The Energy Detox

In light of yesterday's US/EU LNG deal, it's time to create a new federal position:

LNG Ambassador

And while you might argue that EQT Corporation's Toby Rice has already been playing the role of LNG Ambassador, perhaps his #UnleashUSLNG campaign could use an assist from none other than NBA Hall-of-Famer John Stockton.

Why's that, you ask?

Well, Stockton—who happens to turn 60 today—would be a perfect fit for several reasons:

1 - US LNG has the ability to assist our global teammates as they scramble to wean themselves from Russian #energy, much as John Stockton's 15,806 assists helped his teammates thrive during his 19-year career with the Utah Jazz.

2 - Stockton's hard-nosed, gritty approach was often mis-labeled as "dirty," much like the #naturalgas industry, which is often mis-labeled as dirty, despite the undeniably positive net impact natural gas development has had (and can/should continue to have) on the environment.

3 - As a humble and durable leader who avoided the spotlight like the plague, John consistently got his job done without any fanfare, much as the oil & gas industry has been consistently getting stuff done for 160 years, regardless of how much (or little) our "fans" appreciate the critical role oil & gas—much like a point guard—plays in our everyday lives.

Is there any better day than today—National Poultry Day—to ask yourself:

"In what ways am I acting like a chicken?"

And is there any better month than March—Women's History Month—to ask yourself:

"How are the chickens leading my company unwittingly stifling the career development of our organization's women despite all of the surface level corporate commitments to 'diversity, equity, and inclusion?'"

#ConciousLeadership

What better day to honor Chuck Woolery—former host of 'Love Connection' and owner of the classic pre-commercial-break phrase, "We'll be back in two and two"—than today, Tuesday 2/22/22?

And what better way to honor Chuck & and 'Love Connection' than by taking 2 minutes and 2 seconds to ask yourself how many of the connections in your life—be they related to love, business, career, faith, friendship, etc.—are INTENTIONAL connections...

...and how many of of your connections are merely based on feelings, passions, opinions, and trends that are as volatile as the price of oil?

In honor of Jerome Bettis’ 50th birthday, this episode of The Energy Detox will share the many ways that The Bus exemplifies sustainable leadership.

Did you know that ~25 million people around the world are being trafficked at any given time?

Are you aware of how close to home human trafficking activities are to you?

In what ways are you unwittingly contributing to the problem of human trafficking?

How many modern-day slaves are supporting your current lifestyle (per 'Slavery Footprint,' the number for my family is 92)?

What are some of the ways you can support the fight against human trafficking?

Well, in honor of today's feast of St. Josephine Bakhita—patron saint of human trafficking—and today's "International Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking," this episode of 'The Energy Detox' is going to take a break from the usual conversations about conscious leadership, the energy industry, climate science, inept politicians, and ESG bloviations to boost your awareness of (and encourage you to take action on) an issue that trumps most of the relatively comfortable topics corporations will be weaving into their forthcoming 2021 Corporate Sustainability Reports.

This episode of The Energy Detox weaves together 1) an announced alliance formed by EQT Corp, Marathon, U.S. Steel, and others to develop an Appalachian #hydrogen hub, 2) the kickoff to Beijing's hydrogen-fueled, closed-loop, fortress-like #Olympics, and 3) one of the easiest and most effective ways you could be (but likely aren't) helping fuel future leaders.

What leadership nutrients are found in Meat Loaf & American Pie?

Well, in honor of today's 63rd anniversary of "the day the music died" when 3 young Rock N' Rollers perished in a plane crash—and in recognition of another musical death 2 weeks ago—this episode of #TheEnergyDetox will extract 5 sustainable #leadership lessons/questions from 3 of Meat Loaf's hits to help you avoid a premature (leadership) demise.

From "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad":

1 - How is your focus on getting everything perfect holding you and your team back from sustained success?

From "I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)":

2 - How is your inability to listen effectively chipping away at your credibility? (How many millions of people have asked what "that" thing is that Meat Loaf wouldn't do despite the fact that everything he says he won't do is clearly contained in the lyrics?)

3 - What are some of the things you're not willing to do to be successful...and should you view those things as assets or liabilities?

From "Paradise by the Dashboard Light":

4 - Are you leading with a constant level of urgency ("I gotta know right now!") that is diminishing your effectiveness with your increasingly burned out stakeholders who are silently pleading with you to "let me sleep on it...and I'll give you an answer in the morning?"

5 - What undesirable contracts—like a figurative 20-year firm transportation agreement that no longer suits the restrained development plans of an #oilandgas operator—are holding you back from success and have you "praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive" so you can break free and realize your full potential?

#ConsciousLeadership

If the Hedge Hog known as Petroleum Phil casts a shadow on February 2, should commodities traders expect 6 more months of $80 oil?

If you make one “bad” prediction against a slew of “good” ones, should that one bad prediction define you?

Well, in this Groundhog Day episode of The Energy Detox, we’ll help you 1) avoid putting too much stock in the results of a single prediction and 2) look for times when your fear of making decisions is holding you and your stakeholders back from sustained success.

"Do you have the capacity to take on more work?"

Is your default answer to that question:

A) "Well...[audible sigh]...my plate is pretty full...maybe if I wasn't so swamped...[grimace and hope person walks away]."

B) "Absolutely! Bring it on!"

C) "I could probably reprioritize a few things on the ol' to-do list if needed and if you're willing to step through potential tradeoffs. Whatcha got?"

Well, as with conversations about electric generating "capacity" or pipeline "capacity," the way you think and speak about your personal "capacity" can be misleading—wittingly or unwittingly—to yourself or your audience.

That being said—and inspired by different reactions to this week's news that "Solar power will account for nearly half of new electric generating capacity in 2022," this episode of The Energy Detox will help you:

1) Do a better job of asking others about their capacity/bandwidth; and

2) Provide more honest, specific, and helpful answers when answering how much room you have on your own plate.

What's your favorite and/or most nauseating #leadership cliché?

"Do more with less?"

"Think outside the box?"

"There is no 'I' in team?"

"There are no stupid questions?"

Well, one of my favorites is: "Don't run AWAY from something...run TOWARD something."

That being said, Mary Holcomb of Hart Energy does a great job this morning of pointing out how running AWAY from fossil fuels via divestment is a short-sighted and counter-productive approach for those who erroneously THINK they're running toward a more rapid #EnergyTransition.

The reality is that a "divestment mindset" will make it more difficult to meeting the growing #energy needs of our planet, a goal that all "runners" should be focused on.

And, as Citi's Chief Sustainability Officer Val Smith notes in the article, "We are going to have a very disruptive transition if divestment is part of that conversation."

So with that in mind, take a moment to ponder whatever professional and personal transitions are brewing in your life and ask whether you've become overly focused on "divestment" or whether you're truly excited about investing in something new.

#ConsciousLeadership