Kim Jacobs AM

Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Faculty Dean, staff, distinguished guests, graduates, families and friends.

I have been tasked today in 8 minutes to provide an address to you that will inspire you to reflect on how you can become future leaders and contribute to the wider community in this dynamic era!  This is a big task given we have just met and the only fact I know is that you have graduated from the UTS Business School which is no mean feat by the way!  Also all that know of me is that I wear a suit and a bow tie that is hopefully colour coordinated tonight!  And to add to this I only have 7 minutes left but I will give it a go!

So let me begin by describing a town in Siberia, Russia, known as Tynda which is situated 250 kilometres north of the China border and which has a temperature range of plus 30 to minus 65 degrees.  It is in the middle of nowhere and there was this young investment banker and his business partner who had started a business together in Sydney.  They were sitting in in an office in Tynda with an outside temperature of minus 47 degrees advising Russian clients who spoke no English, had no idea how the commercial world worked outside Siberia and wanted to raise $20 million to get their iron ore project off the ground.  The business partner said to investment banker: “You said we would travel to the ends of the world together.  I think we just found it!”

That young investment banker was me.  The point was that although we had multiple university degrees between us, years of experience in the Western world doing corporate advisory work, nothing prepared us for what we experienced in Siberia: seeing the world through the eyes of our Russian clients and experiencing a climate that gave a whole new meaning to a frozen moment! 

That frozen moment gave us PERSPECTIVE and this is the theme I want to imbue you with today.  To get true perspective you not only have listen but you have to hear as well!  I have found that perspective comes into play in all aspects of our lives. 

First there is education.  You have just been through a few gruelling years at UTS which has hopefully been liberally splashed with some fun and excitement on the way.  Although there is an emphasis these days of being an entrepreneur, an innovator and a disrupter – let’s look at this from another perspective.   I know for a fact that without the “mechanics” of this world, as I would call the people that actually make things work, there would be no successful entrepreneurs and innovators!  I helped found and I Chair an unlisted public company called Local Measure whose founder and driver is a brilliant young entrepreneur who wanted to harness all the public data from social media and provide real time customer intelligence and feedback to his corporate clientele worldwide.    He has successfully achieved this but it would not have happened without the help of a team of now 28 employees, all of whom are excellent in their own right. Without the perspective of the mechanic the concept would have been still born.  Just think without David, Goliath would have just been a really aggressive tall man; without Decker, Black would have just been a colour not the famous hardware company; and the gun makers, Smith and Wesson – well without Wesson, Smith would have just been .. Smith!

Second there is business.  Perspectives all over the place.  True leaders or entrepreneurs have the ability to see themselves and their businesses, not just through their eyes but also through the eyes of their customers, employees and all stakeholders.  The real leader has his or her stakeholders and colleagues following them out of inspiration not morbid curiosity to see how they might fail! Having a wide perspective in business allows you to adapt and develop.  It is a common fact amongst growing businesses, that the second idea is always the best and therefore there is always a pivot in a business that then drives success.  “My way or the highway”, although used frequently, is not the always the best adage.  Therefore, without the ability to see another perspective you may not see that pivot and are potentially setting a course for failure. 

Third there is giving back.  My family and I have been involved in not for profit work since I can remember.  There is no doubt that showing gratitude is a powerful practice for staying positive and is one of the most powerful antidotes to negative emotion and depression.  I think it is essential for all business leaders to be involved with a not for profit to get real perspective in life.  I am the Chairman of Camp Quality that is a national charity that helps children, ages 0-13 years, through optimism and positive psychology practices, live with cancer which has impacted on either themselves or their parents.  It is incredibly inspirational hearing the optimism of the children and their families that have been through this horrible journey and the fact that at Camp Quality we have been able through our various services put the normal back into these children’s lives.  (Albury Wodonga Story Down Syndrome and Leukaemia) Really puts in perspective the daily issues we face.

Finally there is family – probably the most important perspective of all.  I am extremely lucky to have been with my wife for 39 years and we have 2 children who are not only successful in business but also good people.  My wife is here with me today and I have to say that my family and in particular my wife always provide me with perspective.  I remember coming back after one of my extensive 4 week trips to Siberia, when my kids were really young and having missed another birthday, upon closing the front door there was a picture of me nailed to the back of it! Not quite sure what to make if it I asked my wife the fatal question of why was the picture there to which she replied: “I said to the kids that if this man turns up at the door let him in as it is your father”!  My perspective immediately changed. I got balance back into my life and never went away for more than 10 days at a time!  My family has always kept me grounded and for that I am always grateful.

So by seeing and understanding perspectives around you at all times and combining it with a good sense of humour you will always be able to adapt, develop and succeed as business people, leaders, be able to contribute to your community and most importantly have a balanced life.  

I leave you with two quotes:

Firstly from the Monty Python film The Life of Brian “Always look on the bright side of life.  When life is really rotten there’s something you’ve forgotten” and secondly as Marcel Proust a famous French Novelist said: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes”.

Thank you for your time tonight.