Today is not only "National Cat Herders Day," but it's also the 4th anniversary of the death of AIM: AOL Instant Messenger.

Born in May 1997, AIM left this world on December 15, 2017 at the age of 20, providing a great excuse for us today to ask how you might unwittingly be killing whatever "aims" you have as a leader...and whether the time, energy, and money you're devoting to achieving your stated intentions are really just masking the fact that you're an ineffective leader who is aimlessly trying to herd cats.

The headlines:

📰 ‘Enormous buying power of federal government’: Biden aims for carbon-neutral U.S. by 2050 with new executive order (MarketWatch)

📰 Music Industry unites to pledge net-zero emissions by 2050 (The Guardian)

📰 Nebraska aims to decarbonize its power sector by 2050 (The Hill)

The quotes:

💬 "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." - Zig Ziglar

💬 "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky

💬 "Aim small, miss small." - The Patriot

The questions:

💡 (G)ROW: How well can your stakeholders articulate your supposed goals?

💡 (P)ROTECT: What's holding your team back from taking the shots needed to secure victory?

💡 (S)USTAIN: How well can you shift between big picture targets and discreet intermediate steps?

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20 years ago today, news broke that George O'Leary had resigned as Notre Dame's head football coach less than 5 days after being hired.

The reason: a few "inaccuracies" on his resume.

Now, did the masters degree (that he didn't actually complete) or his time as a fullback at the University of New Hampshire (where he didn't actually play) have anything to do with why he was hired by Notre Dame? Nope...O'Leary was hired for his proven ability to coach.

Did O'Leary even remember that his resume/bio still referred to those 2 lies that he'd included 20 years prior while trying to get a job? Maybe...but 2 decades after he'd first fibbed about his credentials, those lies probably weren't keeping him up at night.

Can we really draw parallels between the resignation of a college football coach in 2001 and leaders within today's energy industry? Absolutely!

In fact, given the number of job-seekers (and gainfully employed folks) in oil and gas who are worried that their resumes "aren't good enough," today is a great day for you to consider the ways that you might be unwittingly opening yourself or others up to integrity issues that could cost you a whole lot more than just your dream job.

It's also a great day to remember that threats to your integrity are often far more subtle than the blatant threats posed by countless phone scammers trying to take advantage of utility customers over the holiday season...

The headline: 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲, 𝐏𝐆&𝐄 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦 (Business Wire)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 What are you most tempted to "fib" about to increase your odds of short-term success?

💡 What are the biggest daily threats to your integrity and reputation?

💡 What baggage can you get rid of to sustain the trust of your stakeholders?

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A quarter century before the ESG craze swept through the corporate world, the "Triple Bottom Line"—People, Planet, Profit—demanded that companies focus more on an audience of diverse "stakeholders" instead of merely their "shareholders."

And if you were part of the audience yesterday at Hart Energy's DUG East conference in Pittsburgh, you saw examples of leaders who clarified who their primary audience is, what that audience actually cares about, and how that audience can impact their bottom line.

You may have also witnessed how similar companies can—and should—focus on DIFFERENT audiences as they refine, communicate, and execute upon their strategies.

That being said, in this live episode of The Energy Detox, we'll discuss how the messages delivered by 3 leaders at DUG East can all help you avoid wasting time, energy, and money crafting the wrong story for the wrong audience.

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 In what ways have you grown your audience at the expense of your mission?

💡 Which members of your audience are most likely to impact your social license to operate?

💡 Are you spending more time building a solid (and sustainable) foundation or a bigger (and weaker) platform?

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"Regret is an appalling waste of energy."

It's safe to assume that the author Katherine Mansfield wasn't referring to the oil & gas industry when she wrote the line above.

But nearly a century after she penned those words, the reality is that regret DOES drain lots of energy (and time and money and confidence) from oil & gas leaders and their various stakeholders.

Some of that regret is more headline-grabbing than others:

• regret over hedges that led to billions of dollars in missed opportunities

• regret over acquisitions that didn't pan out as planned

• regret over the failure of corporate gambles (like the gambles Enron's leaders made over 2 decades ago)

And some of that regret is more under-the-radar:

• regret over choosing a career in a different industry

• regret over what to rename your O&G company to sound more ESG-friendly

• regret over drinking too much a company Christmas party

All that being said, every day is filled with potential regrets of all shapes and sizes; and in this live episode of The Energy Detox, we dive into some practical ways you can prevent regret—be it regret of a past decision; or fear of future regret as you face new choices—from slowing you down, wasting resources, and leaving you, your team, or your organization stuck in a ruinous rut of regret.

