Cum Laude Speech Elisabeth Garrett ’01

Thanks for the kind introduction, Sharon. I’ve had a few nightmares someone would dig out old yearbook photos of me, I know that if I shared with you one of me my Junior Year with Sharon and the Whiz Quiz team, well… I’m sure we would all agree that there’s hope for each and every one of you yet! And, we can all go home now.

It is good to be back home in Fort Worth with y’all … and to speak to a crowd that gets what I mean by y’all.

Looking out at those grins, I love it! You’re sitting there, so proud. And you should be. Very proud. Congratulations!

This is no small achievement: Cum Laude, so well done to each of you! Maybe your parents are here to share in the sweetness of your moment and are basking in your achievements as if they were their own. (I’ll let you in on a secret, mine are here too. It still feels pretty good to have a ready-made fan club).

When Sharon Hamilton asked me whether I’d be willing to speak today, I thought with a squeal “Wow! Really, me?!?” and then within instants the “imposter syndrome” had set in, and it was suddenly “Wow? Really?!? Me?” my sisters are the real brains in our family. So, if you are a sibling who hasn’t had the honor of Cum Laude bestowed upon you today, I’d say hang in there. You just might be the one asked to come back to speak here one day. So what wisdom can I, a meagre “non-laude” alumna of Fort Worth Country Day, impart upon you today?

I’ve been thinking about this a fair bit and decided to share with you a lesson I’ve been learning over the last few months. It came about during my final performance review with my former boss as I was heading into my current role. He was extremely complementary of my skills and how I had delivered within that role. I was beaming (for the record, this is how you always dream your performance reviews will go) and then he got real with me… he cautioned, “Eli, all that skill, enthusiasm and energy it’s amazing but I must warn you, what got you here, won’t get you there. Bringing only that to this next role will simply not be enough.”

Well, that was sobering.

And yet, I am so grateful to Benjamin for that honest advice. I’ve found myself mulling over it in the past few months, especially in moments when I realize I can no longer react, answer or push a decision on to someone else as I may have done before. There are new demands, new challenges, and days where I will confess that I feel I must be on the verge of getting it all wrong. Yes, I’m still tackling that imposter syndrome.

I decided to look into this “What got you here, won’t get you there” phenomenon a bit more and picked up Marshall Goldsmith’s book by the same title. I would recommend it as it’s a good read, but for now, I’ll share with you some of my takeaways, ““As human beings we almost always suffer from a disconnect between the self we think we are and the self that the rest of the world sees in us.”

“Most successful people possess extraordinary skills; that's why they do well. But once people attain success, their bad habits or behavioral foibles move to the forefront. In fact, often, the more successful leaders become,” the more their issues and failures to change can halt their rise or progress.

The sad reality is that when you succeed, you don’t think you need to change. However, I’m here today to tell you that in this world, if you fail to do so, you won’t continue to succeed. And this is partly due to the nature of our world today. Can I ask by a show of hands how many of you are familiar with the term VUCA world? Anyone? Ok, a few of you. It’s a term I learned about 7 or 8 years ago but it has really come to life for me in the past 6 months.

VUCA was a term coined by the US Military in the 1990s acknowledging that following the end of the cold war the world is now:

VOLATILE UNCERTAIN COMPLEX AMBIGUOUS

This has been the world in which you have spent your entire life. A world in which the speed of change has been faster than that of generations that came before you, with more uncertainty, chaos and ambiguity than has ever been faced before.

I could go through a litany of current headlines to showcase this. (e.g. the current nuclear escalation with North Korea, the ongoing horror devastating Syria and the greatest refugee crisis since World War II that should leave us even more horrified by our global community’s inaction; East Africa on the brink of another devastating famine; Turkey’s recent vote to change its constitution and offer Erdogan unchecked powers; the call for another snap “Brexit” election in the UK that could change Europe as we know it today. I could go on, but that is just today’s context.

Given this context, I’m grateful I work for . For those of you who don’t recognize the big U, it is one of the world’s leading fast moving consumer goods companies with a turnover of €52.7 billion in 2016, is the No. 1 employer of choice in 34 countries, and has a portfolio that includes some of the world’s best known and most loved brands including , , Hellmann’s, , Ben & Jerry’s, and Lux. But it is Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan which motivates me the most as an employee.

Our CEO, has long argued that given the dynamics of the VUCA world of finite resources and infinite disruptors, we must be able to do business differently. He challenged us to see that we are at a turning point in history and has set for us an ambitious goal TO GROW OUR BUSINESS, WHILST DECOUPLING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT FROM OUR GROWTH AND INCREASING OUR POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. Our ambition goes beyond just changing our own business. We want to change the very way business is done. A new business model with sustainability at its heart is vital for quality of life around the globe to improve. But only the businesses that grasp this will survive. After all, “no business can succeed in a society that fails.”

And we are seeing this approach working, Brands with sustainable living at their core accounted for nearly half of Unilever's growth in 2015 – growing 30% faster than the rest of the business. We are seeing sustainability drive innovation as we create products to meet emerging needs such as laundry products and shampoos that use less water.

I was so proud to work with our supply chain as we succeeded in 2015 to become the first large company to ensure zero waste from our factories was ending up in landfills. It is an incredible feat of ingenuity and resolve that has now been extended to every Unilever site. We’ve even partnered with customers like Kroger to help them do the same.

