I did not ask permission from my uncle to publish this out to the web but I will ask forgiveness later. My old man and his brothers and sister exemplify the fortitude of their generation. While they might not have had much growing up, they never used it as an excuse or a crutch. All of them have been tremendously successful and at the 125th Anniversary of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa, my uncle Pat Keefe was invited to be the commencement speaker. Here is the speech he gave.
"Dean Letendre, faculty, parents, friends and most importantly graduates that while I no longer live in Iowa I am still at heart, a Hawkeye, and therefore was greatly honored to be asked to be your commencement speaker. What a privilege to stand in front of these graduates on the 125th anniversary of the College of Pharmacy and at the University of Iowa the states first public institution of higher learning, the first public university in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis and the university that educates 80% of the teachers, 79% of the dentists, 50% of the physicians and 48% of the states pharmacists.
However after that moment of delight I immediately panicked and asked myself what do I say to graduates that are so much smarter and better educated that I was when I graduated over 40 years ago.
In thinking about that I remembered what my Mother, who never graduated from high school, once said to me. “he or she may be a 4.0 in school, but a 1.0 in life.” with that as a reminder I thought I would share with you some of the attributes that I have observed as I moved though my career and life that contributed to others being successful.
* WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES
Don’t let your mistakes define you. Learn from them, try to avoid them in the future and don’t let them become a crutch for future failure. Be honest with yourself, admit you were wrong or made a mistake. Denial only prevents positive change from happening. I have observed great companies and individual flounder when they would not admit they were on a path of failure.
*EDUCATION
You have all heard that this is not the end of your education, but only the beginning. What does that mean? It took me several years to understand that means more than seminars, staying current with my profession and reading. It means learning to LISTEN. So much of my professional success was coming to the realization that I was not the smartest person in the room. Learning to admit that I did not understand some issue. Leaning on colleagues and mentors to help educate me and returning the favor as I moved through my career. Recognizing that everyone from the person that takes out the trash, the average employee and the executive all have something to contribute. Listening and learning how leaders, and we all know them, go about dealing with tough decisions. It’s easy to lead when everything is going smoothly, but real leaders stand out when faced with crisis. Finally as your become more successful or move up the corporate ladder learning NOT to listen when people tell you how smart you are or how great your ideas and suggestions. Get honest input even if it is painful to hear. Never stop learning, life is a journey that is full of wonderful surprises if you continue to have a thirst for knowledge and new experiences.
*HAVE PASSION
People that have passion for their work are infectious. They wake up believing they will make a difference that day. If you get into a career and you don’t have passion then change to another field of pharmacy. Life is too short to not love what you do, but don’t be so naive to believe that everyday will be a bed of roses or stimulating. I once had a motivational speaker tell us that great companies do the ordinary things extraordinarily well every day. All of you will have the opportunity to show passion for your job. The smile for the patient that always complains. Answering the phone just as your shift ends. Giving acknowledgment to a fellow employee for their contribution when everyone is giving you all the credit. The ability to focus on the 80% that went well vs the 20% that went wrong and work to improve the 20% without losing sight of the 80% that you or your company is doing right. You will find the 80/20 rule holds for most all aspects of life. You will meet people in your life that focus only on the 20% and want to bring you down to their level of negativity, don’t let it happen.
*TIME
The greatest gift we possess but the hardest to manage. Today the majority of you sitting here have no money, debts to pay and glad to have parents or friends here to pay for a good meal this weekend. But what you do have is friendships and memories that will last a lifetime, because you gave each other the gift of time; to help someone study, helped them celebrate or helped picked them up when they had a bad day. As you start your career how you use your time will become your greatest challenge and one that will get out of balance constantly. The old adage that no one died wishing they had spent another day at work is misleading. Your career is important, work brings dignity, but too often we do not give the time at work our full attention and we short changed our job performance and eventually our careers. Don’t equate hours worked with job performance.
Make time for yourself, to exercise, recharge, pursue a passion, but don’t make time revolve only around you.
Finally find time to help others. The saying it is better to give then receive is all too true.
I can remember asking my mother what she wanted for her 70th birthday. She told me nothing she had everything she needed, but she would love for me to occasionally sit at her kitchen table have a cup of coffee and talk
I have dealt with some of the most successful people on Wall Street and in healthcare. The ones that made their career their mistress always talk about what they missed. The ones that found a way to balance their career, family and others seem to have a more joy filled and well rounded life.
If you find yourself unhappy at work, at home or in your life then take stock of how you are spending your time.
* Finally MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Pharmacy, as we all know, is an altruistic profession. The dictionary defines altruism as the “unselfish devotion to the interest and welfare of others. I have observed that people that don’t forget this makes a difference. However too often we define making a difference as reaching a certain monetary goal. Some of us have achieved monetary success but I believe its not because we made that our goal but because we made a difference.
If monetary success alone does not define making a difference then what does:
I have a friend in Cincinnati that has spent his career as a staff pharmacist in retail pharmacy. But he has volunteered his whole life at a free pharmacies serving the poor that cannot afford their medications. He has served as the pharmacist on numerous medical mission to Africa. He makes a difference.
Your teachers that somehow instilled in you the love of learning. The professors at the University of Iowa and the College of Pharmacy that supported you, cajoled you and helped get you here today and have given you the tools to make a difference.
Your fellow graduates of the College of Pharmacy that have gone on to be involved with local, state and national pharmacy and political organizations that help define what pharmacy is today and will be in the future.
Then all of you that have worked so hard to become Doctors of Pharmacy. But with this honor comes much responsibility. Do you know that there a 5x more pediatricians then gerontologists? Yet we have 2x more seniors than children. The management of drug therapy for all the baby boomers, as they age, will be extremely important. You will see major changes in how drugs are distributed in your lifetime, but the clinical skills you have learned and will acquire will be the most important tools to make a difference. Disease management, patient specific therapeutic outcomes, polypharmacy, the appropriate addition of a drug to a patient’s therapy and collaborative practice with other healthcare professionals, these are some of the areas where you, the future leaders of pharmacy, need to ensure that pharmacy takes a leadership role. Never forget that you are first and foremost patient advocates.
Some day all of you will be closer to the end of your career than the beginning like I am today. You will be asking yourself have I made a difference. What have I done with the great opportunity that pharmacy presented to me. If you can answer yes that you made a difference then you will have honored the great profession you have chosen, you will have honored this great University and the College of Pharmacy, but more importantly you will have honored yourself.
I would like to end with a quote from Sandra Carey, an author.
“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.”
Congratulations!! May God grant you wisdom as you move through your career and your life.
Thank you,
Pat Keefe"
Much love to my Uncle Pat.
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