For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls; Peter 2:25
As I started my career, I was at least 12 years younger than any of my peers. I had finally broken into the oil and gas sector; the world was my oyster.
I was surrounded by experience and years of it. Men who has worked in the sector for 30+ years and travelled the globe and overcome hurdles to explore and produce oil from exotic region to regions that can only be classed as the ‘armpits’ of the globe.
I was the first graduate of what was to become a FTSE-60 company. There were c.100 people globally as I joined and no more than 10 in the UK. This number would grow to over 18,000 and the transition would produce many multi-millionaires.
The salaries in the sector were high. It was one of the highest paid sectors as I graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering. I was keen to impress and keen to press on and get my hands dirty. My colleagues were pleasant, helpful, and had a deep-rooted understanding of oil exploration & production globally.
I watched and observed and added value where I could. Everything seemed normal until the CEO walked in one day. He came in his Mercedes S500, dressed sharp, held a copy of the Financial Times under his arm, had an air of success about him, softly spoken, with a look that left no doubt that he suffered no fools when discussing oil and gas business. At one point, he was the 23rd richest man in the UK. Incredible achievement and I still hold him in high regard.
After his visit, I started to notice that there was a significant gap between his achievements and outlook and those that I shared an office with. My colleagues were content. They were financially comfortable, drove 3–4 year old cars, nice homes, children in private education, a couple of holidays per year, and cheap suits and ties. Their coffee break discussions were boring. Small talk. They were planning the weekend from Monday 9am onwards. It seemed to me these gentleman had already made their money and were topping up the pensions. I started to ask around randomly (until I had asked everyone) about the best career route. How could I become the Managing Director in the shortest time? (That was a question I kept to myself). As the months went by, I started to lose respect for some people as they were just on the gravy train with little value add. It began to dawn on me….how would these people know how to be successful or lead a company? They didn’t achieve it and had no chance either.
That revelation has stayed with me throughout my career and it’s the same advice I impart on others. Don’t ask or take advice from someone who has not made it to the top of the ladder if that is your aspiration. If they knew, they wouldn’t be sitting where they were and complaining of poor salary or bonuses, or the lack of free milk in the pantry.
I decided to chase the high achievers. To be like them, one has to understand what drives them, what makes them tick. I still enjoyed my time with my colleagues as they were mostly salt of the earth chaps. They just were not cut of the same cloth as the guys in the S500s.
“The only way to get smarter is to play a smarter opponent”
I have come across many people who never chased the money. They were content with living a quiet, happy life, content with what they had, wanting a career where they simply worked with nice people. There is alot to be said about this simplistic thinking. At the time, two decades ago, I couldn’t understand this rationale, but now, I can see that those people were ahead of their time in emotional intelligence. They realised that money was important but money shouldn’t make career choices or life choices for you. You had to control the urge to keep earning more….only to spend more.
Those people who advised me to stay as an engineer for 15 to 20 years before moving into management were wrong. I knew that then, and I know that now. There are millions and millions of engineers available, but a tiny tiny fraction are engineers/businessmen/entrepreneurs in one. This is a unique gene in their makeup. The black art was knowing enough to ensure risk is mitigated but trusting those who know more than us and being surrounded by them. They are passionate about detail, about engineering, about designing a pump or a pipeline. To me, I couldn’t care less about the design…I wanted to make profit for the business. The bottom line was critical for me. Understanding how and where to make money was how my mind was wired. But a company is not just one man. It’s a group of hard working, passionate individuals that work together. The engineers are key to the equation. Now, I work on major oil and gas deals, but my fundamental learning of engineering is still handy.
One particular trait of engineers exists in all their (our?) DNA, and it must be impregnated into our mind on graduation day. They all think they are better than the other. They all believe they have a better solution or have more experience than their peers. Who could design a better pump or pipeline or vessel became so competitive that I realised that this was a race not worth competing in, because these people are technocrats. They don’t understand why they are doing it….to make profit. The profit for them is a salary. Leading a company would never have entered their cog-turning minds.
I decided to follow my gut instinct and not take the advice of the sheep, but find the shepherd. Even the shepherd wants to find a sheep that thinks like a shepherd. (But there needs to be majority sheep). Sheep come and go….there are plenty of them. They work within their own boundaries of ambition. The shepherd has to know which sheep will stick with him and yield him bigger profits. The rest can be let go / sacrificed. They are good to some, and will find a corner in a large enterprise where they add little value, hide in a corner where no-one can suspect them, and forge a hidden career — like a fugitive.
Over time, I have learned to never be embarrassed or affected emotionally if I don’t get what I wanted, but celebrate the fact that I made the attempt. I don’t need to find courage to speak to leaders of companies; they are cut of the same cloth as me. They are human just as you and I. The bottom line is that they can say ‘no’. Noting ventured, nothing gained. From the 30 shots you make, you may score one. And that one will be worth the effort.
I’ve been fortunate to work with Oil Ministers, Presidents/leaders of countries, advise the world’s largest investment banks, hedge funds, national oil companies, as well as getting my hands dirty in remote locations and bringing oil to production for sales and boosting economies of poorer nations. The oil industry can be a simple or murky industry dependent upon which path is taken. Both have rewards, but one has risk.
Risk appetite, boundless ambition, endless drive, sheer hard work will get you very far. But what adds the cream to the top is being surrounded by the best people…. working with people with similar drive, ambition, lofty goals. Ambition attracts ambition, success attracts success, money attracts money. Once you enter the loop, there is a natural gravitational pull that unless you make a major mistake, will keep you moving. Network, connections, mutual business interests….build a sustainable future.
Individuals that seek publicity either for business, politics or even fame leverage more on networking. People quickly notice others that have stronger capabilities to make them relevant. When you stand out in both your expertise and the services you offer, it creates room for partnership which in turn builds a career. Many professionals have been able to understand how to nurture their networking strength and create more visibility for different associates and clients in their career path.
Developing your career status is a long-term process depending on how you focus on your networking path. Top career individuals that are where they are today is a result of the status they have grown in networking. The contacts you keep are largely attributed to your growth. They largely influence growth in your status and pave the way for better opportunities in your career. Your connections are powerful!
Networking is the key tool to growth in a resourceful career. Training and certification garnered from networking builds self-confidence and promotes self-esteem. The self-confidence that has been built over time can help put you on a positive spot whenever you interact with like minds in your career. This also gives you an opportunity to excel well during interview sessions for a job opportunity. So the more effectively you network, the more self-confidence you build over time.
However, not everyone is able to ‘network’ (I hate that word). It’s either in your DNA or not. It’s in your character or it isn’t. You either have the attitude and aptitude, or you only have one, or none. To build a successful career….starts with attitude. Then aptitude. Then rubbing shoulders with those with similar traits.
I came across hundreds of people telling me they have 20 years experience…..WRONG. They have one years experience….they did the same thing for 20 years. Let those sheep roam the same fields; they get excited by this — the same grass, the same field. They don’t know the difference.
The shepherd roams different fields, sees different sheep, meets other shepherd, learns from his mistake and each year, gets better and better. He can be a visionary.
Don’t ask sheep to tell you where the grass tastes better. They don’t know. Even if sheep could talk, they would never ask questions.
