Ram Shriram (Sherpalo Ventures Founder) – USC Viterbi Commencement (May 2015)
Chapters
Abstract
Charting a Path to Success: Wisdom for Graduates
Addressing the graduating class of 2015, Ram Shriram, a revered figure in the world of innovation and technology, imparted a wealth of wisdom crucial for embarking on a successful post-academic journey. His speech, weaving through themes of acknowledging support systems, embracing change, learning from mistakes, and upholding core values, serves as a beacon for graduates stepping into a world brimming with challenges and opportunities. Shriram emphasized the significance of resilience, the art of risk-taking, the importance of personal branding, and the pursuit of balance in life, providing a roadmap for achieving both personal and professional success.
Acknowledging Support and Building Relationships:
Shriram opened his address by stressing the importance of recognizing the unwavering support of family and loved ones, which forms the foundation of any academic and professional accomplishment. He urged graduates to value and nurture meaningful relationships, citing them as essential for a fulfilling life.
Importance of Gratitude and Acknowledging Loved Ones: Shriram emphasizes the significance of expressing gratitude to parents and loved ones for their unwavering support throughout the educational journey. He urges the graduates to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those who have supported them.
Embracing Innovation and Change:
He inspired the graduates to shape their paths and create impactful change in their communities and the world. Emphasizing innovation, Shriram encouraged turning ideas into reality, underscoring that this path necessitates passion, a willingness to sacrifice, and fearless risk-taking.
Embracing a Holistic Approach to Life: Shriram highlights that a successful career is just one aspect of a fulfilling life. He stresses the importance of building relationships and embarking on new adventures to create a rich and meaningful existence.
Resilience and Adaptability:
The journey to success is paved with resilience and adaptability, Shriram noted. He recognized that embracing change, often unpredictable and challenging, is key to growth and discovery. He highlighted the graduates’ unique potential to navigate uncharted territories, leading to groundbreaking achievements.
Individuality and Shaping One’s Path: Shriram emphasizes that each individual has the power to shape their own path and create change. He encourages the graduates to recognize their ability to make a difference, whether it impacts a small community or the entire world.
Learning from Failures:
Sharing his personal practice of documenting mistakes, Shriram underscored the importance of learning from failures to avoid repeating them. He advised making new mistakes but avoiding catastrophic ones, emphasizing the significance of judicious decision-making in people-related matters.
Passion, Sacrifice, and Resilience in Innovation: Shriram urges the graduates to pursue innovation in their chosen fields, recognizing that success often requires passion, hunger, and a willingness to make sacrifices. He emphasizes the importance of resilience and persistence in overcoming challenges and achieving goals.
Pitfalls of Overconfidence and the Importance of Embracing Change: Shriram cautions against the dangers of overconfidence and the assumption that the world is static. He encourages the graduates to remain open to change and recognize that opportunities often arise from unexpected sources.
Curiosity and Capitalizing on Change: Shriram emphasizes the significance of curiosity and the ability to recognize new and uncharted territory. He stresses that early recognition and capitalization on change can lead to groundbreaking discoveries and significant success.
Risk-Taking and Valuing Failure:
Shriram encouraged graduates to boldly take calculated risks, accepting that failure is a part of the success journey. He advised them to retain their core values while adapting to changing circumstances.
The Power of Experience in Shaping Future Goals: Shriram shares personal experiences that significantly influenced his life, including the loss of his father and his mother’s resilience in pursuing education. He highlights the role of early events in shaping future goals and the importance of learning from both successes and failures.
Following Gut Intuition and Embracing New Teams: Shriram discusses the role of gut intuition in his career decisions, particularly in joining and creating startups. He emphasizes the value of working with new teams and embracing fresh ideas and perspectives.
Documenting Mistakes and Learning from Them: Shriram emphasizes the importance of documenting mistakes early in one’s career, allowing for reflection and improvement. He suggests keeping a “little book of mistakes” to learn from past errors and avoid repeating them.
