This is the time of the year I often focus on inspiring commencement and graduation speeches that made their way into my consciousness, and this year is no different.
With graduation season upon us, there are a lot of great and inspiring speeches being prepared. Previously, I loved and shared Steve Jobs’ 2005 graduation speech at Stanford. Jobs shared personal stories about “connecting the dots”, “love and loss,” and “death” five years before his passing in 2011. I have watched this many times and always feel it is worthy of a larger audience. Sharing again here.
In researching this topic, I wanted to do something on AI, because everyone is preoccupied with this topic and whether it will replace employment as we know it. Not surprising, I didn’t have to look any further than a speech Tim Cook gave at MIT in 2017. I am also sharing that talk here.
The concurrence of both Apple CEOs was notable because I had a discussion with a world-leading financial advisor who shared what he looks for in selecting companies to invest in. He spoke about value investing and doing this for the very long term and what it takes to identify companies that have performed for centuries. His message was all about corporate cultures and the ability of management teams to adapt. He didn’t mention Apple, but this company certainly came to mind and was reinforced by observing the brilliance of both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook in these talks.
Apple was also top of mind because earlier this year they named a successor to Tim Cook, John Ternus, who will take over the reins in September of this year. All the signs are positive for Ternus’ appointment, and Apple’s outstanding performance continues to soar. Congratulations to one friend of mine, who is an avid Monday Morning Mojo reader and has 70% of his retirement income tied up in Apple’s stock.
I did study a bit on Ternus, and here is a short clip about him for those who may be interested.
The graduation advice from these executives also reminded me of something I share repeatedly with my students and anyone else who will listen. That something is a concept called “Surface Area of Luck” that was introduced to me via a podcast featuring the famous business writer Jim Collins. I wrote a separate missive on this concept in May of 2021, and I am sharing that post here.
In its most basic form, “Surface Area of Luck” is the amount of serendipity that will occur in your life, your luck surface area, which is directly proportional to the degree to which you do something you’re passionate about, combined with the total number of people to whom this is effectively communicated. I truly believe in this concept, and for anyone going out into the job market or just pursuing a dream, this post is worthy of your time.
On a personal note, one person who embodied “Surface Area of Luck” is my niece, Orley Krugel. For her lifetime, Orley wanted to work in sports. She graduates this month from university and nailed down a job months ago, working with the Los Angeles Chargers organization. Orley arrived in LA this past weekend, and we are delighted to have her here. Welcome to Los Angeles, Orley. Here is a picture of the Kronick clan gathering to welcome Orley.
I hope the concept of “Surface Area of Luck” works for everyone in this community, and I appreciate the time you take to read this and any comments you may have.
Have a great week ahead.
