The Energy Detox

When it comes to investing in yourself, your team, or your company, it's easy to default to a fairly limited menu of training & development options. But just as the decision by New York City Council yesterday to ban clean, domestic, reliable, affordable, plentiful #NaturalGas from new construction will lead to plenty of unintended consequences for NYC residents (at least the ones who don&...

Today is not only "National Cat Herders Day," but it's also the 4th anniversary of the death of AIM: AOL Instant Messenger. Born in May 1997, AIM left this world on December 15, 2017 at the age of 20, providing a great excuse for us today to ask how you might unwittingly be killing whatever "aims" you have as a leader...and whether the time, #energy, and money you're...

20 years ago today, news broke that George O'Leary had resigned as Notre Dame's head football coach less than 5 days after being hired. The reason: a few "inaccuracies" on his resume. Now, did the masters degree (that he didn't actually complete) or his time as a fullback at the University of New Hampshire (where he didn't actually play) have anything to do with why h...

A quarter century before the #ESG craze swept through the corporate world, the "Triple Bottom Line"—People, Planet, Profit—demanded that companies focus more on an audience of diverse "stakeholders" instead of merely their "shareholders." And if you were part of the audience yesterday at Hart Energy's DUG East conference in Pittsburgh, you saw examples of leaders...

"Regret is an appalling waste of energy." It's safe to assume that the author Katherine Mansfield wasn't referring to the oil & gas industry when she wrote the line above. But nearly a century after she penned those words, the reality is that regret DOES drain lots of #energy (and time and money and confidence) from #oilandgas leaders and their various stakeholders. Some of...

Commodity price swings, extreme weather, CEO retirements, head coaching vacancies, bankruptcies, and Major League Baseball lockouts, can all be VERY disruptive... ...BUT they can also be very lucrative for certain stakeholders. And in this live episode of The Energy Detox, we'll weave together all those disruptions (and any others you wish you share in the comments) to help you uncover hidden...

With winter fast approaching and home heating costs rising, one might forgive leaders like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts for expressing concerns about the potential impact of #LNG exports on domestic #naturalgas prices, as she did in letters she sent to some of the top natural gas producers in the U.S. last week. However, as industry leaders from the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the Gas...

Just as Notre Dame's history and "mystique" alone are no longer enough to bring in top football talent, the #oilandgas industry can no longer expect that top talent will be drawn to (or remain in) the industry because of all the things that USED to make it a top destination for recruits for so many decades. That being said—and drawing upon breaking news regarding ND's head coac...

• 42 years ago, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺 was published. • In that book by Douglas Adams, the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" is the number 42. • 149 years ago, the Petroleum Producers Association officially adopted the 42-gallon standard oil barrel. • Last week, DOE's leader Jennifer Granholm couldn't recall how many barr...

Turkey may be the highest profile protein in the United States this week; however, in honor of "National Sardines Day"—celebrated every year on November 24—this LIVE episode of #TheEnergyDetox will dive into the many parallels between one of the world's most sustainable seafood options and some of the #energy industry's most sustainable leaders. To aid in our mission of helping...

S.P.R.A.Y. T.A.N. to Sustain Sustain: (𝐒)trategic (𝐏)etroleum (𝐑)eserve (𝐀)nalogies (𝐘)our (𝐓)alent (𝐀)pproach (𝐍)eeds 2 Sustain Success With President Biden expected to announce that the United States (and perhaps other nations) will be making Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) withdrawals, what better time than now to explore a few #energy-themed #leadership analogies so that you don't find...

If there's one thing that dropping temperatures and holiday gatherings are good for, it's sitting around a fireplace and talking about the parallels between building a fire and leading energy teams, right? The headline: 𝐒𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐔.𝐒. (by Maxwell Adler of Bloomberg) The article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-20/americans...

