Veteran news anchorman and media professor Steve Bell
was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in May 2008 from Ball State University,
where he taught for many years.
In his commencement remarks (he said he threw away his prepared speech),
Bell offered some cogent advice to the assembled faculty and graduates of Ball State's
College of Communication, Information, and Media.
Here are four major points I took away:
Steve Bell said, in my paraphrase with my commentary:
1. Look in the mirror; ask yourself the question, "Who am I?" [JEG commentary--build & understand your own identity]2. Look beyond yourself. [JEG commentary--professional identity means relating to the Other, not the Self]
3. Value the system--that is, the valid United States system of politics and media transparency [JEG commentary--the world is full of corrupt politics and compromised media reporting and information; value the positive USA model]
4. Attitude is (almost) everything--Bell said this was so important he almost made it the title of his talk.
Keep a positive attitude even if you are in an unfair situation. Bell gave several examples of this he learned
in his career, where he learned the hard way, but having learned the principle, found at least once he gained
competitive advantage because he was seen to have a better, positive attitude. [JEG commentary--this final point hit home for me. The professional world is rife with injustice; you may not change that fact, yet you can change how you respond to it]
Listening to Steve Bell was a rich investment in attention, that paid dividends immediately.
Thank you, Steve Bell, Ph.D. (Hon.) Ball State University, 2008
Posted by Jay Gillette at May 10, 2008 06:42 PM