To be honest， I wish I could say that the road to learning that lesson for me was easy. I wish I could tell you that the day I graduated from university I knew exactly how all the pieces would fi t together， that I knew exactly what I wanted to do from day one and my life has been a nice strait line and careful plan ever since. The truth is， I didn"t begin my career as a technologist. I took to heart the wisdom of Confucius-"who taught us that one should study the past if you would defi ne the future"-and I majored in medieval history and philosophy at Stanford University. As perhaps you can appreciate， that degree was not in great demand when I graduated from University.
So I wasn"t sure what to do after college， so I went to law school because that"s what my father wanted me to do. But I found I didn"t like law school；I didn"t have any passion for it. I quit after one semester， and wandered off into the world to fi nd myself. I did some strange things. I joined a commercial brokerage company and there I typed， I answered the phones-I was what we call a secretary. Then I went off to Italy to teach English to Italian businessmen. Then， fi nally， I decided to apply to business school. And there I learned about marketing and operations and statistics and other skills necessary for business-but perhaps more importantly， I had professors-like the students here do-who challenged me， who taught me a different notion of what was possible， who forced me to see my life in new ways. And I think， in a very great measure-that is what leadership is about， that is what education is about， that is what character is all about.
You see， I think one of most important qualities a leader can bring is the ability， the energy， the desire to unlock potential in others. I think leadership is ultimately about helping other people achieve more than they think is possible；it is about helping people see a different set of possibilities for themselves.
I"ve been asked a lot since if there are any lessons I"ve learned about character and leadership. There are three lessons， I think that I have learned， that continue to instruct me to this day， that continue to guide me in both business and in life.
The fi rst lesson is that values matter and character counts， and that no matter how much things change， fundamental values shouldn"t. For those of you who are just starting out your career， you will fi nd that in leadership-as perhaps in life-the most important decisions you make， and the toughest decisions you make are often the decisions you make alone. And when you make those decisions， there is an opportunity to be buffeted about by and confused by all kinds of things：conventional wisdom， and popular emotion……and maybe by cynicism and doubt as well.
I think leadership takes what I would call a strong internal compass. And I use the term compass because what does a compass do. When the winds are howling， and the storms raging， and the sky is so cloudy that you have nothing to navigate by， a compass tells you where true North is. And I think when a person is in a diffi cult situation， a lonely situation；you have to rely on that compass. Who am IWhat do I believeDo I believe I am doing the right things for the right reasons in the best way I canSometimes that"s all you have.
The second lesson I"ve learned about character and leadership is that leadership， just like success， is not a journey， it is a destination. It is perhaps a cliché to say that leadership is a journey not a destination， but it is a cliché because it is true， leadership is a journey. The only constant in any of our lives， whether you"re running a company or running a family， or perhaps running a country， is change. But change has never been as constant and as fast as it is today.
To me， the dividing line between those individuals will increasingly separate the winners from the losers in the marketplace， the dividing line between those individuals who truly make a difference and a contribution in the 21st century from those who do not-is the line between those who embrace change and those who run away from it. It will be between those who seek to lead change， and those who fi nd refuge in the status quo or in their comfort zones.
And the third lesson I"ve learned about leadership and success is that real power comes in the connections between all kinds of things；but most importantly real power comes from the connections between people. Power comes not from those who stand alone， but from those who can work best with others， and reach out to others to achieve a desired outcome. And fi nding those connections and recognizing those connections is part of what leadership is all about.
As leaders， you can never forget that people want to do a good job. They want to be treated with consideration and respect. They want to feel a real sense of accomplishment in their work， to have their ideas considered， and their achievements recognized. People want to feel like they"re part of something larger than themselves-to be a part of the larger vision， direction， to be part of worthy goals.
Personally， I think anyone can lead from anywhere at any time. I think leadership has nothing to do with how many people work for you or how large your organization is， or what your title is， or how large your budget is. Anyone can lead from anywhere at any time， which is to say that I believe that character and leadership is a choice， and is about making a positive impact. And anyone can make a positive impact. Some acts of leadership are very large， and happen on a grand scale， and some acts of leadership are quite small. But like a stone you drop in a pond it ripples. Sometimes even very small acts of leadership can have a big consequences. And of course， it follows that if anyone can choose to lead at anywhere from anytime， then it is the role of leaders to find other leaders and to unlock for them the possibility that they can make a positive impact.
