Ipswich Town Football Club manager Kieran McKenna told graduates to heed a training ground "mantra" as he collected an honorary doctorate.
McKenna advised students getting degrees from the University of Suffolk in Ipswich to "follow the process".
He said Ipswich coaches and players tried to take themselves "away from the results".
McKenna said they tried to focus on the things they could "control".
McKenna has overseen Ipswich's rise from League One back to the Premier League after 22 years.