Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, is the former secretary of labor, noted author of 14 books, and a media commentator (robertreich.org). At commencement last December,
Reich warned graduating students about the great divide between the rich and poor, the replacement of people with technologies in the workforce, and the inextricable link between inequality and climate change. He also shared a funny story and inspiring advice that anyone can live by.
Commencement at Cal. Photo: Noah Berger
Now, three things I’d like you to carry away with you.
Number one: In this era of widening inequality, make sure you respect those who don’t have the education or the status you do. A college degree is not a license for arrogance. In fact, respect everybody you work with, regardless of their station.
My first job 50 years ago was working in the Senate office of Robert F. Kennedy. It sounds glamorous, but I ran his signature machine. There’s a little pen at the end of a long wooden handle, and I made sure that all of the letters lined up exactly right so that the pen and his signature lined up nicely.
It was a fine job, but after three months, I was so bored that I did something I’m not terribly proud of. I snuck in at night and wrote letters to my friends on the senator’s stationery. Letters like, “Dear Mr. Dworkin, Congratulations on having the largest nose in New York State.” And then, I used the signature machine — signing Robert F. Kennedy. My friends still have these letters framed on their walls.
One day I was standing in the Senate hallway, and the elevator opened and out came Senator Kennedy, surrounded by his aides and looking like he was doing very important work. I had seen his signature, but hadn’t yet met him in person. He looked at me and asked, “How are you doing, Bob?” He knew my name! I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t even summon the answer out of my throat I was so overwhelmed.
From that moment on, if he had asked me to work his signature machine for the next three years, I would have done it. Respect … respect.
“Leadership is the art and practice of getting people to focus on problems that they would rather not focus on.”
Number two: Remember that you don’t have to be a secretary of some cabinet department or president of the United States in order to exercise leadership. Leadership is the art and practice of getting people to focus on problems that they would rather not focus on. They’d prefer to deny that the problems exist or blame others for the problems. The role of a leader is to overcome these escape mechanisms, and I have every confidence that you will be in positions to do that.
Third and finally: Know the difference between tenacity and martyrdom. Be tenacious, but don’t burn yourself out. If you’re trying to change the world for the better, even a little bit, you’re going to need patience. You’ll need to accept what you cannot change, at least right away. And dedicate yourself again and again to changing what you cannot accept.
So go forth and do your best. Comfort the afflicted, even if that means occasionally afflicting the comfortable. And use every opportunity you get to renew and re‑energize yourself.