Introduction to the Energy Detox
Despite what the name might imply, The Energy Detox doesn’t help you cleanse your body after St. Patrick's Day celebrations or help you go green and reduce your reliance on petroleum-based energy.
It does, however, blend oilfield themes and current events into relatable discussions to help you lead your way through the intense and sometimes toxic challenges of today's oil & gas industry.
The Energy Detox provides you with practical and realistic tools to identify and avoid barriers that can quickly and easily rob you of energy, of optimism, and of confidence in your ability to achieve long-term sustainable success for you, your team, and your family.
In this episode, we discuss how we serve the men and women of the oilfield, what you can expect from future episodes, and why our unique approach challenges you to lead more confidently, effectively, and consistently regardless of the mounting threats inside and outside of our industry.
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TRANSCRIPT:
00:00
Hello and welcome to The Energy Detox, brought to you by Witting Partners. I'm your host, Joe Sinnott, and today we're going to talk about what The Energy Detox is, what it means for you, who we serve, how we serve, what you can expect, and why we're doing this.
00:15
We'll also give some insights on who we are and what our commitment is to you, the listener of The Energy Detox. So to start, for anyone who may have innocently stumbled upon us, we'll go ahead and first explain what The Energy Detox is NOT because it is not some sort of cleanse meant to help you recover from whatever Saint Patrick's Day celebrations you managed to have, despite most of the world's St. Patty's Day festivities being severely curtailed or canceled this year.
00:43
And it's not a way to detoxify your body or your home and boost your ability to fight off any coronavirus pathogens that might be threatening you right now, and we're not here to help you make the switch from your reliance on petroleum products and energy to 100% renewable resources. It's also not intended to compete with the rapidly spreading amount of content and tips and tricks and podcast programs and memes and posts out there that are helping folks lead through this crisis that are doing a good job of helping you assist your neighbors and stay positive and provide insights and advice and opinions and recommendations to those who need it.
01:22
But what The Energy Detox is is a resource that uniquely blends oilfield themes, current events, and practical leadership concepts to complement everything else that is out there already. We aim to do this for both professional and personal leadership challenges. And when we speak about a detox, it is essentially the goal of finding and flushing out whatever barriers and other junk are out there that can easily rob your energy and that could hold you back from sustainably leading your team, your family, and your community through these challenging times.
02:03
And while there's no shortage of things that are obvious and front-and-center these days that are going to hold you back from success, our focus is on the things that lie more under the surface, that are less obvious, that you can easily forget about and miss...but which can have just as limiting and just as damaging impacts on your ability to sustain success as some of the more obvious ones, even though it's the obvious ones clearly that are getting and deserve the attention.
02:34
So who do we serve? Well, we are focused on the men and women of the oil and natural gas industry. And while we speak a lot about leaders and leadership, we're not just talking about people with formal leadership titles and high-ranking folks in an organization. We're speaking about anyone that is tasked with leading something or someone—some group of stakeholders or some process—through these challenging times (and hopefully for decades to come when there will be different challenges, no doubt, but things that hopefully pale in comparison to the state that we're in right now, both from an industry and certainly from a global standpoint, with the pandemic that we're facing).
03:20
In serving, we will certainly touch on the business aspect of things; we'll touch on technology, we'll touch on the political aspect, but our focus will remain on leadership. There's plenty of good other material out there from both an industry standpoint—and certainly related to current events—about how leaders emerge during these times...and (those materials) are great and they stand alone and they're valuable. But our focus is on leadership, particularly sustained leadership for those who are currently a part of, or perhaps transitioning out of or into the oil and natural gas industry.
03:55
So how do we do this? How do we serve? Well, the podcast is here to help. It's a support function, nothing more. The goal is not to offer advice. The goal is not to offer rambling opinions (there will be plenty of rambling, as you can probably tell by now), but we're not here to offer any more unsolicited advice and suggestions and pretend to have answers for you. In fact, it's going to be quite the opposite, because the most effective way that we believe we can serve you is with questions. So questions that can help you challenge and to help you unlock more than just the obvious issues and obvious concerns that are out there. And these questions will help drive our conversations in these podcasts.
04:35
Of course, you've only heard me speaking for the last four minutes or so, so the idea of talking about a "conversation"—if it's just me—is probably a bit of an oxymoron...but this is indeed a conversation, and even though that might sound a bit odd, he beauty of me asking questions through all of this is that you don't have to answer to anyone but yourself...and it's up to you to decide how you want to act (if you want to act) from there. Ultimately our hope is that you continue asking meaningful and productive questions of yourself. And then you begin asking similar questions to your stakeholders and those around you to ultimately drive yourself and others towards a level of sustainability that has nothing to do with the miles per gallon of your vehicle or your carbon footprint, but does have everything to do with your ability to face the volatility of this industry and use it to your advantage.
