(music plays)
Next, it's my honor to introduce
a very special guest
our keynote speaker today,
Janet Foutty.
Ms. Foutty is the Chair and 
Chief Executive Officer
of Deloitte Consulting
and was recently elected
chair for Deloitte, a role
she will assume next month.
Additionally, she serves on
Stern's Tech MBA Advisory Board,
as well as Bright Pink,
a nonprofit dedicated
to women's health.
In her current role at Deloitte,
she leads a ten billion dollar
business, comprised of more than
fifty thousand professionals,
which helps Fortune 500
companies and government
agencies translate issues
into opportunities.
With more than twenty-seven
years of leadership experience,
Ms. Foutty has been an integral
part of Deloitte's tremendous
success over the last
twenty-five years.
Her background includes stints
leading Deloitte's
Federal practice, as well as
Deloitte Consulting's 
techonology practice, which
facilitated the launch
of Deloitte Digital. She has
also held key roles
on Deloitte client programs that
span the retail, technology,
government, energy, and
financial services industries.
An author, and frequent public
speaker on the leadership and
talent implications of
disruption and the rapidly
changing business landscape, Ms.
Foutty is also a passionate
advocate for inclusion in the
workplace, women in technology,
and the need for science,
technology, engineering
and mathematics education. She
has founded women in technology
groups in both India and the
United States.
Ladies and gentlemen, 
please join me in welcoming our
keynote speaker, Janet Foutty.
 Thank you, Dean
Sundaram, President
Hamilton, Dean Sundaram,
faculty, distinguished
guests, family and
friends, and most
importantly,
members of the Class of
2019━congratulations! It
is truly an honor to be
here with all of you.
As the mother of two
brand-new college
graduates, I know how
meaningful this milestone
is to everyone here. And
while you all are
certainly further along
in your careers than my
children are, I'd imagine
you're probably
experiencing some of the
same feelings: great
enthusiasm, hope, and
optimism, coupled with
a bit of uncertainty,
angst, maybe even
anxiety, about today's
workplace━and the world.
That's because you are
graduating at a time
of great disruption━of
technology, of industry,
of politics, of the way
we live. [pause] In
the past, we've seen how
disruption can positively
and profoundly impact our
society. From antibiotics
to automobiles, from
steam engines to
smartphones, [pause] it's
clear that disruption has
made our world smarter,
healthier, more
prosperous and more
connected. But today,
we are experiencing
disruption on an
unprecedented scale. It's
safe to say the only
constant is change. And a
lot of people seem
skeptical about whether
we can meet this moment.
But I am absolutely not
one of them. [pause]
Because, I know we have
an incredible asset: you.
To me, the question is
not whether we can meet
this moment, but how.
Today, I'd like to talk
to you about that “how.”
And I'd like to start
with a story. Several
years ago, I was asked
to lead a part of our
Deloitte business I was
unfamiliar with. I was
excited to take on the
challenge━and a little
nervous, too. A recent
acquisition, coupled with
some tough changes in the
market, had rattled the
foundation of the
business. As I began
digging in and trying to
address these challenges,
I started hearing a lot
of excuses. “They said I
couldn't.” “I tried,
but they didn't listen.”
“They said we have to do
it this way.” they they
they That was pretty
striking for me. Because
it was completely counter
to the typical Deloitte
culture. Our firm is a
private partnership━all
of our partners are
owners, so we have
cultivated an environment
in which we are all
responsible for, and
accountable to, each
other. I tried to make
it clear that, no matter
where each of us came
from or how things had
been done in the
past, there was no one in
charge anymore━no one to
make decisions for them
or direct their steps.
There was no more “they.”
We are all there is, I
told them. We are they. I
challenged the team to
identify things that
weren't working, anything
that didn't make sense to
them. A partner came to
me and told me about the
way performance reviews
were being done for
managers━managers being
people who were maybe
three years out of
b-school. She explained
that they had implemented
a system that resulted in
competition between
managers instead of
collaboration. Rather
than learning how to
lead, these managers were
focused on competing with
each other for revenue.
It was pretty clear to me
that this needed to
change. But first, I did
some fact checking. And I
did some gut checking as
well. Then, I assembled a
small team of people who
could help me come up
with an alternative.
Within a couple weeks, we
rolled out a new approach
for performance reviews.
Our team felt the impact
of this critical change
immediately. And because
one partner came forward,
a thousand mindsets began
to shift. It wasn't long
before other team members
started voicing their own
questions, concerns, and
ideas. Because they
understood what I'd been
trying to tell them:
[pause] We are they. And
now, as graduates of
one of the best business
programs in the country,
you are a key part of the
“we.” You may not have an
ownership stake in your
company yet   but the
stakes are too high not
to own the outcomes.
