Rob Castaneda

I would like to begin my address with an acknowledgement of the traditional custodians of the land we’re on and that the UTS campus stands, and that’s the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. I would also like to acknowledge our Pro-Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, presiding Dean, presiding Director, members of the University Executive, Council, Academic Board, staff, family, friends and our graduates.

It’s a real honour to be able to speak to you all today. I feel really blessed. I look back and I reflect, listen and reflect upon what I’ve been fortunate enough to experience and sometimes I have to ask myself, ‘Did I really get the chance to do all of that stuff?’ We’re very lucky. We’re very blessed to be part of this faculty, part of this university and this country.

So, for graduates, look to your left. Look to your right, in front and behind you, and many you’ve just made eye contact with or seen the back of their heads or somebody, many of them are going to make an impact on the world, just like you are.

My time as an undergraduate at UTS was very special to me. It gave me the confidence to know that I could make a difference. It gave me the tools that would allow me to discover what that difference could be. It allowed me to discover how to learn, but before all of that, in trying to understand what our industry meant, I learned what it meant to be accepted – to be an equal among my peers, and that where I came from had no bearing on where I was going to go, but only to fuel it. And UTS allowed me to engage, allowed me to participate based upon my merits and my strengths, and it opened up my mind in ways that even now I’m truly beginning to appreciate.

Okay. I do this all the time [laughs]. Okay. So, I graduated in 2001 and the world has changed remarkably since. Now, every company is more or less a technology or a software company combined with some branding and a core product. We used to use Windows; we never had windows. We were always in the bad places in the office. Now, software developers get the offices that have windows you can look out of. The world’s largest companies are now tech firms.

In 2001, when I graduated, you could buy a share of Apple for $1.32. Who wants that? And it was almost gone. Now, it’s the world’s largest company. And many of the companies that we now know lead the world didn’t exist 15 years ago. In fact, 15 years ago, we all had a watch because we didn’t have smartphones. But let me bring this back to you – and I have three takeaways for you today.

The first is a thought on leadership. You see, companies are built and led and made up of people, and sometimes we forget that. And increasingly, those leaders are coming from engineering and IT, which means that each of you sitting here today from this day forward should consider yourselves leaders or leaders in training, not just software developers. And the drive for humanity to survive and thrive on this planet needs all of us – you – to lead. We may not make the single invention that makes it all happen, nor be the founder of the next biggest company or IPO, but we’re all leaders. More importantly, we need to not wait to be picked for our turn to make a difference. That is now.

So, as part of my work with the Conscious Capitalism organisation, I was asked to describe what makes a good leader. It was very hard, because it’s not a fixed formula. It’s not something you study and achieve. It’s a balance of contradictions and competing absolutes. It’s something that’s realistic and present, yet a good leader is aspirational and a dreamer, someone that is flexible to deal with the unknown and unexpected, yet consistent and stable, giving their team the foundation that they need.

A good leader acknowledges their faults but still isn’t satisfied with achievements and seeks to make the most of what they’ve been blessed with. Those achievements in and of themselves don’t mean much, but what they enable is cherished. They’re knowledgeable but they’re always learning. They believe in common sense and the common good, many times against the common tide. Patient and reflective but responsive, knowing that the small details that many tell them that they shouldn’t worry about can mean the world to those around and below them. And those that are below them are held above them. After all this, it’s someone that can take in and consistently yearn to provide the right balance. A good leader doesn’t accept that they are a good leader – they are forever striving to be it, and somewhat dumbfounded that they get the chance to do what they do every day.

The second takeaway I have for you is to enjoy the moment. Today marks the formal point where you can celebrate the journey and the milestone, and many of you have worked your guts out to get to this point, and beside you or behind you, there are others that helped you along the way – your loved ones, your parents, extended families, friends, your peers. Take the time to thank them.

My third and final takeaway is to take the time to make things right when you get them wrong. We live in a world of moving fast and breaking things and disruption, and sometimes we need to look back. So, in 2001, when I was sitting in those chairs that you're sitting in today, I’d already started my company and I was keen to get back to coding, so I just wanted my piece of paper. Subsequently, I never got the chance to take a good graduation photo with my mum. She’s here. So, I’m going to ask if someone can lend me their hat later on and I can take a photo with my mum. Thank you.