05:27
So what can you expect? What can you expect of all of this (everything I've laid out so far)? Well, the first thing you can expect his candor, because there's no reason not to be candid right now. There's nothing to hide. People are laid bare, they're vulnerable. Everything that's out there right now is (in many ways) "raw humanity," if you will.
05:46
You can also expect practicality because, for of the programs that are out there and leadership themes that are good and books and all of these things...at the end of the day, if they're not practical, especially right now, then their value is greatly diminished. So we aim to be practical. We aim to focus on not just current events and business themes in the energy industry, but true family and personal considerations as well.
06:17
We promise through all of this that you should expect some amount of levity, because if there's one thing the world needs right now, is is plenty of of levity. Not to downplay the seriousness of the situation in energy, or certainly the situation with the coronavirus that we're facing, but ultimately our goal is to not let current events DEFINE your approach to leadership, even though they're obviously impacting your approach to leadership right now.
06:47
The other thing you can expect his empathy. I've been extremely blessed to have had the rolls and the experiences that I've had in this industry—and that includes being a part of a layoff that came on the heels of what had been to that point a very steady and seemingly stable career trajectory.
07:10
The other thing you can expect is plenty of forced oilfield analogies and puns to—we'll just say—honor our commitment to the industry...but in reality to be used as a tool to hopefully drive some of the points that were making home. And while oil and gas themes will constantly be weaved into leadership concepts through this podcast, and while current events will color those concepts and those themes, ultimately we want to make sure what we're saying resonates with the large number of energy industry professionals out there. Our intention is to remain focused on the importance of leadership and of forming stronger and more sustainable connections with your team, your co-workers, and your families no matter where the industry is headed, and regardless of whether you continue to be a formal employee within the world of oil and gas.
08:08
We don't intend to jump too deeply into the economics and the technology and the politics and the personalities within the industry because, as I mentioned before, there is already a lot of good material out there that does a good job of keeping people informed and up to date on these things. So while The Energy Detox will aim to remain fresh and current, especially so that it resonates and is relevant right now, our hope is that the discussions ultimately help you deliver long-term and sustained success for you and your personal and professional goals...and for your stakeholders and everything else that is meaningful and important to you.
08:50
So why are we doing this? We're doing this to give back to an industry that's provided such an awesome number of opportunities to me and my family over the last 15 years, and that has truly fueled our species and are modern existence for the last number of decades. Despite all the well-intentioned attempts (and in some cases not-so-well-intentioned attempts) to "reduce our dependence on fossil fuels," the reality is that people around the world right now are, overall, healthier and happier and freer and more educated because of our industry...and that the tremendous positives and benefits of what we do can and should be acknowledged while also acknowledging whatever negatives can be rightly attributed to the energy industry.
09:40
So, as government officials decide what businesses are considered "essential" and "life-sustaining," there's no question that the oil and gas industry fits that description of -essential and life sustaining." Yes, at the moment we might be producing far more than we need to....and, yes, there may come a day when we don't rely as heavily on hydrocarbons. But if one were to cease producing any oil and gas right now—and you know there are folks who are rooting for that—everyone would see pretty quickly how unsustainable life would become.
10:12
So,to underscore this point, I do want to share one story from way back in the day—well, a couple weeks ago—when you could still have more than 10 people in a room and when public speeches were still a thing and and where I, fortunately, had the chance to listen to a CEO who spoke to the audience about the—and this is his term—"epic success" of the natural gas industry over the last decade.
[Click here to watch the full speech CNX’s Nick DeIuliis delivered on the undeniably positive local and national contributions of the natural gas industry]
10:38
Obviously, from an investor's standpoint, I don't think "epic success" is exactly what people would describe the industry as, but from an industry standpoint for the people that have been working day-in and day-out across the spectrum...from service providers to producers to midstream companies...there's a lot of people doing a lot of incredible things from a technology standpoint and from an innovation standpoint...and we're talking about all the people: support roles...people in the field, of course...the decision-makers...have done an incredible amount of good, have had an incredible amount of operational success and have really made an impact: from a climate change standpoint, certainly from a pocketbook standpoint (for the savings of people who have been enjoying cheap energy).
11:26
And those are things to be celebrated; those are things to be proud of, even though they've all—in many eyes at least—been masked by current events. So we're doing this because the industry deserves another voice and a reminder that what has been accomplished can't be erased by current events and political opinions and whatever else is out there. And we're doing this because applying the same principles and themes and innovations that have driven our industry forward to your own personal and professional leadership...take those things that have been done...and take the things that you have done personally...and make sure that they're still front and center as you lead your own life and as you lead those around you.
12:08
Because taking those lessons learned and taking that knowledge and taking that feeling (for lack of a better word) will undoubtedly increase the odds that you and your stakeholders will achieve epic and sustainable success moving forward.
12:24
So another reason we're doing this is to help people not just "run away" from industry troubles, which was the reality even over the last couple of months before foreign interference lead to current oil prices and certainly before the pandemic has led to global issues. It was a lot of people that recognized the trends—rightly so—and thanks to some of the material and the people that are out there talking about it. But what we want to make sure is that people aren't just just running away. They might be running away from the industry, but they're not JUST running away...and that they're also running towards something meaningful...whether it's directly related to oil and gas or not, they're moving in a direction that is going to give them some purpose and some direction for years to come.
