The art of not being a true something
[Applause]
50 years ago
i graduated i became
an engineer and i remember
the graduation ceremony
dean came to me and say hey here is your
paper
but i have to tell you you’re not a true
engineer
my first job i was in a bank
i was hired by a bank and i was assigned
to the computer department
went well after six months
my first feedback so debrief so
my boss told me you’re nice you work
well
but i have to tell you something you’re
not a true computer guy
we at that time we were in the 70s and
it was the beginning
of the green movement the very first
shock
and along with some friends we founded
the green party in belgium
and by coincidence there was
election to come and i decided to become
a candidate
i was not elected and
one of my friend told me of course
you’re not elected because you’re not a
true politician
not a big deal not a big deal because i
didn’t want
really to become a member of the
parliament my real goal was to
promote ideas to share ideas to spread
ideas so
i decided to take another way
and i started to write i published some
papers in la libero bedrich le soy
financial economist
in belgium and
but what i heard at that time from as a
feedback say
interesting what you write but you know
the true journalists
okay fine so
i put all my papers together and
i published my first book
very proud it was an information the
influx about
internet and i’m quite proud because
it’s 35 years ago but it was a bit
the internet like so so the big the book
came
out and one of the first review
le soir was quite positive
but at the end say but we have to admit
luke is not a writer
okay simultaneously i grew in in this
bank
and i was promoted i was promoted
i became the head of the back office of
the dealing rooms
and all those computers think and uh
very interesting behind the
the dealing room after six months
the brief assessment and my boss told me
you work well you people love you
but honestly i have to tell you
something you’re not a true banker
in other words you shouldn’t stay here
too long because
it’s going to be a bit difficult so i
said okay
okay so i started to look outside and by
coincidence um there was a headhunter
who called me say
we have a job for you you might become
the ceo of the brussels stock exchange
wow
so accepted and i was 40 and i became
the ceo of the stock exchange
but my goal was to come with ideals
and to to fight for ideals and i
immediately noticed that it was a lot of
politics not so much about ideas much
more about politics
so i had to quit
and one of my friend told me of course
you have to quit because you’re not a
true ceo
so and then i was 40
and 40 i look at you 40 is what we call
the midlife crisis
and midlife crisis you’ll see so it’s
you ask yourself uh how i’m gonna play
the second half time
that’s a bit the situation and i said to
myself
i know what i’m gonna do i’m gonna turn
my passion
into a job my passion for ideas into a
job
and that good yeah you know socrates
said
sokata said you have to know what you
who you are that takes about 40 years
so i knew who i was but the
niche added you have to become what you
are
so on one hand i knew what i was
on the other hand i had to become
what i was you said strange paradox okay
i’m only 40 i’m gonna do that i’m gonna
do that
and then of course two things happened
so i decided to become a consultant
because i had to feed my children okay
and of course i quickly heard
you’re not a true consultant and at the
same time i decided to go back to
university and i started philosophy
and that was extraordinary extraordinary
took about nine years
and because i had to feed my children
and of course i was fifth around 50
graduation ceremony same university in a
different
area the philosophy so in the dean gave
me the paper say
you have your paper but i have to tell
you you’re not a true philosopher
so no problem i was a i was in 50 so
okay then
two things happened when i was about 50.
i started a company cartoon based
cartoon base it was the
big the first dot-com explosion maybe
you remember
maybe you were too young and so i
started a company cartoon base to
import cartoons into the business it was
extremely
extremely difficult for me because i’m
not a true entrepreneur
so i’m lucky enough later on i met
a fantastic pair of team who
are running the company now and it goes
well but maybe
company goes well because i’m not there
in the management anymore that maybe
that’s one and the other thing at the
same time when i was
50 i rang the bell of the bcg boston
consulting group
when you play soccer you dream of real
madrid
they opened the door imagine
i said wow and then um
don’t have the time to detail but i had
an extraordinary period of time about
10 years and one of my clients
it was i was 55 tell me look
i like you because you’re not a true
bcg partner imagine i was 55
and suddenly i realized hey maybe there
is something good
in the fact of not being a true
something
i like you because you don’t use
powerpoint because you don’t overwhelm
me with numbers
you don’t use spreadsheet you force me
to go into concept into
deep thinking and that’s what i want
i was 55. so of course
that was a dream time but all period of
time with dream time but this one was
extraordinary so then i turned 60
60 and then of course
slowly two things happen again
on one hand i was hurt i had
to leave the company because 62 63
and uh okay fine not the problem so
but as you can see i’m not a true
retired
because i still work for them
which is uh and the other thing i
started to teach
so i was a teacher of dimitra and many
others somehow
in the room that was extraordinary
extraordinary i really invest a lot in
teaching
i love to teach and of course some of my
colleagues were not
that pleased because they told me i was
not a true
academic
what’s next i don’t know i don’t know i
don’t know
i’m i’m on a mountain with no top
i’m i’m in i’m climbing this mountain
and now today i turn 70
and i’m happy i am
what i am a misfit
and not easy not easy but when you’re 70
it becomes funny to be a misfit it’s a
it’s a privilege
it’s a privilege so i know what i am
first of all i know i’m a
true privileged boomer
born in 48 yes i’m a privileged boomer
and along with a lot of friends we
feel like committed to help to
contribute
to your generation we invest in many
different projects and
we really connect with your generation
because
that’s now what i’m truly on really i’m
with you
the second thing i feel i’m a
true european
by the way i forgot to tell you i was
born in ghent
in flanders but i’m not a true flemish
because i grew up in a french-speaking
family so and
and i’m not a true belgian either
i even don’t know what is a true belgian
so
that’s number two third and dimitra
just mentioned it i feel i’m a true
happy grandfather i have six
grandchildren
between one and seven when i wake up in
the morning
my thoughts are going for them about the
world they’re gonna face
and how to help them and so and they are
the future i’m not
they are and i live with the future and
i believe and i have a face in the
future that’s number three number four
you got it now i know i’m a true
misfit thanks
you