PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP AT “BRIGHAM OIL AND GAS EXPLORATIONS”, AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA

In the summer of 2005 I was able to spend my professional internship time as a student at Brigham Oil and Gas Explorations (“Brigham”). During my time at Brigham I was amazed at their business practices.  In our country many business people while making money try to pay less to their employees. At Brigham they try to pay more. They organized this company in a way that every person is really willing to work hard for company's success, and this is a great difference between our cultures of doing business. Every employee that we talked to in Brigham loves this work and this company not only because of bigger salary in comparison to other oil companies, but they belief that they are valuable workers and that they are really a big team - like a family. Management believes that the company's employees are its most valuable asset and that every individual contributes to the company's success. Compensation of employees is optimized; utilizing base pay, bonuses, and equity, to align the employees with the company's objectives. Brigham Exploration strives to provide its employees with the tools and the environment to enhance every employee's productivity and performance. Brigham Exploration's management believes that healthy and happy employees are more productive and successful, and as such the company provides a corporate lifestyle with optimal balance between work, family and health. Employees have options to adjust work schedules to enable access to onsite work out facilities and showers during lunch, or before or after work. Brigham strives to provide an open and communicative environment throughout the organization. Employees are knowledgeable of all facets of the company's business, via frequent meetings to update on the company's initiatives, operational and financial progress. Every day all employees are welcome to choose cafe or restaurant and have a great lunch together. All the employees are always welcome in Bud's office - the owner of this company communicate with all employees like with very close people, and everybody can feel it after 5 minutes talking with this guy. Everybody is welcome to join every week meetings and give their own opinion about the work of the company. This approach of showing to each employee that the company and their leader respect them and respect opinion of each and every person, is lead this company to success.

Another big thing that amazed me so much during this internship at Brigham is that the boss works even harder than everybody else. He does that and he keeps saying, that it is a great part of success - to show example to your employees by your own work. Employees know that Bud started this company when he had nothing, and he worked so hard that he became very successful. And the biggest part of this success is that he created a team by the rules that I said above. It is not only to his benefit that he is so successful now, but it is for the benefit of the whole group of people that he is working with. Many employees have worked with Bud from the very beginning and they are very happy with that.  This way of thinking and a way of doing business so honestly amazed me more than anything else.

2005 year