13:12
Hopefully, there's purpose and direction and meaning now, whether it's professional or personal. But the goal is to ensure that you're set up for long-term success. So we're doing this not just for mid-career folks who still have decades of working or for seasoned industry vets—especially those in leadership positions who were making incredibly difficult decisions and could use someone to at least help challenge and push them (and if a podcast helps them with that in any way, then great)—but we're also doing this for those who are just entering the industry or for those who are still in school...for current students who, in some ways, are more invested than others (at least from a percentage standpoint, in terms of the money and time that they've committed) and that are now faced with what I'm guessing is a pretty horrific prospect from a job standpoint (not that other upcoming college grads won't be facing similar challenges because of everything else that's going on).
14:11
So before recent events happened, there's already been plenty of tips and tricks and podcasts—as we've mentioned—and articles and programs on leadership. So, as I've said several times already, that content that seems to be exploding and is spreading is good. And even on the oilfield side, there is fortunately a growing number of things and resources that are out there to help people.
14:36
But The Energy Detox doesn't aim to compete with all of that, but to be a different voice that is focused on blending those themes, blending those topics, and remaining focused on leadership.
14:52
So who are we? Who am I? And why are we talking about all this? Well, thanks to the beauty of the internet, there's probably a pretty good chance that a number of folks who started listening to the podcast already looked me up, critiqued my bio, rolled their eyes and decided about 10 minutes ago that Joe Sinnott and The Energy Detox probably isn't for them...which is fine.
15:13
But if you're one of the few people that are hanging around—maybe you're one of the few people that are actually driving on the roads right now and haven't had a chance to safely look me up—then allow me to touch briefly on my background, starting with the fact that now this is my 15th year in the oil and gas industry and that I've had the privilege of working on both the service side and the operator side...I've enjoyed working offshore and on land...and as an engineer by degree, I've had a mix of field, office, technical, and business roles over the years.....and that's it. That's enough bio for now...because what all that gives me—and if you get into the weeds, there's nothing that GIVES me any sort of level of expertise that would be a reason enough to listen to this podcast.
15:57
But what it does allow for me to do is weave in—or "force in"—puns and analogies and whatever else...weaving in and bringing in oilfield themes and other industry concepts into the conversations on both personal and professional leadership that is as critical as ever right now. And at the end of the day, it's not about experiences and anecdotes from my life, and we're not here promising you life-changing advice and insights.
16:29
But thanks to the background I've had, and thanks to the leaders who have influenced me, and thanks to years of working alongside what has really been an incredible mix—and, quite frankly, at times, a unique mix—of individuals, my motivation for this podcast and my passion for supporting the people of the energy industry could not be any stronger than it is right now.
16:52
So, all that being said, and I've said many, many times already, there's plenty of other podcast options and content available for you to listen to and read, especially now. So I am sincerely grateful for the time you've shared with The Energy Detox to this point, especially because if you're working from home right now, I fully understand that you might actually have less time to listen to podcasts, especially with commutes shortened from a nice, quiet drive into work to whatever time it takes for you to roll out of bed and make your way to the kitchen table or wherever you're set up in the home...and for those of you who now have children as co-workers, while there's a very good chance that you may not have enough energy or time during the data to take a break...and certainly listen to a podcast, let alone eat or use the bathroom (or, well, again if you're one of those people, you get what I'm saying).
17:43
So whatever time you've invested into this is greatly appreciated...and as a sign of appreciation, I offer you one commitment and one promise. And I guess if you're asking what the difference is, I would say a "commitment" carries more weight than a "promise." And if I'm inconsistent with that commitment, then ultimately this show should and will cease to exist. So that commitment to you is that you—the men and women of this increasingly challenged industry—will remain the focus of the show...this show will remain about you.
18:25
And the promise on top of that that I make is that the material will remain relevant and, as I said earlier, practical, especially amidst all the congestion that the internet and social media and the endless number of self-help options available provide. So if you ever need to remind me of that promise, please feel free to reach out directly or feel free to comment through your podcast app or through our website at theenergydetox.com, and I will adjust because I'm committed to this endeavor and to you.
19:00
So finally, I leave you today with a question...one question of the many that are going to be posed in other episodes...and that question is, how might you unwittingly be limiting the prospects of sustained and purposeful success for you, your teams, and your families?
19:40
And as you ponder that, please allow me, your grateful host, Joe Sinnott, to once again offer my appreciation for listening, with special acknowledgement to those leaders who have provided guidance and insights and opportunities to me over the years and that have crafted my appreciation for how important a focus on personal and professional sustainabilty is to avoid falling victim to such a demanding industry…even in the best of times, let alone the times we face today.
And, until next time, take care, stay healthy, and thanks again.