Building upon a recent profile of Enphase Energy CEO Badri Kothandaraman, this live episode of #TheEnergyDetox will help you uncover areas of your personal and professional life that could benefit from an extra dose of modesty, frugality, and simplicity. The headline: 𝐄𝐧𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 '𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬' (by Chris Woodyard of Investor's Business Daily) The a...

While propane continues to lift millions of people out of #energy poverty, it also lifted me 3000 feet above the earth this week. And although the propane-powered luxury of flying through the clouds in a wicker basket is obviously not as important as the freedom and health benefits afforded to families who no longer have to gather and burn biomass for heating and cooking purposes, my first hot air...

As the COP26 U.N. Climate Conference wraps up today, news stories will be filled with number-filled recaps of the progress—or lack of progress—made by world leaders over the past 2 weeks. There will undoubtedly be summations of the billions of dollars in monetary commitments, summations of the metric tons of CO2 reduction commitments, and perhaps even summations of the amount of fossil fuels requi...

“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.” - Colin Powell Just because a soldier is no longer serving does not mean his or her problems go away, of course. So, the question for you on this Veterans Day is what you can do today to best support those who served our country? The headline: 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐡-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧...

While countless energy industry professionals genuinely appreciate and enjoy opportunities to give back to their communities through corporate volunteer initiatives, the reality is that a material number of folks picking up roadside trash, assembling care packages, or planting flowers at senior centers are "voluntold" to participate. And in most cases, a little "forced encouragement...

Pipeline-related news continues to generate plenty of noise and protests and political posturing, with yesterday's headlines regarding Enbridge's Line 5 being no exception. But such news coverage also provides a great excuse to ask whether your unwitting attempts to keep communication pipelines full in conversations and meetings and presentations are making you a less effective leader an...

While coverage of the COP26 U.N. Climate Conference continues have a rather apocalyptic tone, the constant talk of timelines, deadlines, doomsdays, extinctions, climate countdowns, etc. does at least provide a good opportunity to examine your own clock management, as we'll do during today's live episode of #TheEnergyDetox. The headline: 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐍. 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞...

Thanks to soaring Natural Gas prices around the world, the cost nitrogen-based fertilizers is skyrocketing, which will obviously lead to continued impacts on the expense and availability of certain foods. And while that's bad news for a good chunk of the human population, it's a good excuse for this live "Forced Analogy Friday" edition of #TheEnergyDetox to help you explore the...

With news that a midwestern #NaturalGas pipeline closure next month could put the flow of Anheuser-Busch products in jeopardy just as holiday parties get into full swing, this live episode of #TheEnergyDetox will help you examine how well your company's approach to engagement and team-building—including parties with open bars, of course—reflects the culture you think/hope you're brewing....

While there have been some undeniable shifts in leadership styles within the #energy industry, your vision of a "stereotypical" oil and gas leader probably still leans more towards vinegar than honey when it comes to communication and motivation styles. And in some cases, a bit of vinegar is absolutely necessary to generate a sense of urgency and momentum. However, as several observers o...

On this off-cycle Election Day, you'll undoubtedly hear about how abysmally low voter turnout is in most states, excepting Virginia and New Jersey. But is high voter turnout the best measure of a "successful" electoral process? Similarly, when companies tout high "employee engagement," are they mistakenly elevating mindless—if not forced—employee participation to a level g...

On this all Saints' Day, we use the ongoing adoration of St. Greta of Sweden as an opportunity to help you determine whether you're fueling a culture where certain leaders (perhaps even yourself) are viewed as saints, thus masking potentially fatal flaws that can unwittingly lead stakeholders into damnation. The headline: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐎𝐏26 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐠𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐡...

If you watched coverage of yesterday's House Oversight Committee hearing with the leaders of several #oilandgas majors, you were likely subjected to the same political theatre and posturing that make up a sickening portion of these types of hearings. But even if you count yourself lucky to not be a part of such performances, go ahead and use yesterday's headlines about this hearing as an...