Речь ректора РАУ на церемонии вручения дипломов выпускникам Швейцарской бизнес-школы

Distinguished Dean, Vice-Presidents,
Professors and Graduates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honor and a privilege for me to address the graduation ceremony of the Swiss Business School this year. We are good partners with SBS in Armenia implementing the highest standards and educational quality in my country.

Today, as a man with not a small experience in public management, I brought You a scope of professional and personal advice which I think will help You in Your further steps in successful carriers.

Let me start with professional advice. You are professionals in administration, and this first of all means RESPONSIBIliTY. Starting from now You will be solely responsible for whatever decision is taken. The quality of decisions based on the quality of knowledge received will formulate the level of a professional responsibility for each and every of You, and for those of You who are most professionals the level of responsibility is going to be the highest. So, don’t be afraid of that, it is the only way of growing of Your professional skills!!!

The second. Administration means LEADERSHIP. My advice to the leaders represented here is: TRY NOT TO BE THE SECOND, because it could be easily turned into a habit, and You will never have a chance to become a true leader after all. It is, perhaps, better to be the third, or the thirty third, or even become unnoticeable rather than to be the second!!!

The third characteristic of administration is CREATIVITY. Administration is not just currying responsibilities. By carrying responsibilities only You will never get more than a salary, a sphere of Your personal control and management will go narrowing in that case. You should always think of doing more, and this is a key to a professional success!!!

The next point is a READINESS AND OPENNESS FOR CHANGES. There is no more space for a dogmatic approach and behavior in the XXI century. The World is dynamically changing, and nowadays professionals should lead this process and not be led by it!!!

And the last but not the least is SHARING. Knowledge and professionalism are unique substances which You can increase by sharing. Knowledge is not a discrete category. If it is not growing it is getting less. By keeping it within we definitely lose. So, share Your knowledge and increase it!!!

As for personal advice I would start with the following: TRY TO MINIMIZE YOUR LOSING OF TIME. Time is the greatest value which we recognize more by getting old. There is no way not to lose time, because by losing time we usually get pleasure. But the winner here will be the one who lost less.

The second personal advice would be: LEAVE IN PRESENT, HERE AND NOW, doesn’t rely on a future as a hope to resolve the problems of today. Try to get the best possible leaving standards for today and not for tomorrow. Don’t store up the richness of today in a hope that next generations will consume it in a future. The only thing we have to pass to future generations is knowledge and experience!!!

The third advice is: BE DARING, put and realize goals which are not obvious for the present circumstances, TRY TO ENHANCE THE BORDERS OF EMAGINATION created by previous generations. This is the only way to progress!!!

The next advice: TRY TO FULLY REAliSE THE POTENTIAL OF YOURSELF. Each of You have strengths and weaknesses, and the point here is to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses. Each person is unique, having his own unique mission and role in life. The secret of a personal success is to find Your own individuality and try to strengthen it!!!

And the last: SEEK AND FIND THE SPACE OF YOUR PERSONAL COMFORT. If You cannot find it just try to build it around yourself. And it will be impossible without love – the greatest feeling which drives us throughout life and force us to be better. Believe me: NO SINGLE ADVICE WILL BE HELPFUL IF YOU ARE NOT DRIVEN BY LOVE. I wish You to love and to be loved – and this is not so simple as one could think about it!!!

Dear friends!

Today is not a day of finishing. Today is a day of starting, and I wish You success and happiness both on Your professional and private life. You can put my advice aside and do everything on Your own, with Your own understanding of priorities. In some fifteen to twenty years from now the World will be govern by You, and we do not have other choice than to trust You. And, please, use and carry this trust with a dignity!!!

God bless You, and good luck!!!