Build a career based on passion

The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. When you do great work, opportunities will follow you and you will be recognised with more responsibility, former Commercial Bank Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody told members and guests at the annual ACCA awards ceremony at the Kingsbury recently.

Extracts from the speech.

"Young professionals lack an understanding about how they should plan their future after they graduate. Before you start building a house, you have to gather the right materials and lay a solid foundation.

If you build a beautiful-looking house using the wrong materials it could crash. At the end of the day the whole structure becomes useless.

Then there's the Bible story of the house built on sand rather than on rock. It makes a similar point. If you don't have the right foundation - regardless of the quality of the building materials - the house is equally useless.

In a sense, they need to be built with the right 'materials' and they need a solid 'foundation', otherwise they won't be good.

With ACCA, you now have a solid foundation and a strong building to build a great career. However, ACCA alone won't get you far. You need to do much more.

The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. When you do great work, opportunities will follow you and you will be recognised with more responsibility.

Professional

To excel in your work, in your life, or as a leader, you need to commit to continuous learning.

Many leaders know this, but many more are missing the opportunities for powerful learning that could really help them get ahead.

Professionals are those working in acknowledged professions, they have specialist knowledge and skill. Therefore, do what it takes to maintain the public's trust in the profession, encouraging the public to continue seeking your services.

Organisations that you will some day lead, don't think, but they shape how we think.

Therefore, constantly build the right culture for your organisation; if built right, your organisation's culture will outlast you.

Finally, as you embark on your new journey away from examinations and graduation ceremonies into the world of business, recognise that your personal success is magnified when you help others.

Therefore, along with committing to your own goals and values, commit to helping others to reach their full potential.

As you turn choices into commitments, I hope you have relatives and close friends who will celebrate your successes and stand by you in your failures.

Today, most of you don't have your bosses in the room, but family and friends. Remember that these people can continue to help you in good and bad times."