In today’s episode Jamie and Massiel sit down with another known podcaster in the oil and gas space, Michael Gaines, aka “ The Voice”, on NOV Today Podcast. Many people know Michael 

as an expert communicator and dynamic public speaker, with 11 years of experience in Marketing, Product Development and Branding at NOV. What many people don’t know is the leap of faith Michael took when offered his first position at NOV. 

Michael was a A student in College, student body President and checked all the boxes after graduating to land a great job. Reality set in after his first role in outside sales selling shipping services. He was cold calling, knocking on doors and felt like he was annoying people more than selling to them. He ended up leaving the shipping service company and going to work for a temp agency. Where he was stacking floor samples, he thought to himself, “ This must be what it’s like to be a classically trained chef and be asked to make french fries”. During this time Michael learned many life lessons that he shares on the podcast. 

After a few years of not being able to find a stable job, Michael received a call from a woman at NOV that he knew from years ago. She remembered Michael from college and thought he was the perfect candidate for a role they were looking to fill, Product Line Champion - Drill Bits. Michael said, YES with no hesitation but he knew nothing about drill bits. This is when his story gets interesting. Let’s just say Wikipedia and Google is your friend. Michael walks you through what he did to prepare for the interview and how he ended up becoming the Product Line Champion with no experience, knowledge or even understanding of what a Drill Bit was, outside of his internet search,  at the time. 

 Michael grew into his role at NOV becoming a trusted resource and Manager. He did not pretend to know everything and was never scared to ask questions. He moved on to take on a role as a Global Product Line Champion, after many months of asking for this position. At the time the role did not exist but Michael saw a pain point within the company that lacked communication between two regions. He talks about how he approached management diplomatically in order to eventually convince them to let him oversee the operation. 

 He is a great example of paving your own path. Even though he works for a large company he was able to still be an entrepreneur within NOV. Many of his roles were created for him or he created for himself. When he found a pain point instead of complaining about it, he asked to be put into a role to take it head on. Listen in to find out how he ended up becoming “ The Voice” for NOV since 2017. 

Come hang out with us:

Download on Apple Podcast——>> Click

Download on Spotify———>>Click

Connect with Maisy and Jamie:

Connect with Massiel Diez: Instagram | LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie Elrod: Instagram | LinkedIn

Follow FTB on Instagram | LinkedIn

Join FTB Nation

If your interested in working with us, please contact : [email protected]