On Thursday, May 7th, we had over 150 viewers come together virtually to listen to a conversation about life and career from Medora President Randy Hatzenbuhler and NDSU President Bresciani. A casual chat between the two inspirational speakers was something you did not want to miss.
“Our vision is to connect people to historic Medora for positive, life changing experiences.”
What is the Medora Foundation?
First, let me fill you in on a little background information about the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. They are a public non-profit organization formed by a multi-million dollar gift from Harold Schafer and his family, whose love for Medora began to impact the little Badlands town in 1962. Today, they operate history, education, and entertainment venues that allow the traveling public to be inspired by the Badlands the way Theodore Roosevelt and Harold Schafer were.
The Medora musical is one of the five longest running shows in an outdoor theater in the country. Over four million people have come to attend a show throughout its 56 summer seasons. Another “favorite spot”, and one of the top 100 rated golf courses in the country, is the Bully Pulpit golf course! Randy exclaimed that “working with young people is why I am still at Medora!” He shared with us that “at the end of the day our vision is we connect people to historic Medora for positive, life changing experiences.” This sounds like an amazing place to work, if you ask me. If you agree… you could! There are over 20 open positions at Medora! Check out CAREERLINK for job listings that will help you build some skills!
“Leadership is a series of body punches that overtime takes its toll.”
What is your definition of leadership?
Take a step back and think about, what is your definition of leadership? Leaders help us to identify, understand and refine our purpose. They help us to align our thoughts and clarify the reasons behind our work. President Bresciani shared his definition of leadership – “A common trait of all leaders regardless of their personality, is that they inspire the people around them.” Dr. Bresciani mentioned that there have been many people who have inspired him throughout his life, but he talked specifically about Roosevelt as a leader because he was optimistic and found himself in unanticipated situations, and became a master of those situations. He admires leaders that are thoughtful and strategic in that manner. Another inspirational person that Dr. Bresciani shared about was his co-worker at Texas A&M, Robert Gates. Dr. Bresciani told us his biggest strength was learning the culture of an organization. He said to “listen and learn what the culture of the organization is and be thoughtful on how to take advantage of using the culture to advance your organization.”
“Work harder than everyone else and you’ll succeed”
What’s next in life?
I know, it can be stressful to think about what you want to do for the rest of your life and that’s OKAY! Dr.Bresciani didn’t always know his aspiration in life would be to president of a university. As a 20 year old, he knew he wanted to be a part of education and transform lives like his education had. Randy told us that Theodore Roosevelt didn’t have a clue what he wanted to do with his life as a junior at Harvard. People take time to figure out what they are going to be and do. We might take all kinds of paths before we settle in.
How do I move forward in my job search?
You might be asking yourself, how do I move forward in my job search during this tough time? Randy told us that the way you approach the job during these times, is going to lead the way. “Don’t make your perfect job be your measure of your first job; this is going to be a hard time to find a job, but whatever you do, have it prepare you for something that becomes helpful. The brightest students are going to approach everything with gratitude and see opportunity.” It’s not always about what job you have, but what beneficial experience you can obtain from it. Don’t forget to check out the 20 plus positions at Medora in CAREERLINK such as being a housekeeper, fine dining cook, golf course grounds crew, and much more!
“Try to figure out how to do more with less and help each other.”
Randy’s Seven Steps for Life and Business
- Make your bed every day!
- Plan your work, work your plan
- Make your expectations known
- If it is not right, fix it
- Work harder than everybody else
- Do the right thing
- Have Fun!!
Check out the recording of the conversation posted on Youtube and Facebook!
