Are you unwittingly becoming a soulless & sterile leader akin to Cracker Barrel’s new logo?
What image do people see when they think of you, your company, or your industry?
How will a tasty giveaway at the 2025 Women's Energy Network Shale Insight Happy hour remind you to take a serious look at your brand of leadership?
For help answering those questions, check out Episode 119 of The Energy Detox.
Read MorePee-wee’s Big Adventure hit theaters on August 9, 1985.
The Alamo is marking the occasion by displaying one of the bikes from the movie.
You, too, can mark the anniversary by using two classic lines from the film to give your professional & personal development strategy a tune-up:
🚲 "I know you are, but what am I?"
🚲 "Come on, Simone, let's talk about your big but."
Your breath may seem odorless to you...but those around you know it stinks.
Which is why a bit of "leadership mercaptan" can help alert you to toxic things that are unwittingly flowing from your mouth...before they become a problem.
That being said, celebrate today's "National Fresh Breath Day" (celebrated every August 6th) by checking out Episode 117 of The Energy Detox.
Read MoreMike Rowe proposed that "somebody somewhere carves out just a little sliver" from $90B of announced investments "and allocates it for better storytelling" so that kids, parents, and guidance counselors can SEE the prosperity that flows from learning and using in-demand skills.
While the insights and solutions Mike shared during the July 2025 Energy & Innovation Summit were focused on BIG PICTURE, WIDE-RANGING workforce challenges, his comments equally apply to leaders like you who unwittingly miss opportunities to carve out "just a little sliver" of time to better showcase the work you and your team do and, in turn, significantly boost engagement and understanding among your INTERNAL stakeholders.
With that in mind, take a moment to ask yourself:
"How can I use the idea of a 'shop class' to more effectively expose internal stakeholders to the work that my team and I do?"
Read MoreDo people view interactions with you as a disruptive layover OR do they actually want to start and/or end a journey with you?
Are you over-reliant on outside resources to fuel your leadership actions OR do you lead like a self-sufficient, reliable, energy independent microgrid that is always ready to deliver?
To help answer these questions, check out Episode 115 of The Energy Detox, which is inspired by Pittsburgh International Airport's transformation from hub to origin & destination (O&D), its soon-to-arrive new terminal, the development of the Marcellus natural gas resources under PIT by CNX, the differentiated leadership of Christina Cassotis, and the microgrid operated by Liberty Power Innovations.
Read MoreWhich Oklahoma City team is more deserving of a White House invite:
🏀 The Thunder for winning the NBA Championship; or
🔥 Expand Energy for drilling a record-setting Marcellus well?
As you ponder that, check out this episode of The Energy Detox for some unconventional recognition tools to help you lead more effectively.
Read MoreI am NOT…
My team is NOT…
My company is NOT…
My industry is NOT…
Clearly defining who you ARE requires defining who you are NOT.
In this post-conclave episode of The Energy Detox, you'll learn how a theological concept called via negativa can help you sharpen your message, protect your credibility, and shut down false narratives.
Read MoreInspired by Energy Transfer’s recent “That’s Gas!” commercial—where a narrator pops up in everyday situations to inform unsuspecting folks that the products they’re using are made with natural gas—Episode 112 of The Energy Detox challenges you to spot everyday examples of leadership and say (to yourself or others), “That’s leadership!”
Read MoreMost meetings? Unremarkable.
Most resumes? Forgettable.
Most leaders? Replaceable.
Most LinkedIn posts? Unbearable.
Agree?
Then check out this Arbor Day episode of The Energy Detox that challenges you to follow the path of differentiated energy leaders who stand out in a forest of mediocre managers by continually asking:
"How can we make this the best ____________ ever?"
Read MoreEnergy is at the core of developed societies.
Feedback is at the core of developed leaders.
Those two core truths converge on Route 50 in Avella, PA, site of Episode 110 of The Energy Detox podcast, which draws on:
1) The 50-50-50 Energy Corps vision announced by EQT’s Toby Rice and Switch Energy Alliance’s Dr. Scott Tinker last month at CERAWeek—50 MWh and $50K GDP per capita within 50 years to lift people out of energy poverty and help them thrive.
