Graduation speech executive MBA - Essay Example

Excellency Chancellors, Mr. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to our graduation. It is a great privilege for me to be here with you today to extend my gratitude to . . for giving me the opportunity to speak to the talented and gifted individuals. It is also a great honour too, to share such a joyous and memorable occasion. Three years back, as I commence my study, this juncture was a far away dream. The thought of graduation itself was still extremely distant - there was no light at the end of the EMBA tunnel, only the beginning of a journey to a destination of which I was still unsure.

Yet today is an affirmation of our determination to advance our knowledge, abilities and skills, and of our commitment to use them as productive and responsible manner to make that dream true. We have successfully completed the CMC EMBA program for global managers in the making. If you ask me, why did I decide to undertake an EMBA for my professional career My reply will be bit different than usual. Some see it as a requirement for progression along the corporate ladder, others to equip themselves to meet challenges in their own businesses.

I decided to do an EMBA as I was finding my work routine predictable and was attracted to the intellectual stimulation. Secondly, I was thinking about changing careers. I thought an EMBA would be the best way to obtain new skills and meet people from a range of occupations and industries. At the conclusion of my studies I can look back and safely say my expectations of the EMBA have been surpassed all other professional careers. The journey I commenced in three years back has been challenging and exhilarating.

It has also been transformational too in many areas. Now come to the point that what things EMBA infused in our mind. Firstly, intellectual transformation. For the last two and a half years my mind hasn't had a chance to rest. Every subject provided me with new information and perspectives, from the "soft skills" of staff motivation and change management to the "number crunching" skills of accounting and corporate finance. Secondly, professional transformation. The EMBA prepared me for the next step.

The skills I have learnt give me the confidence and knowledge to compete in a larger arena. The MBA has given me frameworks and a toolset to apply to almost any management challenge. I understand how to formulate corporate strategy, and how to implement it. I know what questions to ask. Finally, personal transformation. One of the first principles we were taught was "to manage others you must first manage yourself". The rigorous and constant self-analysis the EMBA requires has taught me to understand my own strengths and weaknesses, to more readily accept the fact we are human, vulnerable and imperfect.

Also if we pause for a while to find out what qualities a global manager should possess I can now say with confidence - having a vision to see the world the way others can not see it and the outmost willingness to learn from other people. Going global means dealing effectively with people of varying histories, traditions and cultures. It demands not only tolerance but also respect for diversity and differences. We are extremely fortunate that our CMC EMBA program has encouraged and promoted this largeness of mind and spirit, by bringing together such a diverse group and giving us a chance to observe other countries and communicate with other peoples.

We are also extremely grateful that our CMC EMBA program was developed within a framework of global sustainable prosperity, with the goal of producing global managers who can solve problems that block the attainment of this prosperity. We believe that what we have learned, will support the development goals and efforts of countries, especially emerging economies like China and India. We are extremely happy to introduce ourselves, a new cohort of global citizens and global managers in the making.

We believe that yes, yes, it is still possible. Our children and other children of the world can still grow up and enjoy a peaceful and prosperous life in a whole and intact world. That is, if business plays its part, and shoulders its own corporate responsibility, and government does its job, and all the rest of us do our share in sustaining our world. We dare to dream and make this dream a reality. While doing my EMBA I have met an incredible group of intelligent, ambitious, high achievers.

Many of them are now close friends, and have helped me form a strong professional network for the future. Our pool comprises of 24 women and men, all so sweet having charming faces, old enough to have learned some of life's valuable lessons, and young enough to learn even more. We are citizens of 12 countries who collectively speak 23 languages and who have survived the challenges of combining a job, family and study in the past months. Despite the fact we all have different cultural background yet we have found out that we have much in common than differences, and that these differences only made us fully realize the rich history and wonderful diversity of our world and the whole human race.

It is a source of great fulfilment to us, personally, that we are in a better position to use new and valuable knowledge and skills to help our companies and countries accelerate their progress. The completion of our EMBA has demanded intellectual rigor, discipline and persistence from all of us. It has also demanded extreme patience and understanding from our families. We went through all of this together. You know we wouldn't have made it without your unconditional love and support, and this EMBA are as much yours as ours.

In conclusion, while this is a happy day, it is also a slightly sad one. It marks the conclusion of years of hard study and syndicate fights, but also the end of the camaraderie forged by common suffering. The EMBA has been hard work, and a lot of fun. It has changed all of us. It has been transformational and enriching. For myself and other graduates in this room, however, the journey isn't over. It continues, starting today.Thank you.