Anyway, last week I had the privilege of watching a friend of mine (since highschool) graduate with her degree in Midwivery. I am soooo proud of her achievement and know that she has been rewarded for all of her hard work with a qualification that will now set her up for life. She has something now that can, if she chooses, see her practicing a skill anywhere in the world where babies are being born ;-)
There are many things that I am going to remember - 1)she looked fabulous in a a friend's korowai, 2)her ceremony was the first of its kind on her school campus - so it was a pretty big deal, 3) I was there not only with her parents and her daughter, but with four others - all of whom I have known for almost 30 years!!, and 4) the graduation speech from the guest speaker Te Anga Nathan (General Manager of News and Current Affairs, Maori Telelvision).
Nathan was asked to provide some career advice to the graduates and it was very good - good enough for me to share with you - and that's something - because as you can imagine I have enough advice for plenty of s put together ;-) I'm not sure if Nathan was aware that quotes are taken from graduation speeches - especially as the people who give them are always as the peak of their profession/career and idustry.... but he did a great job and totally quotable ;-)
Anyway, the three tips he wanted the graduates to know in order to cope out there in the big wide world were 1) Follow your passion, 2) Know the rules of engagement and 3) Have humility.
Follow your Passion
The first one is pretty self explanatory - I mean, if you have a passion then go for it. Don't let anything stop you from doing it..... Nathan shared a well known quote that if you "find a job you love then you never have to work a day in your life" which is sooo true. I am evidence of that - when I am in the zone running a holiday programme with a friend of mine, its like playtime every day... and I wish I could do that all the time. Not only that, I have sat around countless tables with friends in the last three weeks talking about opportunities that can be started so that they can be free of jobs that no one liked doing things they loved and earning enough to raise a family. Find your passion.
Know the Rules of Engagement
Nathan was telling the graduates that they needed to know the rules of their job, to understand the policies and rules of their trade and industry. He suggested that it was good to push boundaries as long as you did it for the benefit of your organisation and not for your own gain. He used his own experience and told the story about the time when the family of Anthony Ratahi who was shot dead by the police in Taranaki, came to Maori Television for help. In particular, was their disgust in the way that their father was killed which was by a bullet through the eye. In their opinion, the whanau believed that there were other ways to shoot someone to stop them, without killing them.
The whanau wanted the tūpāpaku (body) to be shown on television which not only pushed the boundaries of tikanga, but also the The Broadcasting Act 1989 section 1 which is that "every broadcaster [is] to be responsible for maintaining in programmes and their presentation, standards which are consistent with a) The observance of good taste and decency." As the General Manager of News and Current Affairs, aware of the rules of engagement within his industry (the Broadcasting Act), Nathan made the call to push the boundaries and aired the report.
Instead of the complaints that were expected, but deemed a consequence worth taking, Native Affairs when on to win the 2011 Aotearoa Film and Television Awards (AFTA) for best current affairs series.
Nathan spoke of his own humble beginnings starting with his father who was a coal miner in Huntly, and my favourite quote was how he shared with the graduates that his father "fed our family on the width of a 'banjo' shovel" . What a powerful statement! Nathan warned the graduates, based on his own experience which he shared, that "when you think you are at the top of your game - remember to be humble." He followed this with some advice that "losing your reputation is easier than gaining respect of your peers."
And that was it - a very fine graduation speech - and the reason I now know why I have not had the invitation to speak at a graduation - I have to keep learning!!
Have a great week and congratulations for all the things you are achieving....
Yours in friendship,
Mxo
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