Managing Director, Concentric Asia Pacific Pty Ltd
BE (UTS), MBA (Macq), CPEng, FIEAust FAICD

Michael Myers addressed graduates from the Faculty of Business at the Great Hall, City campus, University of Technology, Sydney on Tuesday 12 May 2009, 5.30pm.

About the speaker

Michael Myers is the Managing Director of CONCENTRIC Asia Pacific, and Founder & Chairman of Re-Engineering Australia Foundation. Michael is an alumnus of UTS, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration at University of South Australia on the motivational drivers which influence the career decision choices of school children.

Michael began his career as a Mechanical Engineer specialising in the design and manufacture of specialist Aluminium structures for the aerospace, automotive and shipbuilding industries. In 1982 Michael established CONCENTRIC Asia Pacific which has now grown to be the leading provider of engineering technology solutions and knowledge based services to the Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific region.

CONCENTRIC's Advanced Manufacturing Facility, which is attached to QMI Solutions in Brisbane is the largest and most comprehensive Product Realisation Centre in the Asia Pacific region.

With the goal of bringing inspiration back to young Australians, Michael founded the Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA), a not for profit public company in 1998. The Foundation's objectives are to put in place a series of stepping stone activities, starting at the earliest ages, that form a pathway of encouragement, along which school students can progress, with each step adding to the their interest and understanding of Engineering activities, trades and professions. This year the activities of REA will touch 300,000 school students from K-12 across Australia.

Michael is a Chartered Professional Engineer; a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia; a Fellow of the Australian Institute Company Directors and a Governor of the Warren Centre. He is a recipient of the Warren Centre Medal, awarded for his contribution to engineering; and a recipient of the ACEA Presidents Award for his contribution to consulting engineering.

Speech

(Vice) Chancellor … Ladies and Gentlemen … Graduates, Friends and Family

Good Afternoon … it is a great pleasure to be here tonight … and thank you for the opportunity to talk to you about a subject I am passionate about,

The future … and perhaps most importantly to talk about YOUR future

Traditions such as this event … are … in essence … a doorway and rite of passage to the future … and highlight the importance of recognising the past when planning the future.

Each step in our learning can in fact be another door … We can choose to continue learning … continue stepping further into the future … or we can pull up a chair and rest on our laurels … this is our choice.

I have 4 daughters. The youngest is now 9, and her name is Sophie … When Sophie was 4 she came home from pre-school with a painting. She is normally a brilliant drawer — she takes after her dad — but my wife Toni couldn't make heard or tails from her painting … it was all sorts of blobs

'whats this Soph' … Toni asked

Sophie calmly walked over, had a look at the picture and said … 'Mum … That's a retrospective sculpture' and calmly walked away.

That's coming from a FOUR year old!

Be warned … if you choose to rest on your laurels there is a generation on the way that may walk all over you and I

If there were three pieces of advice I could offer to help you navigate the world out there and take control of your future … they would revolve around the following:

  • Onions
  • Heroes
  • Black Holes

Firstly Onions … the world is not black and white and neither will your path to success be …

If you will allow me to quote 'Shrek the Ogre' … The world is like an onion … multi layered with each layer influencing and interaction with the next.

Everything you do will have an impact on many layers of the onion … and all your decisions from here forward must be formulated based on an understanding of the interactions that these decisions will have with the other layers of the onion … I am sure at times it will bring a tear to your eye … it will take patience, politics and passion to navigate … passion to overcome the inertia of those stuck in one layer … stuck in the rut of social normative behaviour … and stuck in the past.

My first advice is to keep peeling no matter how many tears.

Secondly Heroes … you need to start acting like heroes now … I don't mean like Ninja Turtles … Super Mario or … for that matter Wolverine.

You need to be heroes for the next generation … and you need to start doing this now.

You need to be the first generation that truly takes … as mantra … a dictate and desire to provide positive social guidance and positive social feedback to our next generation.

You need to choose to be leaders, choose to continuously interact with school students and inspire the next generation of students … You need to be the generation that ensures that 'putting back into our society' is a Key Performance Indicator.

As Business leaders you will have the power to do this if you choose.

Of all the opportunities I have had in my career, the most rewarding … by a country mile … have been when I have been able … in my way … to help grow the self efficacy of a young Australian.

10 years ago I started a Foundation called Re-Engineering Australia. It's all about increasing the motivation of children to take up careers in Engineering and Manufacturing … and as a component of that we run a number of competitions.

I remember judging a team of students from SA in one of these competitions when a young man walked to the podium to make his part of the presentation. He was involved in the program as part of an outreach centre participation — an outreach centre is a place kids are taken when they are have been rescued from an abusive home life … He had had it really tough … he had no heroes.

When this young man arrived at the podium … I don't think he had ever seen a podium before … head bowed … and he spoke … about how he had bent this () and welded that () … and fixed those () … and then he lifted his head and said … with incredible enthusiasm … 'and now I got a job' … for him the world had changed because the project had become a hero for him.

I have had many, many opportunities and lots of moments like this … I don't think of myself as a hero … certainly not a superman … but I have come to realise that I can put back into society and I can help inspire others.

The current economic meltdown has shown 'the insatiable focus on greed' for what it truly is … actions based on selfishness with little if any consideration for taking care of our society … You are the generation who can stop this from ever happening again.

I actually believe that the world should focus, not on carbon trading … but on social rebuilding … Focusing on respect for people … the carbon thing will sort itself out as people increase respect each other … it will be a natural outcome.

I mention the third point as black holes … not because they represent a point of singularity … or something to be scared of … but rather because they represent … to me … the unknown.

They represent how we should take on the unknown.

As I said I have 4 daughters … When #3 went to High School I felt guilty — I hadn't done much around the school … so I went up and spoke to the headmaster and told me about a group of kids building Mileage Marathon cars on Monday nights … and he thought I could help.

So I walked away thinking 15year old kids … billy carts … This is going to be easy … I'm an Engineer and I will blow these kids out of the water.

So I turned up that first Monday night and these kids rolled out a carbon-fibre, Monique car… they held the world record at 3,200 MPG… I was blown away.

When I turned to one of the students and asked … 'How did you get to build such a brilliant piece of equipment' … the only response I received was … 'No one said we couldn't'.

'No one said we couldn't'

These words now guides everything that I do in my life … What I ask of you is that you never let society or the environmental norms of society … take away your ability or the passion to create your own destiny … don't let anyone say that you can't.

This is not about bucking the system or the traditions … its about having a go … having no fear to walk into the unknown … the black hole.

Today is an example of a tradition of society that is highly enjoyable … it is a great feeling that will stay with for the rest of your life … It is a doorway to life.

I congratulate you all on getting this far.

My advice and my request of you in summary … is that you to go forward into this world of onions … not to be selfish … but to be heroes … and never loose sight of the spirit of 'giving it a go' and take on the world …

Because … 'no one said you couldn't'.