20 Marcellus-Inspired Ways to Be a Question-Able Leader
This company pioneered the Marcellus with its frac of the Renz #1 well in October 2004.
What is Range Resources?
To honor 20 years of shale development that helped save Western PA from economic jeopardy, this Jeopardy!-inspired episode of The Energy Detox asks 20 questions that 1) highlight the story of the first Marcellus frac, and 2) provide practical ways to unleash the full potential of your stakeholders.
20 questions
20: How do you define success?
19: What would get you excited?
18: Is this what I’m hearing?
17: How do you mean?
16: How can I help you?
15: Do the results really speak for themselves?
14: What do you want your stakeholders to say?
13: What is your audience’s response likely to be?
12: So what?
11: Says who?
10: Is it true?
9: Where am I wrong?
8: What are all the ways?
7: What have you already tried?
6: What is most likely to go wrong?
3: What would you bet?
2: How can you better leverage your strengths?
1: What else?
Additional resources
‘Shale Revolution’: A look back at 20 years of gas drilling in the region (Observer-Reporter, September 22, 2024)
“Marcellus Shale: 20 Years of Success, Transformation, and Vitality” (Range Resources)
The Story of the Marcellus Shale: The fascinating tale of how modern-day explorers found underground riches in western Pa. (Pittsburgh Quarterly, November 20, 2009)
How One Man’s Decision Cracked Open an Energy Revolution: the Marcellus Shale Turns Ten (Oil & Gas 360°, October 17, 2014)
JeopardyFilter.com (a Witting Partners resource to help you become better at questioning and coaching)
“20 Years of the Marcellus” Event (with Witting Partners as a Leadership Sponsor) on November 6, 2024 (Washington County Chamber of Commerce)
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Transcript
(AI training in progress; please excuse any errors)
20 years ago, on a farm about 4000 feet over my shoulder from where I, Joe Sinnott, am standing here in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Range Resources frac'ed a Marcellus well for the first time. And as that was going on in October of 2004, you can argue that Western Pennsylvania was in jeopardy, at least jeopardy in terms of the prospects of future economic development.
00:25
Things weren't great, but certainly in the 20 years that followed after the frac of that Renz Number 1 well, things picked up, and we moved well beyond Jeopardy, thanks to, again, two decades of shale development in this region and all of the jobs and the prosperity, and the economic boom that that provided to this region.
00:45
And so in honor of those 20 years of economic development, in honor of 20 years of activity that again, took us from jeopardy to "not jeopardy," we're going to take a page from Jeopardy!, at least Jeopardy! the game show, and fill this episode with a bunch of questions. Because, again, if you know anything about the game show Jeopardy!, you know that the important thing is to respond in the form of a question, and certainly, if you've watched The Energy Detox at all, you know that all 96 episodes to this point are based on questions.
01:16
And why? Well, it's because, as an executive coach, that's my job--to ask questions, to assume that the people that I'm working with likely have the answers. They likely know what to do, but they need help unlocking those answers, unlocking that potential, much as Range Resources unlocked the potential of the Marcellus that is underneath my feet as I stand here in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
01:38
And so with that, and again, honoring the 20 years of impact, we're going to ask 20 discrete questions, many of which I get to ask on a regular basis as a coach. But the difference is today, all of those questions we're going to connect in some way to that momentous occasion 20 years ago when Range Resources decided to go ahead and frac that Marcellus well for the first time. And so with that, let's jump in here. We'll count our way down from number 20 to number one.
02:06
And so starting with number 20 on these index cards, where I've got them all written down, the first one is, how do you define success? Because if there's one thing that's missed in this industry, when people are go, go, go, it's taking the time to identify Well, what does success look like? How do you define success? And I would have loved to have been in the room when Bill Zagorski was trying to convince Jeff Ventura to go ahead and again, complete this Marcellus zone on this well that had already been drilled, that had already had several million dollars sunk into it, and at that point, you could argue was not successful. So again, how would bill have defined success? How would Jeff have defined success back then, 20 years ago? And I don't have an answer to that question, but that would have set the stage for all of the decisions that would have followed.
02:51
Because if defining success was perhaps saving face again, after investing several million dollars in this, well, that did not pan out to that point. Perhaps it was simply scratching an itch. Maybe the success was putting to bed this idea that, hey, maybe the Marcellus has the potential that we think it has, whatever the case is, defining success is key. But again, it's so often missed, because typically we want to just jump into the weeds, and in a highly technical industry where we're go, go, go, it's easy to miss the big picture. So as cliche as that is, it's an important question, and one that certainly made the list today. How do you define success?
03:23
And flowing from that question number 19 is, well, what would get you excited? It's one thing to say, All right, well, this would be successful, but take that to the next level, what would have you jumping up and down for joy? And certainly, I don't know that anybody 20 years ago could have foreseen everything that transpired in the last two decades. But what if they could, or what if they had that carrot that was so big that nobody could have dreamed of? Well, if anything is going to increase the odds of getting to that point. So again, don't miss those opportunities. As a leader to ask people, hey, what would get you excited? Let's not just settle for break even, if you will. Or again, saving face on this well that we'd already sunk a couple million dollars into no what would get you excited? What would be transformative? What would get your juices flowing? You got to ask the question, and if you don't ask the question, you're not going to get that answer. And the odds again of you getting to that point are slim.
