. If anything, it’s a leadership crisis. It all goes back to the top. You must lead by example. If you cheat anywhere along the line, you’ll end up paying dearly for it. But most of all, you won’t feel good about yourself.
In a nutshell, if you keep fit, work hard, analyze well, and play by the rules, I promise you you’ll be successful and you’ll have a ball doing it. Now go out and get ’em!
Thank you.