Regardless of how our
organizations are
structured━regardless of
where we sit
within them━we are all
responsible. We are all
accountable. We all have
to lead. We have to
approach every issue in
our workplace as an issue
deserving of our thought,
care, and attention. How
do we do that? Well, I
think we could take
our cues from the edgy,
creative types I began to
work closely with a few
years ago. When we
were launching Deloitte
Digital, we acquired a
tech start-up in Seattle.
Our new coworkers
were nimble, agile, and
brilliant in the digital
space━all attributes we
needed to grow that
market. But at first
glance, their culture
appeared to be a bit
different than what ours
was at the time. I showed
up on the first day
post-acquisition in a
blazer and jeans and high
heels━my definition of
dressing down for
Seattle━to find our new
colleagues in jeans, but
with plaid shirt-sleeves
rolled up, flip flops for
shoes, and not a tie or a
jacket in sight. Still,
appearances aside, our
cultures were
fundamentally more alike
than different: We were
all collaborative. None
of us were afraid to take
risks, break rules, or be
held accountable.
Both groups expected and
assumed positive intent
from each other. A great
example of this was a
little fun they had with
me: We acquired the
company in the summer.
That Halloween, they all
showed up to work dressed
as Deloitte consultants.
They were wearing power
suits, they were power
posing━the whole thing.
And then there was the
brave young woman who
dressed up as me, in a
monochromatic navy-blue
suit. She even adopted my
mannerisms━she spent the
day tucking her pink hair
behind her ears. You may
have noticed I do that a
lot, though no surprise  .
my hair has never been
pink. A move like that
could have easily
backfired. But we had a
nice, long laugh. Because
I took their gesture for
what it was━a
good-natured,
light-hearted step toward
integrating our teams. We
all understood that
differences shouldn't be
avoided, they should be
celebrated. So we were
able to come together and
find common ground and
common purpose. And
that's true for every
successful “we.” We
succeed when we are
diverse━in thought, in
background, in expertise.
When our “we” includes
women. People of color.
People of all ages,
sexual orientations, and
nationalities. We succeed
when our “we” really,
actually includes. It's
not just the right thing
to do or the smart thing
to do. It's the only
thing to do. I know I'm
preaching to the choir
here. You all know━just
as our Seattle team
knew━that inclusive
environments expose us to
new ideas, to new
solutions. That we can
accomplish far more
together than we can
alone. 
have shown that diverse
 Our studies
companies are twice as
successful and twice as
innovative. 
simple, almost obvious.
 It sounds
But that's only because,
as graduates of a program
that emphasizes
“collaborative
community,” it's in your
DNA. You understand that
collaboration is the key
to learning, growing, and
succeeding. You recognize
that inclusion enhances
innovation. And you know
that IQ only goes as far
as EQ━that interpersonal
strength is just as
important as intellectual
strength. In other words,
you know that we are
they. And that knowledge
is absolutely vital.
Because, as I mentioned
at the beginning, we
are facing some daunting
challenges. I don't
mean just big business
problems━I mean big
problems, period. Climate
change. Gender and race
inequality. Bias showing
up in technology design,
or at our borders. When
confronted with issues
like these, it's easy to
fall back on some
familiar excuses: “They
are responsible for
pollution. Or poverty. Or
prejudice.” “They are
the ones who chose this
leader.” “They are
sexist. Or racist. Or
homophobic.” But what
if there was no they? I
believe the only way to
move forward and make
progress is to act as if
there is no “they.” To
approach challenges
with shared purpose. With
shared responsibility.
Because these
problems━frankly, most
problems━are too complex
for any one organization,
let alone any one
individual, to solve
alone. But, when we build
a “we” that
spans divisions and
departments, spans
organizations, or works
between industry and
government ━ we can have
a much
longer-lasting━and a much
further-reaching━impact.
So yes, we are going to
meet this moment  
but only if we meet it
together. And as the
future leaders of our
businesses━as the future
leaders of our world━it
will largely be up to
you. To build a better,
stronger “we.” That
opportunity will come
sooner than you think.
When you're in your next
meeting, and you make
your voice heard, even
when you are a newer
member of the team,
because your ideas are
as valuable as theirs. Or
when you've hit a wall,
and you spark a dialogue
with peers━because their
ideas are as valuable as
yours. When you fight the
temptation to say, “they
made this mess,” and
instead lend a hand to
clean it up. Or when you
work with others to solve
a challenge, rather than
try to tackle it alone.
Even when it's hard...
especially when it's
hard... I hope you never
lose sight of that word:
“we.” And I hope you'll
always remember the
incredible potential, the
enormous power   we have
to make a real,
tangible difference.
Congratulations,
Class of 2019! 
(Applause - Music)
.