04:10
Question number 18 is this what I'm hearing when somebody has an idea or a dream or a vision or some definition of success, the thing that I need to do as a coach before jumping in and trying to help them solve their problems is to clarify again. It's a simple step, but it's an important one, and the way to accomplish that clarity is simply asking, Is this what I'm hearing, repeating back to the other person what you think you heard, and giving that other person a chance to say either yes or not quite let me clarify for you again, another simple question. This isn't rocket science, certainly not as complicated as the frack of that first Marcellus well, but it is important.
04:53
Moving on, question number 17, and this is what I need to give credit to an executive coach that I had had a number of years ago, David Goldman, and this is a question he parked in my brain that I now use on a regular basis. And that question is, How do you mean? How do you mean? And it needs to be worded like that, because when somebody like a Bill Zagorski, the geologist who again inspired the attempt here, the successful attempt to complete a Marcellus, well, 20 years ago, I am sure when he began sharing his ideas, people would have been tempted to say, Well, what do you mean? In other words, are you crazy and put bill on the defensive? But a much better question is, well, how do you mean? It's somewhat of an illogical question. And as David Goldman, again, my coach years ago, put it, it forces the person to think a little bit and not go on the defensive. I'm like, What do you mean? Which basically says, again, are you crazy? So that small question with that one important word, how do you mean?
05:47
And another, how question that is number 16 on our list here is, How can I help you? Again, a simple question, but one that is worded very specifically, because when it comes to doing hard things, or when it comes to industries like ours, where people can be overloaded, if not burned out, you want to help. Right? From a leadership standpoint, you can argue that leadership 101, is helping others, but far too often, we simply say, Hey, can I help you? And then what's the response in this industry? Typically, no, so don't give that other party an out, especially if you're in a leadership position, how can I help you? Find some way that I can help you. And again, if you want to be sarcastic and say, Well, Joe, you know you can help me by going away and leaving my office, because I got this. Well, that's fine, but at least, again, it forced somebody to get a little more creative than they would have otherwise.
06:36
Moving on, number 15, do the results really speak for themselves? And this is one of my favorite ones, especially in this industry, because, again, you can drill some new well in the middle of nowhere and get tremendous initial production rates. But the reality is, those IPs can be somewhat misleading. And conversely, you might have a clunker of a well, or in the case of Range Resources, they may have drilled a well and tried to target different formations, and again, it was a bit of a clunker. But those results didn't speak for themselves, because they had something in front of them that, again, had all of this potential, and so too, with this age of analytics and dashboards and everything else and all of this data, it's easy to look at some trend and say, All right, well, that's pretty black and white when it isn't. So ask yourself, do the results really speak for themselves? What might you be missing? An important question that, again, you don't want to be the one to miss, especially if you're in a high level leadership position, and you risk tossing out some again, potential opportunity like the Marcellus here in western Pennsylvania.
07:32
Moving on, number 14, what do you want your stakeholders to say? This is something we've covered in the last couple episodes of the energy detox, and it comes down to basically, what do you want your audience to say? How do you want them to interpret you as a leader? It's a very simple question, and it can be boiled down to a very simple answer, but if you don't have that front and center, and if you don't share that with others, if you don't say, hey, I want to be seen as this innovative leader, or, again, going back to range, 20 years ago, I want to be seen as a risk taker, a calculated risk taker, but a risk taker nonetheless. Well, again, you're going to miss out if you don't ask that question. Hey, what do you want others to say about you?
08:10
Number 13 related to number 14: What is your audience's response likely to be? So it's one thing to say, Hey, this is what I want my audience to say, to think, but it's also a very simple exercise to say, Okay, well, I present this idea to them again, if I am Bill Zagorski or any geologists, and I go to management, if I go to who, again, was, then the COO of Range Resources, Jeff Ventura, and I say, "Hey, I have this idea." Well, what is Jeff's likely response going to be? And again, that's something you can anticipate. You can work through your response to that simple question, sure, but it's easy to miss. You might find yourself going through all the details and polishing your presentation and never actually go into the process of sort of that, that that fake Q and A, if you will, play it out almost write a script, if you will, how that conversation is likely to go. What is your audience likely to say? And in turn, what can you to anticipate those responses.
09:03
Number 12, a very simple question, a very short question: So what? So what that comes into play, especially when you're faced with potential failure? So what if we sink a couple million dollars into this project and it doesn't go as planned, if it's not successful? So what? What are the implications that very simple question, which can come across as flippant or sarcastic. In fact, can reveal all kinds of fake barriers to moving forward, fake concerns, illegitimate fears, if you will. So what a simple question that you need to ask?