The headline: 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐜𝐲, 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 (CNBC)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 In what ways are you unwittingly building a strategy upon a foundation of regret?

💡 What insecurities are fueling your tendency to dwell on past decisions?

💡 How can you help others reduce regret and make stronger, faster, and more confident decisions?

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Commodity price swings, extreme weather, CEO retirements, head coaching vacancies, bankruptcies, and Major League Baseball lockouts, can all be VERY disruptive...

...BUT they can also be very lucrative for certain stakeholders.

And in this live episode of The Energy Detox, we weave together all those disruptions to help you uncover hidden areas where a lack of stability and consistency is threatening your odds of achieving long-term success.

The headline: 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 $4.25 𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 (Natural Gas Intelligence)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 How dependent is your professional and personal growth strategy on chaos and disruption?

💡 In what ways are you embracing (potentially lucrative) complexity at the expense of your ultimate mission?

💡 For how long can your stakeholders withstand the hidden costs of unnecessary volatility?

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With winter fast approaching and home heating costs rising, one might forgive leaders like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts for expressing concerns about the potential impact of LNG exports on domestic natural gas prices, as she did in letters she sent to some of the top natural gas producers in the U.S. last week.

However, as industry leaders from the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the Gas & Oil Association of WV, and the Ohio O&G Association correctly pointed out in a response to Sen. Warren yesterday, her understanding of our industry and the role of exports is misguided at best...and completely counter to our nation's best interests at worst.

All that being said, today's live episode of The Energy Detox will use Sen. Warren's misinformed take on energy to help you identify areas of your professional and personal life where you're unwittingly defaulting to a "keep it in the ground" mentality and unnecessarily hoarding resources that could be used to better your team, your organization, your community, your country, your world...and yourself.

The headline: Appalachian shale industry leaders blast Warren's letter (by Paul J. Gough of the Pittsburgh Business Times)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 In what areas your hoarding tendencies preventing you and your stakeholders from making progress toward your (stated) goals?

💡 What figurative "plastic covered living room furniture" are you afraid to sit on?

💡 How on guard should you be against the threat of being "too generous" with your precious resources?

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Just as Notre Dame's history and "mystique" alone are no longer enough to bring in top football talent, the oil and gas industry can no longer expect that top talent will be drawn to (or remain in) the industry because of all the things that USED to make it a top destination for recruits for so many decades.

That being said—and drawing upon breaking news regarding ND's head coach's departure to LSU (along with Jack Dorsey's departure from Twitter yesterday)—this LIVE episode of The Energy Detox will help you navigate whatever uncertainty, volatility, and competition is facing your team, whether you work in sports, tech, or energy.

Headline #1: 𝐋𝐒𝐔 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞-2015 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 (Lafayette Daily Advertiser)

Headline #2: 𝐋𝐒𝐔 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐞'𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 (Yahoo Sports)

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz once said, “𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.”

So, drawing upon Lou for inspiration, we encourage you to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by answering these 3 questions as you go about your day:

💡 How much is your team's identity dependent on a transient & self-serving leader instead of on an enduring & inspirational vision?

💡 In what ways might a seemingly impressive win-loss record be masking issues that could lead to long-term harm?

💡 How might a focus on “sustainability” be leading you to mediocrity?

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• 42 years ago, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺 was published.

• In that book by Douglas Adams, the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" is the number 42.

• 149 years ago, the Petroleum Producers Association officially adopted the 42-gallon standard oil barrel.

• Last week, DOE's leader Jennifer Granholm couldn't recall how many barrels of oil the U.S. consumed per day.

• This morning, oil is up 4.2% on speculation that the market's reaction to the omicron variant may have been a bit overdone.

• And in this 42nd episode of The Energy Detox, we weave all of these points together in an attempt to help you define the numbers that SHOULD be driving you to be a more effective, more impactful, and more sustainable leader.

The headline: 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐒 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐩

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 What number best measures your growth as a leader?

💡 What number will best define your legacy?

💡 What number best indicates potential barriers to sustained performance?

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Turkey may be the highest profile protein in the United States this week; however, in honor of "National Sardines Day"—celebrated every year on November 24—this LIVE episode of The Energy Detox dives into the many parallels between one of the world's most sustainable seafood options and some of the energy industry's most sustainable leaders.

To aid in our mission of helping you become more sardine-like as you lead people at every level of the corporate food chain, we'll also turn to some news from Stanford University, where a recent study has found that methane—captured from landfills, wastewater treatment plants, etc.—can be fed to certain bacteria that, in turn, produce a cost-effective source of fishmeal.

The headline: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 In what ways are you missing opportunities for the "bottom of the corporate food chain" to fuel your company's growth?

