University of the Commonwealth Caribbean’s Commencement Ceremony – July 28, 2024

On July 28, 2024, I was filled with gratitude (and a little bit of amusement) to receive an honorary doctorate in Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Here is the speech I shared:

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for inviting me. I am full of gratitude, and I must admit a little amused, to receive this honorary doctorate in Business and Entrepreneurship. Who would have expected the school dropout who went on to sign The Sex Pistols to be speaking with you all today…

I want to wish the biggest congratulations to all of you graduates who have overcome so many obstacles to achieve so much. Your families must be very proud of you.

The magical day that my daughter Holly graduated will live long in my memory. She was the only one in the family with a doctorate, so I look forward to teasing her that I’ve joined the club!

Graduation is not an ending for you though – it is a new beginning, a jumping off point to the magnificent, wild adventure of the rest of your life.

I view my life as one long university education I never had. You’ve now had a university education – but that doesn’t mean you stop learning the minute you walk out the door. Actually, that’s when you really start.

On one of my last days at school, aged 15, my headmaster predicted that I would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. In a way, he was right on both counts. As a dyslexic, I was a square peg in a round hole in the classroom. I struggled in an education system that wasn’t set up to support people who didn’t fit in. My teachers just assumed I was lazy or stupid, and didn’t try to help.

Now, I’m sure this outstanding university is worlds away from when I went to school over half a century ago. But there is a long way to go. We need to prepare people for life, not just for exams.

We also need to think with a global mindset. In this interconnected age of social media and AI, there are no boundaries to where you can go and what you can do. It doesn’t matter if you are in the Caribbean, Canada or Chile, there are challenges out there waiting for you to take them on.

Have a worldwide outlook but look for local opportunities. We have a theory called Circles. Begin by drawing a circle around yourself and make sure everything inside your circle is going well. Is your work-life balance in sync? Are you staying healthy? Once you are confident in yourself, widen the circle to include your loved ones.

Once they are thriving, start thinking about the bigger picture and do all you can to help others. If you have a small business, make a difference in your neighbourhood. Then as you grow, draw a bigger circle around your city. Next, try to have a positive impact across your country. Finally, draw a last circle around the world. Maybe even the universe one day…

UCC’s motto is fostering leadership and innovation. Those two things go together well, as one always requires the other. When it comes to innovating, you have to give yourself the time and space to think big, to look to the stars, and to chase moonshots. But to get there, you will need to make bold decisions, surround yourself with great people, and learn to delegate. You can’t do it all alone.

Most of all, you will need to have a purpose – the reason you are doing whatever it is you decide to do. Find your ‘why’, and your ‘what’ will follow. I started Student Magazine as a teenager to give young people a voice and to protest against the Vietnam War, having no idea it would lead to ventures in everything from record labels to airlines.

As an entrepreneur, failure will become your best friend. In case that sounds too negative, show me somebody who has never failed and I’ll show you somebody who has never tried. You learn by doing, and by falling over. What’s important is that you get up. Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.

But all of that is for nothing if you don’t have fun and take care of the people you love. Remember, life is short and you need to enjoy it. In my view, true success is be measured by how happy and healthy you are.

The wonderful team at UCC asked me to end by urging you to arise and take your place in the world. As a knight, I feel like I should be holding a sword and donning armour if I say that. So instead, I’ll finish by saying:

Do good, have fun, and great things will follow.

Or to put it another way – screw it, just do it.