A Teddy Roosevelt Historical Museum, Buffalo, NY, Career Lesson

Career Advice from Buffalo

Introduction

Dennis Guzik, a seasoned career coach and former Marine Corps officer, shares valuable career advice, interwoven with a personal travel story from Buffalo, New York.

Key Highlights

Buffalo Travel Experience

• Dennis visited Buffalo, NY over the 4th of July weekend.
• Explored the city and visited the Teddy Roosevelt inaugural museum.

Teddy Roosevelt's Story

• Historical Context:
• In 1901, President McKinley was assassinated during an exposition in Buffalo.
• Vice President Teddy Roosevelt rushed to Buffalo and became President.
• Lessons from Roosevelt:
• Awareness: Be prepared for unexpected changes. Roosevelt knew he was next in line.
• Preparation: Reflect on the challenges ahead and plan accordingly.
• Execution: Once changes occur, take ownership and execute your responsibilities confidently.

Career Advice

1. Be Aware of Potential Changes:

• Understand what positions or roles you may be next in line for.
• Assess your readiness for these opportunities.

1. Thoughtful Preparation:

• Reflect on potential challenges.
• Plan how to handle these challenges and identify trustworthy individuals to support you.

1. Confident Execution:

• Once you step into a new role, take full ownership.
• Execute your responsibilities diligently and effectively.

Final Thoughts

Dennis encourages listeners to apply these principles in both their professional and personal lives. He emphasizes the importance of readiness and thoughtful planning for unexpected career changes.

Call to Action

• Books by Dennis Guzik:
• The Author's Playbook: Contributing author with insights on career development.
• Find a Job that Fits Your Life: Available on Amazon.

Closing

Dennis thanks his listeners and urges them to share the podcast with others seeking valuable career advice.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

All right, folks. Well, I'm back. I'm Dennis Guzik, the old jarhead, and I'm here to give you some great career advice. Career advice that's guaranteed to help you. So here we go for this week. Okay.

Speaker 1: 0:18

So recently, over the 4th of July weekend, I was up in Buffalo, new York, and that's why you didn't get a podcast from me last week. I took the week off. Maybe I should have let you know, but anyhow. So I was up in Buffalo, new York, and yep, that's where the title comes from. It was a short trip, mostly just to explore that city, and I have to say it was worth it. Buffalo is a pretty cool place with some pretty neat things to see, and it has a pretty good food scene too. So, anyhow, while I was up there, I visited the Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Museum, and if you're ever in Buffalo, I highly recommend you visit it. But anyway, here's the story about why there was a Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Museum in Buffalo, and then I'll try to relate this story to your career, because, after all, you don't listen to my podcast to hear my travel stories. You want some career advice, so here we go.

Speaker 1: 1:16

The year is 1901. A fellow by the name of McKinsley is the President of the United States and his Vice President is this fellow named Teddy Roosevelt. And things are humming along so much so that they decided to have this big exposition up in Buffalo, new York, that was supposed to bring together the culture of North America, Central America and South America. Right, and it was going great, and why in Buffalo, I don't know, but they did, okay, and it was a big deal. So there was this electric lighting was just new and they built these like temporary buildings, huge buildings, and then they lit them up at night and people were all like, oh, that's really cool, and that sort of thing, right. So now we get on to the bad news. Right, while McKinley was there shaking hands right, the president out there shaking hands some dude shot him in the gut. Okay, the shooter was a nut job, but the point was this was not a good day for McKinley, who ended up dying from an infection caused by the wound. Okay, so we got the president he shot. Now, teddy Roosevelt was not in Buffalo, but when word reached him of McKinley's death, he immediately set out for Buffalo and he knew that, as the vice president, he was about to step into the presidency. A pretty big deal.

Speaker 1: 2:41

So what did Teddy Roosevelt do when he arrived in Buffalo? Well, he decided to stay at a friend's very large house and from there the first thing he did was to pay a visit to Mrs McKinley, to pay his respects and just talk to her for a little bit, and then he decided he would be sworn in at the house that he was staying in. So that's why it's now the inaugural museum. But before he was sworn in, he told the people around him that he needed some time alone, time to think about the enormity of the job ahead of him and the challenges he would face. After a while he told those around him a pretty small group that he was ready and a judge swore him in. And then he became president of the United States and he completed that term that was originally McKinley's, and he went on to be elected to another term on his own right and he turned out to be a pretty good president. Maybe he could even be considered America's first progressive president. He set aside large tracts of land that eventually became national parks and he attempted to do some to right some of the wrongs done to Native Americans and African Americans.

Speaker 1: 3:54

Anyway, it's about time to relate this to you and your career. So we all tend to go about our days not expecting a great change to all of a sudden happen to us, and that's a good thing. If we live with constant great changes, then it would quickly overwhelm us and very little would be accomplished. But unexpected changes do happen and I think how Teddy Roosevelt handled it was a good example of how you should handle them, not just in your professional lives, not just in your career, but also in your personal life. First, before they happen, be aware that they can happen. In the Roosevelt case, he knew he was next in line.

Speaker 1: 4:40

What may you be next in line for and are you ready? Second, when they happen, before you jump into them, think about what you are about to get into. What are some of your challenges? How might you handle them? Who do you want around you? Smart people that you can trust? Who are they? Finally, when they do occur and you start, whatever your new role may be, realize that you are now that new person. It's not the old person's job any longer, it's yours. Take ownership and execute your responsibilities. Well, there you go, a lesson from Buffalo. Thanks for listening and please tell others about my podcast. And, by the way, I am a contributing author to a new book where I write about my daily three concept. Check it out. It's called the Author's Playbook and it is available on Amazon. And, as always, my book Find a Job that Fits your Life great book is also available on Amazon. Thanks for listening. Bye, thank you, thank you.