💡 Are your stakeholders unwittingly consuming toxins that the biggest fish in your organization have accumulated over the years?

💡 Does the "sustainability" label you've slapped on your company really carry the weight you think it does?

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S.P.R.A.Y. T.A.N. to Sustain Success: (𝐒)trategic (𝐏)etroleum (𝐑)eserve (𝐀)nalogies (𝐘)our (𝐓)alent (𝐀)pproach (𝐍)eeds 2 Sustain Success

With President Biden expected to announce that the United States (and perhaps other nations) will be making Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) withdrawals, what better time than now to explore a few energy-themed leadership analogies so that you don't find yourself making short-sighted, politically expedient decisions on behalf of your organization that MIGHT look good on the surface, but that merely mask serious issues that will eventually catch up to you and your stakeholders?

Because even though you might argue that high gasoline prices aren't enough of an "emergency" to warrant an SPR withdrawal, when it comes to oil and gas companies facing talent "emergencies," you might also argue that industry leaders are missing opportunities to fully leverage their existing talent reserve as they battle the “Great Resignation” and other personnel challenges.

So, if you're part of an organization tempted to spend (or already spending) 7 figures on some dubious and disruptive third-party "solution" to your company's culture, talent, and engagement challenges, check out this live episode of The Energy Detox, where we make sure you're tapping into the wealth of resources you already have so that your human resources team can produce faster, cheaper, and more sustainable solutions than the over-priced, short-lived, spray-tan approaches far too many organizations are defaulting to.

The headline: 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 (CBS News)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 In what ways are you stifling growth by under-utilizing your existing talent reserve?

💡 Why are you protecting the strength of your minor league system at the expense of your major league team?

💡 How much time, energy, and money do you waste trying to sustain an unnecessarily draining talent withdrawal and acquisition strategy?

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If there's one thing that dropping temperatures and holiday gatherings are good for, it's sitting around a fireplace and talking about the parallels between building a fire and leading energy industry teams, right?

The headline: 𝐒𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐔.𝐒. (by Maxwell Adler of Bloomberg)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 burning questions throughout your day:

💡 What elements of your leadership "fire triangle" are in highest demand (or shortest supply)?

💡 What percentage of your stakeholders are merely going through the motions during (figurative) fire drills?

💡 In what ways is the attractive fire you've built inefficient and unsustainable?

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Building upon a recent profile of Enphase Energy CEO Badri Kothandaraman, this live episode of The Energy Detox will help you uncover areas of your personal and professional life that could benefit from an extra dose of modesty, frugality, and simplicity.

The headline: 𝐄𝐧𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 '𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬' (by Chris Woodyard of Investor's Business Daily)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 What are the ways that a frugality focus can provide more growth opportunities?

💡 Are you aware of (and protective of) what REALLY led you to your current position?

💡 How much time are you wasting on the hunt for exotic answers to simple questions?

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While propane continues to lift millions of people out of energy poverty, it can also lift you 3000 feet above the earth. And although the propane-powered luxury of flying through the clouds in a wicker basket is obviously not as important as the freedom and health benefits afforded to families who no longer have to gather and burn biomass for heating and cooking purposes, a hot air balloon ride does provide a great opportunity to ponder the ongoing damage leaders—in both the public and private sector—are causing by spewing hot air instead of taking logical, coherent, and sustainable actions.

That being said, in this live episode of The Energy Detox, we'll look to several recent examples of such hot air from President Biden and AOC so that you can be more on guard against situations where your stakeholders are treating you like you are full of hot air, have your head in the clouds, and are merely relying on the wind to steer your team and your organization toward some uncertain destination.

The headline: 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (by Judah Waxelbaum for The Jerusalem Post)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 How often are you filling your communications with empty words that don't generate any lift?

💡 In what ways are you unwittingly contributing to a Hindenburg-like company culture?

💡 How long until your over-inflated ego bursts your thinned-out leadership balloon?

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As the COP26 U.N. Climate Conference wraps up today, you’ll likely encounter plenty of number-filled recaps of the progress—or lack of progress—made by world leaders over the past 2 weeks. There will undoubtedly be summations of the billions of dollars in monetary commitments, summations of the metric tons of CO2 reduction commitments, and perhaps even summations of the amount of fossil fuels required to fuel the conference and the tens of thousands of people who converged upon Glasgow to participate.

But as big as those numbers might sound, there will continue to be people representing every climate-related angle there is asking, "So what? What do these numbers even mean?"

And whether or not you care to dive into COP26 numbers, this is a good time to ask how much your stakeholders actually care about the numbers you're relying upon to measure progress, motivate your teams, and create urgency.

