A Graduation Gift from a Mother to a daughter
This weekend I’m heading to Boston for my daughter’s Graduation ceremony from the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) at Boston College. It feels surreal that it’s been four years since we first dropped her off at Boston College in August 2019.
Little did we know that within a few months the world would shutdown due to a global pandemic and the meaning of Education and work will change forever. Remote Hybrid work has become a norm and online education has taken a new lease of life.
As I thought of what would be a meaningful Graduation gift for a new Grad I looked back at my own career of 25 years to share 4 career lessons I would like to impart to my daughter and to the Graduating Class of 2023.
It sounds cliched but the Class of 2023 is a special Class that was thrown into a Global Pandemic, survived online classes, stayed in College bubbles and came out as real troopers to Graduate 4 years later. They got real life lessons at a very early age and their future looks bright to me.
The four lessons I’m sharing are my pearls of wisdom that I would like to give away to the newly minted graduates especially my own daughter!
1. Gratitude- If we all took away any lesson from the last 3 years it has been — ”Be Grateful”. Show gratitude for everything you have and will achieve. At work, be grateful for your co-workers and colleagues without whom you would not be able to accomplish anything. Work is becoming more and more a team sport, no individual or Company can do it alone. Start meaningful partnerships early in your career and reap the rewards.
2 Resilience- The second lesson the pandemic taught us is to be Resilient. Be flexible with your plans, think through all the scenarios and if Plan A doesn’t work there are 25 other letters in the alphabet. The future is unpredictable and those who are resilient and are able to bounce back from failures will reap the greatest rewards.
3. Ambition- Ser your goals high as your generation is not only shooting for the Moon like the previous generations but your are aiming for Mars. Dream big and work hard to make those dreams a reality. You don’t have to follow your parents footsteps but create your own unique path. The biggest asset you have is TIME on this planet. Make every second count.
4. Delegate- I wish I learned this in my twenties- learn to delegate the tasks that can be done by others. Focus on the most important tasks and activities that no one else can do and don’t sweat the small stuff. We all have 24 hours in a day and you need to prioritize what will get you closer to your GOALS.
I am an optimist and despite all the TikTok videos that show Gen. Zs as slackers at work and life I am confident that this generation will surprise everyone and show us what the Future of Work looks like post pandemic.
Sky is the limit Class of 2023, we are counting on you to lead us into a better future for all. Congratulations and all the best for a bright future ahead!! #classof2023
