David Seaton speaks at UofSC commencement (FULL)

Good afternoon everyone. President Pastides, thank you so much for that warm introduction. I think they were really disappointed that I was speaking, which is why we had some tears there in the crowd. I have to admit, though, that being selected to be your commencement speaker today feels a little bit like a miracle too. I think a couple of people in the audience, some of my fraternity brothers are here, I understand having children graduating, some of the graduates, as well as my middle daughter who is one of the graduates today, and we're really proud of her. Hey, Mary Grace, where are you? There she is. I told her I wouldn't embarrass her too much, but anyway. But President Pastides, Provost, gave Grayble Chairman, I just can't thank you enough for letting me be here today. Dr. McGee, congratulations. I can tell you how wonderful it is to receive that honor. What if you bear with me? Harris has already stolen part of my thunder, but I wonder if you guys would give your parents and friends and mentors one more round of applause for what they've done to help you get where you're going.

Second thing I'd ask is if you have served in the military, a veteran, or currently serving, would you please stand for us today? Thank you so much for your service to this great company, country, this great institution. It played a vital role in shaping my future and equipping me for success in the career paths that I chose to follow or was fortunate enough to find. Today I want to speak about success. I want to discuss how it often is a combination of good planning, preparedness, mixed with a liberal amount of good luck that will lead to the success you'll find. And I'll emphasize some of the opportunities that often take us in directions that we didn't anticipate. I would imagine if we polled the people in the arena today, that many of us are working in areas that we did not prepare for, we did not start with, but yet we were fortunate enough to find an advantage and nurture that growth about learning and commitment. There for you now standing for graduation, making a commitment for a lifelong learning will serve you well wherever your future leads you and whatever levels of responsibility and accountability you seek. You see, your degree is a beginning and considered a license to succeed. While it's a great beginning, it's simply just the start of what will be an amazing journey. Your degree is your ticket for a truly interesting and complex future that will be fueled by your aspirations and your passions to improve. You see, it's a beginning, not an end. And I hope you see your degree as a valuable asset that gives you options to create a future you've either planned for or you will find along life. You see, what you get out of life often is proportional to what you put into it. Remember, nothing's easy. Regardless of where you stand in your class ranking or direction you hope to pursue, each of you has an obligation to apply yourself with passion and commitment. And I'm certain that your best path is to follow a good solid moral compass and to pursue a passion to achieve by using your talents and capabilities to contribute in any direction that you choose. But you must believe in something greater than you hope to be. Make steady progress. Do not be disillusioned. Success comes in steps. Your first job may not be exactly the one you want; it's just a starting place. But if it is, it may not stay that way. But it is nevertheless progress, and it creates an opportunity for you to learn and prove and ready yourself for what comes next. In my case, as you heard, I went to work for Daniel Construction Company when I left Carolina. Today, part of Fluor. Frankly, I needed a job. I thought I'd work for Daniel a couple years, get some experience, and then figure out what I was going to do with my life. Well, that was 31 years ago, and now I serve as the first chairman and chief executive officer. And I reached that goal one step at a time, following and leading. But it was not part of the original plan. Doors opened and opportunities came my way in steps based on my performance and my passion for doing the right things. But it's important that you understand the concept of followership, how you embrace and achieve direction of your leaders have set out for the organization or enterprise you serve. Followership in many ways is the effectiveness of your emotional quotient. IQ and EQ are required skills and equally important, and it's an important lesson to learn. But remember, improvement comes in steps, steps that are full of experiences, new challenges that will help shape your professional futures. Followership will play a huge role in how well you perform. Whether as a team member or as a leader, a follower will be a measure of your performance and success. Remember, incremental improvement is still improvement. Very few things happen all at once, but there is no end to learning. One key lesson I think you should never forget is to always show appreciation to others, like many of the people that we applauded earlier. Very, very few successful people achieve their goals by themselves. Most of us owe our success to many people along the way and will continue in the future. My appreciation began with my parents, my coaches, my teachers, my professors, my friends, my wife, my children, and a myriad of other executives that have benefited me during the years and provided me with the learnings that I joined. I'm deeply appreciative for their willingness to guide, support, and help me be successful. And I know that I wouldn't be here today had it not been for the advice, encouragement, time, talent, and willingness to share with me. I urge you to seek those mentors and teachers who will make you successful at that next level, and also become the teacher and mentor that many people need of you. I ask that of you. But remember why you're here. One important phrase that I've always tried to live by and aspire to be: there's a reason why God gave you one mouth and two ears. You need to listen twice as hard as you speak, which brings me to leadership. Truth be known, most of us want to be leaders. More