The headline: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 1.5: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬’ 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 (by Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 How many qualitative metrics should you use to measure "meaningful" growth?

💡 Are you over-using or mis-using numbers to protect a narrative?

💡 How much time do you spend helping stakeholders understand their direct connection to "the numbers?"

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“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.” - Colin Powell

Just because a soldier is no longer serving does not mean his or her problems go away, of course. So, the question for you on this Veterans Day is, “What can I do today to best support those who served our country?”

The headline: 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐡-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

The mission: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 How often do you focus on gratitude before you focus on growth?

💡 What can you do TODAY to better protect yourself, your team, and your family from stress?

💡 How can you help service-oriented leaders unlock and sustain purposeful, productive, and rewarding careers?

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While countless energy industry professionals genuinely appreciate and enjoy opportunities to give back to their communities through corporate volunteer initiatives, the reality is that a material number of folks picking up roadside trash, assembling care packages, or planting flowers at senior centers are "voluntold" to participate. And in most cases, a little "forced encouragement" once in awhile isn't a bad thing at all.

But what happens when the day-to-day activities needed to run a business begin to rely on "voluntoldism" to get things over the goal line? What happens when clear ownership and responsibility are replaced by vague requests and unwritten rules? How should leaders respond when employees become focused more on non-core (yet highly visible) tasks than the projects they're actually getting paid to do?

Well, inspired by an independent PA DEP program that ties permit review prioritization to what some might oxymoronically claim are "voluntary requirements," this episode of The Energy Detox will help you look for signs that your organization is using volunteers to produce duct-taped solutions instead of incentivizing leaders to take decisive action...or, to steal a quote from the Marcellus Shale Coalition's response to the DEP program, this episode will help make sure you and your team aren't "building a permanent detour rather than fixing the roadway."

The headline: 𝐏𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐏 “𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲” 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 (Marcellus Drilling News)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 How might an over-reliance on volunteerism be limiting your organization's growth prospects?

💡 In what ways might a self-serving leader protect the interests of an organization better than a "selfless" leader?

💡 How are existing incentives failing to sustain interest and engagement among your employees?

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Pipeline-related news continues to generate plenty of noise and protests and political posturing, with yesterday's headlines regarding Enbridge Line 5 being no exception. But such news coverage also provides a great excuse to ask whether your unwitting attempts to keep communication pipelines full in conversations and meetings and presentations are making you a less effective leader and diminishing your executive presence.

The headline: 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐖𝐇 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐬 (New York Post)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 How might a build-up of silence-induced pressure boost your effectiveness?

💡 What damage are you causing by trying to fill the communications pipeline at all costs?

💡 What are all the ways you can efficiently transport your core message to your downstream stakeholders?

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While coverage of the COP26 U.N. Climate Conference continues have a rather apocalyptic tone, the constant talk of timelines, deadlines, doomsdays, extinctions, climate countdowns, etc. does at least provide a good opportunity to examine your own clock management, as we'll do during today's live episode of The Energy Detox.

The headline: 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐍. 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (by Elizabeth Kolbert of The New Yorker)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 What precious opportunities for growth and development are you leaving on the field at the end of the game?

💡 How often do you prematurely employ a "prevent defense" for yourself or your organization?

💡 How quickly can you hop back into action when your headset's off and you're soaked in Gatorade?

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Thanks to soaring natural gas prices around the world, the cost nitrogen-based fertilizers is skyrocketing, which will obviously lead to continued impacts on the expense and availability of certain foods. And while that's bad news for a good chunk of the human population, it's a good excuse for The Energy Detox to help you explore the products you're using (or not using) to yield sustainable results for yourself and your stakeholders.

The headline: 𝐍𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬 -𝐂𝐅 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (by Rod Nickel of Reuters)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 What are 𝐚𝐥𝐥 of the figurative fertilizers helping you and your team grow?

💡 What's the biggest threat to consistently strong yields?

💡 Is your application of synthetic "leadership development" products sustainable?

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With news that a midwestern natural gas pipeline closure next month could put the flow of Anheuser-Busch products in jeopardy just as holiday parties get into full swing, this live episode of The Energy Detox will help you examine how well your company's approach to engagement and team-building—including parties with open bars, of course—reflects the culture you think/hope you're brewing.

The headline: 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐓𝐋 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 (by Jim Willis of Marcellus Drilling News)

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 In what ways can you extend your employee engagement growing season?

💡 How might letting your guard down actually protect your reputation?

💡 Is your current bag of team-building tricks unsustainable...if not antithetical to your organization's DEI intentions?

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