GRADUATION SPEECH – HASINA SHAIK
Ladies and gentlemen
I stand here today, humbled, and honoured to speak to you.
First, I would like to thank the IOB and Bankseta for having afforded me the opportunity to be a
part of this unique learning experience. To my Zone Head, Wayne Carroll, who unfortunately
couldnt make it here today, for having the confidence in nominating me, to my line manager,
Wendy Sullivan, who is seated here today, for your support and constant encouragement,
motivation and holding my hand, my fellow colleagues on the programme, Kalay and Musa for
the teamwork, my work colleagues for all the time that they doubled up for me, so that I could
attend the training, the graduates seated here today fro all the moral support and not forgetting
my children for the family time sacrificed.
As I look back on this journey, a journey that commenced with hesitation and tentative steps, I
see just how far I have progressed. It has been an honour and priviledge to be a part of this
wonderful team of fellow bankers, the IOB and the highly qualified lecturers, trainers and guest
speakers for the last six months.
Sociologists tell us that whenever there is a life altering event, a ceremony is used to celebrate
that change. This graduation today will change our lives. I am not going to bore you with all
that we have learnt – the extensive theory that is available whenever we require it. But I just
want to say that the most defining moment for me was the HBDI profiling and understanding the
type of person I am and how that affects the people work with. It certainly places a whole new
perspective on people dynamics and I am sure that this was the most interesting aspect of the
training for most of you as well.
To a certain extent, it instills fear in one, as one embarks on the next step of the journey, that
being implementation. We will constantly question ourselves: did I do enough research? did I
get all the information that I needed? am I the right person for the job? am I doing the right
thing?
We need to remember that fear does not need to be limiting. I was once told a story about a
group of lions who decided to attack a herd of zebras. The older, weaker lions went to the far
side of the zebras and began roaring. The zebras, upon hearing the roars, became frightened
and ran away from the sounds – right into the ambush of the younger, stronger lions. The moral
of the story – whenever you become scared run towards the roars and not away from the roars.
We can use fear for good. We can say: I am confident I did get enough information, I am the
right person for the job, I know that I am doing the right thing. Rendering the best service then
becomes a focus on lifelong learning and once we realize that what we do has a greater effect
on our people than on ourselves, I think we have learnt the greatest lesson. Kicking and
screaming along the way, the IOB has taught us how to be, not good, but great managers.
We graduate today at junior/middle management level, and many of us are at entry level of
management, the beginning of our careers in management, like being at the bottom rung of the
ladder. But now the opportunity exists for us to just keep climbing, like it is an endless ladder, to
heights we have never achieved before. And if it is that way, I urge you to ensure that you are
on the ladder you truly want to be on.
Carl Jung said
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.
Who looks outside, dreams,
Who look inside, awakes.”
So today I remind you all to look into your hearts and be awake before you agree to a dream
that is not your own. From now on it is up to us to choose. I say make a choice when you are
fully awake, a choice that is informed by your heart and not by what others say or believe. Our
contribution to the world will not be measured by the money we make or the accolades we
receive but rather by the way in which we share our unique gifts with the world.
And the only place to find those gifts is within yourself. So I say to the class, go forth and make
your unique contribution, and in the words of Barack Obama remember “Yes, we can”
I leave you with two quotations that I found really thought provoking and inspiring.
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look
fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “ I have lived through t his horror. I can take the
next thing that comes along”. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
Consult not your fears, but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but
about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you have tried and failed in, but
with what is still possible for you to do.