This is the time of year when commencement addresses are given at high schools and colleges across the country. The speech that’s getting a lot of buzz this year is the one that late night TV comic Conan O’Brien gave at Dartmouth College.
You may remember that last year O’Brien was more or less squeezed out of the job he had always wanted when Jay Leno decided that he really still wanted to be the host of The Tonight Show. Conan hibernated for a few weeks to lick his wounds and then, as recounted in a great article in Fortune magazine, morphed into a social media comic juggernaut winding up with a new show on TBS.
Still, for all of his success on the rebound, it wasn’t what he had dreamed of doing all his life. In the Dartmouth commencement speech, O’Brien explains why he now realizes that “There are few more liberating things in life than having your worst fears realized. He says, “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for reinvention.”
One thing that’s for sure about leadership is that the circumstances around you are going to constantly change. You’re not going to get everything you want. That’s when it’s good to know how to make lemonade out of lemons. Conan O’Brien has figured out how to do that.
His speech is about 25 minutes long. If you like his humor, watch the whole thing. It’s funny. If you just want the serious message part of the speech, pick it up around the 16:25 mark. Would love to hear what you think about it through your comments.
I really enjoyed your response on the "Introducing the Leadership Roundtable Challenge". I would like to comment on Conan's speech, I think it is getting buzz, because he is demonstrating that he is a loser who is showing his true colors. There are a couple reasons I say this.
One, Conan wasn't squeezed out of the Tonight Show, he was fired because his numbers sucked. Call a spade a spade, he failed. His bosses treated him exceptionally well and paid out his contract to the tune of some $30mm and kept quiet while he whined. Very admirable in an industry that is notable for it's lack of being admirable.
Two, he got his numbers fundamentally and horribly wrong in his speech. 92% of Americans do not get college degrees. Try 19 or 20% (http://bit.ly/mSZIkX). Furthermore, a fraction of a percent get degrees from Ivy League schools. As a kid from a privileged background who went to Harvard, he is totally out of touch with America and reality.
Two, if you are going to lead, failure is a part of the equation. If you fail and learn your lessons, it's called experience and it's very beneficial. Experience is learning your lessons about the mistakes you made.
If you fail, blame others and whine, you are a failure. Furthermore, you are the sort of failure who should be avoided at all costs. Conan's whining shows that he is the incarnation of what should be avoided. Someone who fails, blames others, and looks for excuses and second chances. Exactly what you expect from privileged kids who expect the world to be handed to them.
It comes as no surprise that his current show's numbers are weak. It will not be a surprise if it is cancelled and no one should be surprised when Conan blames other people, whines and asks for additional chances.
Posted by: Andrew Meyer | June 15, 2011 at 01:29 PM
Lighten up, Frances. It was a sketch. I think he acknowledges his mistakes and miscalculations. I think the take home is that, in fact, amidst change, you have a say in your own destiny. In essence what I heard was: "he who looks outside dreams, he who looks inside awakens"
Posted by: eric dubbin | June 17, 2011 at 10:29 AM
I don't intend to get in the middle of this guys but thanks for the comment. Spirited debate!
Posted by: Scott Eblin | June 19, 2011 at 08:36 PM