Joe Jimenez: My advice for graduates
Last week, I gave the commencement address at the Haas School of Business at The University of California Berkeley. It was exciting visiting the campus where I got my MBA back in 1984. Looking out at the graduates, I was struck by how much the world has changed since I began my career, particularly as technology has revolutionized every industry and day-to-day life for millions of people. I couldn’t help but wonder what kinds of change this next generation of business leaders would see in their careers.
Will these future leaders revolutionize travel, so that every plane, train and car is self-driving? Will they see machine learning and artificial intelligence disrupt every industry on the planet? Will they cure cancer, or eradicate a rare disease affecting children? Will they see a time when humans can live to be 150 years old?
The graduating class I addressed – in addition to the bright young talent around the world – will no doubt see amazing things like these happen. But regardless of what the future holds, I see three things as being critically important for today’s graduates to remember as they set off in the business world:
First, find purpose in your work every day.
One of the most important things you can do is be a part of a workplace with a purpose that you believe in. In fact, I have written about the importance of purpose here before. I was drawn to Novartis because of our purpose to improve and extend people’s lives, while changing the practice of medicine. Nothing compares to the moment you meet a patient who is alive, healthy, and able to spend precious time with family and friends because of a medicine we discovered and delivered to them. Find a company with a purpose you can believe in, and you truly will want to come to work every day. Use your talent to do something that matters for the world.
Second, know your career pathway is a journey.
On the way to the future, it’s important to think about where you want to make a footprint. A pathway is not just a direction from here to there, but a journey of many twists and turns. I began my own career in consumer packaged goods, and later was asked to join the board of a pharmaceutical company. While I didn’t know much about healthcare at the time, I was intrigued. Serving on that board opened my eyes to the massive impact of healthcare on the world. After a short time, it was clear to me that my next move would be toward this industry. Sometimes the best things in life happen TO you. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Know that sometimes, being an outsider can be a competitive advantage. Resist the urge to over-engineer your path. While new experiences can be challenging, they’re often equally rewarding.
Third, focus on uniting the people around you.
Success is achieved with a strong team. A leader must unite a team and push them to achieve more together than any one of them ever thought possible. A big part of this is listening to the people on your team and setting clear goals. Leaders need to hear both the good and the bad, then have the courage to make tough decisions. Ask people for their thoughts, find out what motivates them, what they like to do and what they want to achieve. Then find a way to bring everyone together around a shared goal that really means something to each person working to achieve it.
We can’t predict what the future will hold. But one thing I know is true: the next generation of business leaders will help usher in some incredible advances that will forever change the world. Remember to find purpose in what you do, leave heavy footprints along your path, and stay focused on uniting the people around you. I know you will achieve even greater breakthroughs than ones we’ve seen so far. Embrace this incredible opportunity. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Chief Executive Officer at Novartis, Joe Jimenez has been CEO of Novartis since 2010. In 2014, following his “precision M&A” strategy, he led the transformation of the company’s portfolio to focus on leading business areas with innovation power and global scale – pharmaceuticals, eye care and generics.
