Last fall, I attended a lecture by Bruce Dunn of Dunn Enterprises, who is the associate director for ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime. The audience consisted of a large group of music students, which may seem strange considering his area of expertise, but that is the beauty of a liberal arts education. Mr. Dunn delivered an insightful speech that was not only relevant, but also motivating and informative. Though his current position encompasses athletics and telecommunications, Dunn highlighted the music within his career, which surprisingly enough, includes a large segment of his work.

Dunn began his career as a volunteer at a PBS station. He wanted to learn and involve himself with what he was passionate about; however, before he found broadcasting, there were other areas he explored. He loved music and played the clarinet, saxophone and bassoon. He also played football with the NFL’s Washington Redskins in 1981. But Dunn was more preoccupied with the media surrounding the game. He explained how he combined these passions to find the career that suited him. He said, “Find what you love and do it, and then you’ll never ‘work’ a day in your life.”

The next point was actually an answer to the common question, “Where do you want to be in five years?” For Bruce Dunn, there was only one answer: “I want to be at the table where the decisions are being made.” For Dunn, having influence is important, but he added that when you’re the one making decisions, the title is meaningless. “You can be a janitor, but it doesn’t matter because you’re the one in charge.”

The ESPN director explained how he incorporates music into his productions and commercials to make his projects far more exciting, emotional, impactful and be successful. He also provided other lasting pieces of wisdom. “We have to take risks or we’ll only advance so far in life,” said Dunn, “and we’ll only really be successful ourselves when we start making others successful as well.”

Dunn’s engaging speech was motivational for all in attendance and reinforced that hard work can pay off. We can lead very fulfilling lives if we just learn to manage ourselves productively.

Tips from Dunn:

• Don’t work to get a job; work to develop a career
• Manage technology; don’t let it rule you
• If you’re not making effective change, time to move on
• Use cash if you can’t pay off the card at month’s end
•  Spend income, not IFcome