The University of Texas brought in a business rock star to deliver the commencement address a this yer’s graduation ceremony, and he sent the grads home with some straight-forward advice and fantastic perspective.
Bob Iger’s message was simple, and much needed in the current culture that exists in the U.S. right now. Dream big and ignore the haters.
″There just is no such thing as having dreams that are too big. Your possibilities are enormous.”
Iger had taken Disney to incredible heights pre-pandemic. He stepped aside as CEO just before coronavirus hit last spring, but was actually very involved with the company’s leadership and direction as he helped navigate it through a crisis that saw Disneyland close for over a year as Executive Chairman.
During Iger’s tenure at Disney, he increased the market cap of the company from $48 billion to $257 billion. He knows a thing or two about perseverance, and told UT grads to not be afraid of failing and adversity.
“Nearly every successful person that I know has struggled or failed at some point.”
He used high profile examples of people who literally changed the world after getting canned, including Steve Jobs, and the legend who’s name is on the paychecks Iger received as CEO for 15 years that built Iger a net worth just shy of $700 million.
“Walt (Disney) failed a number of times over the years. However, always the optimist, he never stopped dreaming big and being bold.”
Iger even left the graduates with a funny story of one of his own failures.
“I failed as a weatherman and then the guy I worked for told me I wasn’t good enough to ever get the next job. Now, fortunately, he was wrong. I did get another job, a promotion, and the rest is history.”
His final words of advice were apropos, and much needed as the thousands of young adults in caps and gowns get ready to head out into the world.
“Be a force for good in our world because there is so much that needs fixing and along the way be sure to embrace life,”
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