2 - The Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village—a reminder of how people in North America lived, but didn’t necessarily thrive, for most of the last 19,000 years without modern energy.
The result is a 50-50-50 feedback challenge that pushes you—and other energy leaders—to consciously give and request 1 piece of feedback each day for the next 50 days—so that you and your stakeholders don't just survive...but thrive.
Read MoreWhat Wild Things Can You Do to Build a Dominant Energy Team?
Find out in Episode 109 of The Energy Detox, which uses local, statewide, national, and global headlines connected to Washington County's Natural Gas industry to help you become a more effective leader.
Read MoreIn what ways are you or your team unwittingly polishing a cannonball?
To help you answer that question, check out Episode 108 of The Energy Detox, recorded outside Pittsburgh's PNC park, home of the Polish Cannonball (a new food item introduced for the 2025 season) and home to a 14-foot bronze statue of Bill Mazeroski, the Polish-American Pirate who launched a cannonball that won the 1960 World Series.
Read MoreGPS technology relies on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) to provide accurate, real-time guidance. Effective networking also depends on PNT principles to steer yourself in the right direction.
That being said, Episode 107 of The Energy Detox podcast will help you answer the following PNT questions:
📍Positioning: How can you boost your visibility—and your awareness—to make sure you’re not missing potential connections right in front of you?
🧭 Navigation: What tools, cues, and excuses can you use to confidently and authentically weave your way through conversations?
⏱️ Timing: What can you do before, during, and after a conversation to ensure steady, efficient flow—without causing bottlenecks or corrosion?
Read MoreAre you as predictable as a bagpiper who everyone knows is likely to play one of only 2 or 3 songs?
As you ponder that question, check out this episode of The Energy Detox which will challenge you to expand your “leadership playlist” and look for opportunities to be a differentiated—and, in turn, a more effective—leader.
Note: the first part of this episode includes the live drawing of the 2025 World Shale Energy Day sweepstakes winner.
Learn more about the sweepstakes and World Shale Energy Day at ShaleShamrock.com
Read More"Strive for mediocrity" probably isn't the advice you want your company's mentors giving to new hires.
But without a proper understanding of mentorship, your mentors may—wittingly or unwittingly—be setting future talent up for years of apathy and mediocrity.
So, take a moment during the final few days of National Mentoring Month to check out this mentor-inspired episode of The Energy Detox, which covers:
1 - The key distinctions between mentoring, advising, and coaching;
2 - Why consciously choosing to wear your mentor, advisor, or coach hat matters; and
3 - How quantifying the value of "squishy" things like mentorship and in-person work can create measurable advantages for you and your organization.
Read MoreNotre Dame hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 1936!
But ND did score a big victory over OSU in a 1960s recruiting battle that not only brought All-American receiver Thom Gatewood to South Bend, but also turned Thom into an enthusiastic Notre Dame advocate that helped attract future talent to the university.
That being said, Gatewood's story isn't just a nice footnote in the lead-up to Monday's national championship game—it's a game plan for a differentiated, 3-step approach that you can use to more effectively attract and retain talent:
1 - Quit trying to keep up with the Joneses.
2 - Build genuine connections between top talent and senior leadership.
3 - Showcase a merit-based approach to accolades and opportunities.
Read MoreThe second Friday of each new year is Quitters Day.
And there is no better way to mark the occasion than by consciously quitting (qWitting) poor leadership habits that are holding you and your team back from long-term success.
Read MoreLook up, step out from your echo chamber, challenge your assumptions, don't limit your giving to the holiday (and mandatory performance appraisal) season, and tune in to episode 102 of The Energy Detox podcast.
Read MoreAre people REALLY altering their Thanksgiving plans due to politics?
Regardless of the answer, Episode 101 of The Energy Detox translates lessons from the 2024 election into 9 apolitical questions you can use to avoid the "peaceful silence" that may be damaging your reputation, your team, and your organization.
Read MoreCelebrate Election Detoxification Day with Episode 100 of The Energy Detox podcast, which lays out two tools that can help you better manage the toxicity faced by oil & gas leaders (...or pretty much anyone subjected to the last several months of election-related toxicity).
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