09:35
And a related one number 11: "Says, who?" When you hear somebody say, Hey, I should do this or I shouldn't do this. The very simple response, quite frankly, that I get to ask is, well, says who, again, done in a tactful way, because very often this is some sort of rule or some sort of guideline that people are following that really didn't come from anywhere: Says who?
09:55
Moving into the top 10 here...Number 10: Is it true? Similar to the last one, similar to the last. Quite frankly, when people are afraid, ask themselves, is it true? Is it true what you're telling yourself, is this fact that you're operating under true? Is it true that it can't be done? We can't complete this formation here, even though we know it has potential. Very simple question, and it could lead to some very insightful answers, and again, debunk a lot of fears and barriers that could be holding people back.
10:24
Similarly, "Where am I wrong?" Now, this one can get a little edgy sometimes, but when you present an idea, especially if it's an idea where you feel is pretty sound say, Hey, am I wrong? Where am I wrong? Because if done properly, that's not a gotcha type question. It could show genuine humility. I want to know where I'm wrong I might be wrong. Tell me how, help me figure out how.
10:48
Number eight: What are all the ways? One of my favorite open ended questions. Again, for this one, I need to give credit to Bob Eckert of new and improved. I think newanimproved.com is his website. Went through a training with him years ago, and again, this is Innovation. 101, what are all the ways? What are all the ways to unlock the potential of the shale that's underneath our feet? Again, we've got 20 years of innovation, a history of innovation here in western Pennsylvania, as it relates to the Marcellus, and it all starts with that type of question, what are all the ways to unlock potential? In fact, hey, I got a quote here from Jeff Ventura from an article from years ago: "creativity with strong scientific basis topped conventional wisdom" 20 years ago. Well, there you go. How do you topple conventional wisdom? You ask that question, what are all the ways to take our scientific knowledge, these facts, and turn them into results and achieve success?
11:37
Number seven, what have you already tried again? Let's not reinvent the wheel here. It's very easy as leaders, especially if you're an experienced leader, to jump in with a solution. But hey, let's hold off for a second. Trust your people and say, Well, what have you already tried? What do you want to try? Give them a chance to think through those potential solutions before you sway them to something new and exciting and different. Let's start with what's already been done.
11:59
Moving on; number six: What is most likely to go wrong? What's most likely to go wrong now in this industry, where, again, we are focused so much on safety, certainly we think about what could go wrong. Certainly we have all kinds of pre job meetings and JSAs and everything else, but asking that question one extra time. Hey, what else could go wrong, even if it's the craziest possible thing, could save you from catastrophe. Again, it's an open ended question, and it underscores the idea that we don't have everything figured out. You're not going to mitigate 100% of risk, but as long as you keep asking that question, hey, what else can go wrong, you're going to uncover some powerful answers.
12:40
Next on the list, number five: What is the value? What is the size of the prize? Can you quantify it, even if it's a bit of a swag? Come up with that number. Challenge others to come up with a number instead of just, you know, hey, this could be big. No, come up with a number. Put a little meat on that carrot, if you will. I don't know if that's an analogy that I want to run with, but we'll go with that. Put a little meat on the carrot. What is the quantifiable value if this works out, if you're successful?
[Note: Dr. Terry Engelder is a perfect example of someone who wasn’t afraid to assign a number to the potential of the Marcellus, as described in this article: https://www.psu.edu/news/academics/story/retiring-engelders-expertise-helped-fuel-natural-gas-boom-across-nation ]
13:03
Number four, similarly, what are the odds? What are the odds? Resist the temptation to answer the question, hey, is this going to work or not? Again, think about range 20 years ago, is this going to work or not? Yes, no. People feel pressure to say yes or no. Give them some odds. Say, Hey, look, you know what? There's a 10% chance that this works. But if it does, this is a multi-billion dollar deal connecting those last two questions, quantifying and then being conscious and aware enough and confident enough to put some odds to it similarly.
13:32
Number three: what would you bet? What would you bet? Would you bet a couple million dollars to have a multi billion dollar find in certain circumstances, I'd say the answer is probably yes. But again, that's a great way to get people thinking in very practical terms, and to get away from this false choice between yes and no. Life is a gamble. The decisions we make as a gamble to statistical play. So use the statistical play here of the energy industry and answer that question, what would you bet?
14:01
Number two: How can you better leverage your strengths? This is a topic we talk about all the time on The Energy Detox, and it's very simple. You have talents below your feet. You have resources below your feet. How can you unlock those strengths before you turn elsewhere? Let's take advantage of again, in the case of Range, a well that was already drilled, if it wasn't targeting them ourselves, but it was already there. How do you take fuller advantage of that? Advantage of that investment that was already made? That is a perfect answer to that question of how you can better leverage your strengths.
14:29
And finally, number one: What else? The infamous coaching question? "What else?" Before you try to close the loop, and if you as a leader, you know, end the conversation, that's that question, "what else?" What else does the person in front of you have to say? Let them share their insights. And again, you'll be on a path to unlocking all kinds of potential, just like Range Resources unlocked the potential of the Marcellus Shale 20 years ago, right here in western Pennsylvania.