importantly, each one of us can. Leadership occurs at all levels. You certainly don't have to be the chairman of a company to be a leader. Any one of us can have influence on others to succeed by our own example and performance. Sit in any group and you'll see it happen. So let's take just a few minutes to explore leadership. Earlier I mentioned the need for a strong moral compass and to be aware of the concept of followership. Effective leaders do this: they have the ability to discern the real right from wrong. An effective leader sets goals and their terms to contribute to the overarching success, confident that their goals and focus are for the greater good. This is especially true at the enterprise level. In business, there are two easy ways you can measure this: first is achieving and maintaining excellent performance, and the second is growth. But you can do the same thing for a family, a civic organization, a sports team, you name it. It all works the same. Effective leadership is about setting a clear direction, planning to achieve it, providing the example and motivation for others to follow, staying true to your core values, and recognizing and celebrating achievement along the way. Leadership is not a selfish skill or attribute; it's really the opposite. The most successful leaders that I know put their sphere first and themselves second. Their passion was progress, identifiable and measurable, and their purpose was to achieve it with others by setting the example and justification for followership. I'll leave you here today knowing that as you take that first step towards your future, you can and will be the leaders wherever your journey takes you, because you are part of the Gamecock nation. We all wear the ring with pride, and people are watching. You will assume risks and often be rewarded for it. In 1996, the company asked me and my family to move to Saudi Arabia. The graduate here today was three years old, the youngest was six months old, the oldest was six. We took the assignment that not too many people were lining up for, and it was full of unknowns for us. Quite frankly, the anxiety was high. But we embraced a new culture we had never imagined. We developed lasting friendships, and we gained a global perspective that continues to this day and has a profound effect on each of us. And as an aside, each of you, as you know, my middle daughter is here, and she's there. All bright people, but she's the most intelligent because she chose to be part of the Gamecock nation. So a little applause there. Go Gamecocks! But back to my point. You know, early in my career, I accepted managed risk, and you can too. If you're wise, you will take certain risks because life will pass you by if you're totally risk-averse. And when my friend, my great friend Harris Pastides asked me to share the capital campaign initiative, as you know, to raise a billion forty-three million dollars, just to be exact, I had to stop and think for a minute. We were in the throes of a global recession, and the funding had to come expressly from private donors. I had recently been named CEO of Fluor Corporation, and a lot of people were counting on my leadership to launch the second century of our company. And it had been 30 years since I'd been active at this university. But Dr. Pastides is persistent and effective, and I said yes. You know, no is the easiest word in the English language. Getting to yes sometimes means you've got to take a risk, but it can be profoundly powerful and exciting. And I'm really glad I said yes. He came home. While raising the billion dollars would not have been easy, Harris and the development team, Jancy Hook and her team, made it really seem easy. And thank you to the many of you out here that were part of that program when we exceeded that goal, because it is about the future, Carolina's future, for the promise of the students like yourselves. On a personal note, I'm extremely grateful to Harris and Patricia Pastides and their friendship. He brought me home to Carolina, and he rekindled the love I have for this university. And this state has always been my North Star. Okay, I've spoken to you about the importance of the beginning, a complex and amazing future, incremental improvement and purposeful planning, showing appreciation, leadership, followership, and risk-taking. But I close with something that's more powerful than anything I've shared with you today, because it embodies all that you've heard me say and serves as an incredible role model, an example for each of us to follow. In June of last year, the beautiful city of Charleston and our leaders faced an unthinkable tragedy when nine lives were lost during a Bible meeting at Mother Emanuel. In a tribute to those who were affected by this horrible act, Charleston's response was filled with pride and peace, exhibiting the grace and class that personifies the University of South Carolina and the state of South Carolina that I love. Following the shooting, a Democratic mayor and a Republican governor came together with the support of the incredible people of Mother Emanuel, and they did everything right in response to that tragedy. Together they set the tone for our state and our nation, and their response serves as a shining example of personal character and leadership at all levels. I'd like for you to consider the state motto: Dum spiro spero, translated, while I breathe, I hope. With all the negativity that we hear today, hope is an incredibly valuable gift. While I breathe, I hope. Hope played a huge role in response to the Charleston tragedy, and I urge each of you to learn the leadership and followership characteristics that caused the Charleston response to be without equal, to apply its lessons of optimism and confidence in everything you do going forward. Your journey is just beginning. Your opportunities are limitless. But your success is largely in your own hands, and your ability to learn throughout your lifetime from things that you do and observe will be your greatest assets. How you apply them will be the true meaning of success. I congratulate each of you and wish you the best on your amazing journey. My hope for you is great success. Go Gamecocks!