Michael Smerconish recently gave the commencement address at the Klein College of Media and Communications at Temple University. He spoke about rejection and failure and passed on to the graduates the lessons he learned from them.

Failure and Rejection

A person of diverse skills and talents, Mr. Smerconish’s talk pointed not to his successes but to his failures. In a long and somewhat meandering career, his career success laid with his ability to push through rejection and continue to move forward, even if it appeared to be just moving sideways.

Ask for the Order

While my sketchnote focuses mainly on his journey, it ends with the closing powerful message in Mr. Smerconish’s address…

You must ask for the order.
My climb has taught me that in order to succeed, having the skill set isn’t enough.
You’ll need to request the meeting.
To write the email.
Better yet – to sign the letter.
Make the phone call.
Be prepared to introduce yourself.
To show up where not invited.
And to find a mentor.  People like to be asked for assistance.
Your level of professional success will be determined by your Unwillingness to accept rejection and failure.
You’re ready – now do it!

Read the full commencement address here.