15 Jul 2006
Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Dean, Ladies, Gentlemen and, above all, Graduates. I am both delighted and proud to accept this award and again be associated with my University.
It's nearly 36 years ago since I sat down there with my mum and dad, and I am pleased that my mum is here again today. Then, I was receiving my degree in Business Studies.
Little did I think that all these years later I would return to my home city and Manchester Metropolitan University to receive such a great honour, as Chief Executive of what, following the merger of British Aerospace and GEC Marconi, is now BAE Systems - the UK's largest industrial company.
A company with sales of over £15billion and employing over 90,000 people.
We are a company committed to supporting the education of young people and the training and development of all our employees worldwide - in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden and Australia.
Here in the UK we have a programme throughout the country to support teachers and young people, from primary schools to universities. We recruit hundreds of graduates every year from UK universities, as we do around the world, in order to refresh the talent we need in our very high tech and complex business.
Looking back I was lucky, my degree enabled me to spend half my time here in the university, learning the theory from some excellent lecturers, and half the time in industry, at what was then Hawker Siddely Aviation Manchester.
Lucky, because as well as benefiting academically I also learnt what all kinds of people did in their working lives and, most importantly, how to get on with people.
All of you now know that you have high IQ's, otherwise you wouldn't be here today to receive your degrees. However, what you also need, in order to succeed in your careers and future life is emotional intelligence - basically, how to treat and get on with people.
I hope that a number of you choose a career in business - it's where the wealth of our country is created and it's what enables the UK government to invest in the schools, universities and hospitals that we all want.
If you do go into business I trust that you will do what I've always urged my four kids to do - work hard, play hard - and in that order. (I must say, I've not always been successful in that). And, very importantly, have fun in your working life.
Earlier this week I was in Washington speaking to the global leaders of BAE Systems about the challenges the company faces and the work we needed to do. I finished, as I always do, by saying - have fun.
pause
So far, what you have achieved is mainly down to what you have done by yourself. My strong advice, from my business experience, is to learn to get on with people, make sure you're conscious of how other people feel and think, and be a team player, either as a team member or as a team leader.
The World Cup demonstrated that outstanding teams defeated groups of outstanding players. The reason the countries in the final four were not the ones the pundits expected, was that their predictions were based largely on the quality of individual players. But the World Cup does not go to the best players, it goes to the best team.
The Italian team was more than the sum of its parts, the Brazilian team was not.
Some time ago I was given a piece of paper, by someone I greatly admire, which provided me with a short course in teamwork and human relations. It reads as follows:
1. The Six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake"
2. The Five most important words: "You did a good job"
3. The Four most important words: "What is your opinion?"
4. The Three most important words: "If you please"
5. The Two most important words "Thank you"
6. The least most important word: "I"
Another person I had great respect for was a US Marine Corps General who I worked with over 20 years ago on the US/UK Harrier 2 fighter programme.
General Harper had flown aircraft in the Vietnam War, been shot down, captured by the Viet-Kong and tortured.
I invited him to be the guest of honour at an Apprentice Award Ceremony I was hosting at one of our factories in the South of England.
He finished his speech to the young people there with a poem that he said had always sustained him throughout his life, and I've never forgotten.
There is no conquest all complete,
no resting place for marching feet,
no final goal.
For small and trivial is the past.
It is the future that is vast.
- Like the future, this day belongs to you, the university’s graduates.
- Congratulations on your achievements, so far.
- They have given you a position on the first step of a ladder.
- I wish you every success in your future lives and careers.
- Enjoy it.
- Thank You