Core Values as a Compass:
He stressed that core values should act as steadfast guideposts in life, shaping decisions and actions. These principles, he argued, are crucial for maintaining integrity and direction in one’s career.
Key Lessons from Mistakes: Shriram highlights four key lessons learned from his mistakes: (1) learning from past actions and avoiding repeating them, (2) avoiding major mistakes that can be difficult to recover from, (3) improving judgment in selecting people for teams, and (4) recognizing that the cost of failure is often less than the cost of not trying.
Broad Impact of Engineering:
For the engineering graduates, Shriram highlighted their potential to address global challenges in healthcare, energy, climate change, and more. He envisioned their role in pioneering areas like space exploration and smart cities.
Core Values as Guideposts: Core values should guide engineers in their professional journey, serving as non-negotiable principles that shape their decision-making.
– Each graduate brings a fresh perspective to problem-solving, offering the potential for breakthroughs in various sectors.
Engineers’ Role in Solving Global Problems: Engineers play a crucial role in addressing global challenges, ranging from healthcare to climate change and sustainable development.
– Some may focus on futuristic areas like space exploration and smart cities, contributing to the advancement of technology.
The Essence of Innovation:
Innovation, according to Shriram, thrives on experimentation and embracing failure. He emphasized the significance of a positive impact drive over mere financial goals in successful startups.
Innovation Through Trial and Error: Innovation is driven by trial and error, with successful startups often born from a burning desire to change the world.
– Money should not be the primary motivator; instead, entrepreneurs should be mission-oriented, as financial success is a byproduct of a successful mission.
People Over Ideas:
Execution of ideas, he pointed out, is as important as the ideas themselves. Investing in building a strong team is crucial since people are the essence of successful ventures.
Investing in People, Not Ideas: Ideas without execution are empty promises; therefore, investing in people who can execute is essential.
– Embrace uncertainty and remain flexible to adapt when things deviate from the plan.
Embracing Uncertainty and Building a Brand:
Flexibility and adaptability in a rapidly evolving world are key. He also stressed the importance of building a personal brand, utilizing academic credentials as a foundation.
Building a Personal Brand: Graduates should start building their personal brand with their USC credential and continue to grow it through experiences.
– Be open to learning, network with others, and be self-aware of strengths and weaknesses.
Seeking Mentorship and Making Choices:
Shriram advised seeking mentors for guidance and support, emphasizing the role of mentorship in navigating one’s career. He also highlighted the importance of making informed and instinct-driven decisions at critical junctures.
Matching Skills with Passion and Aspiration: Consider how best to apply skills to match personal passions and aspirations.
– Seek mentors who can guide this matching process, providing honest feedback and support.
– Mentors can vary throughout life, including family, professors, and work associates.
Navigating Inflection Points: Career and life journeys involve inflection points where choices can lead to rapid growth or stagnation.
– During these times, the opinions of trusted mentors matter most, helping navigate these critical junctures.
Patience, Persistence, and Balance:
He dispelled the myth of overnight success, advocating for patience, dedication, and laying a solid foundation for gradual progress. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of a balanced life, encompassing relationships, experiences, and well-being.
Living in the Future of Dreams: Set clear goals and execute them with determination, even when the path ahead is uncertain.
– Overnight success often takes a long time, so patience is essential.
Success Beyond Career Achievements: Success encompasses more than just career accomplishments; it includes fulfilling relationships, transformative experiences, and personal health and well-being.
– Reflect on personal objectives, follow what brings happiness, and practice kindness and humility.
Cultivating Kindness and Humility:
Shriram concluded by advising the graduates to cultivate kindness and humility, traits that positively influence and foster collaborative environments.
In summary, Shriram’s address to the graduating class of 2015 encapsulates a comprehensive guide for navigating post-graduation life. His emphasis on resilience, innovation, core values, personal branding, and balance offers a blueprint for not just professional success but a fulfilling and impactful life journey. As the graduates embark on this new chapter, they are reminded that success is an ongoing journey marked by continuous learning, adaptation, and a steadfast commitment to making a difference.
Notes by: OracleOfEntropy