In my current role in the Global Learning Team, I get to ensure that these VUCA themes feature prominently in the trainings which we design and deliver to our Unilever leaders. Our aim is to improve the resilience and effectiveness of their leadership in the midst of constant upheaval. We encourage them to train themselves and impart to their teams a drive to be more agile and innovative in their responses to ever-changing market realities. If you’ve read the Wall Street Journal and know of the recent rebuttal of Kraft-Heinz/3G’s bid for Unilever, which makes this moment one in which we need that resilience, agility and creativity from our leaders to continue to hold fast to our purpose. And… if you can keep using Dove or picking up a pint of Ben & Jerry’s for me, I’d appreciate it 

In the face of this kind of challenging moment, especially in a moment of transition like you and I find ourselves today, I’m convinced that this VUCA thing actually offers some unique opportunities if we only chose to see it from a different perspective.

Volatility demands leaders capable of sharing a vision for a future state that is worth striving towards. I would argue Polman has succeeded in instilling this within Unilever. Articulate a clear vision, full of purpose and conviction, and be willing to pioneer a way to direct others towards that new reality. We need more leaders to cast clear visions amid volatility, and be willing to take those often lonely first steps into the unknown.

When uncertainty paralyzes those around you, I would challenge you to seek understanding. This requires you to be able to know more than one side of the story. I highly recommend traveling, as this does wonders to foster understanding. It’s amazing what you can learn about yourself when you don’t understand anyone or anything around you. Having recently moved to my seventh country, I can assure you there is always something more you can try to understand.

However you choose to do so, dare to confront your own assumptions to see an issue from a different perspective; to consume media with diverse opinions (maybe even some from the other side of the aisle); to listen, really listen to someone with whom you don’t necessarily agree. You may surprise yourself by what you discover—about the situation, others and yourself. Understanding others is a powerful tool you can use to recognize opportunities others might miss entirely. When complexity reigns, as it so often does in our non-stop world in which everything from advertisements, newsfeeds, phones and yes, even your teachers are fighting for your attention. I would encourage you to be a competent voice to those around you, offering an empowering clarity amid the chaos. We all need clarity about the task at hand helps us achieve it. Simplicity – be capable of putting away the distractions in order to drown out the noise and unlock so much potential that would otherwise be squandered.

When ambiguity strikes, be agile. Be ready to take decisions and collaborate with others to find innovative solutions. None of us can tackle this alone. You won’t have all the answers or all the information needed when you’re called to make a decision, and that’s ok. The plan you set in motion at the start will have to be revised due to the changing conditions. Be agile and ready to try a slightly different approach for whatever may come. In the few minutes I have left, I’ll try to share a few other gems of advice I’ve collected in the more than 15 years since I was last sitting in this same auditorium.

10. Don’t take a lecture class immediately after lunch – trust me on this one. No matter how fascinating I found Claude Levi-Strauss, a 1:30pm Anthropology class proved to be the only place in this world where I could ever truly nap. 9. Do take a random class simply because you’re fascinated by the professor. You won’t regret it. I’ve never regretted having “Latin American Jewish Women Writers” on my transcript… even if my Dad groaned when he read it. 8. Sleep more (I’m still working on this one) 7. Stop and eat lunch – real food, not in your car or at your desk. Trust me, both your brain and your body will appreciate this. 6. Call your mother, she’ll always be delighted to hear your voice. 5. Don’t make your phone your most valued relationship. It doesn’t deserve your attention first thing in the morning, during dinner or when you’re crossing the street. Remember, it’s: love people, use objects (not the other way around) 4. Volunteer. Whether it’s visiting a neighbour in need of a helping hand, or getting involved in your church or community, or seeking out an experience with an organisation abroad. Caring for others is a wonderful way of building friendships, a network and a better world one small act as a time. 3. To the women out there, lean in… to the men out there, lean in with us, again and again, lean in. Mentors are great but let me tell you a secret: sponsors, people who are willing to go to bat for you are even better. 2. Travel! Travel often. Indeed, travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. Or, if life affords the opportunity to do so, live abroad. It will challenge you out of your comfort zone daily. Take my word for it, I’m a hopeless wanderer but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 1. Dare to imagine a life that isn’t anything like anyone else’s you’ve ever seen. Find your purpose. What motivates you and fulfils you. This will require you to be brave as it may not be that which is expected of you. But that is ok, hold fast to what drives you, what you know to be true and let it be the anchor that moors you to the shore.

I hope that as you leave the gates of Fort Worth Country Day and hang up those khakis or that plaid jumper one last time you’ll be prepared to challenge yourself further. To not settle – this VUCA world will not allow it. In summary, when volatility rattles your world, and envision a better future than today and then find ways to work towards that vision; Reduce uncertainty by fostering understanding; be a competent voice to offer clarity and reduce the complexity; be agile enough to take action in the face of ambiguity.

Know you have access to everything you need as you transition to this next chapter and rise to the next challenge. Just remember that what got you here, cum laude at Fort Worth Country Day will not get you there.

Indeed, the late writer and futurist Alvin Toffler may have said it best, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Continue to learn, unlearn, relearn. It is what this world demands. I’m certain you will find within yourself what it takes to get you there.

Thank you.