More than 30 participants gathered at Warren Cat in Midland last week for this year’s third iteration of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council Frontline Leadership Program, a two-day seminar designed to transform managers from individual contributors into effective leaders.
The session was sponsored by Strategic Partners Chevron and SLB.
Over the 2 days, participants who hold titles such as Field Service Technicians, Power Generation Area Managers, Production Foreman and Turbine Operations Supervisor learned about their leadership styles and how to be situationally agile, explored the importance of perspective, dove into empathy as a skill and practiced active listening.
During the program kick-off, the facilitators worked with participants in groups, highlighting the differences between managers and leaders, then discussing the importance of the shadow a leader casts. When asked about the challenges they face in leading their teams, an overarching theme was the importance of delegation and avoiding the urge to solve every problem.
“We as managers can’t solve each problem that is brought to us. As leaders need to be okay with letting people fail, and learning from their mistakes, while ensuring team success.”
Before the start of the program, participants were asked to complete a personality assessment, which helped them understand their own personalities and others’ personality traits. One participant noted the value of this self-discovery tool during the session. “It really makes you think about making sure what you are saying comes across in a way others can understand and execute on. Communication is critical.”
Participants were also allowed to break into groups for an exercise on emotional intelligence and how to lead with empathy. This session resonated with the group, with one participant sharing, “A lot of managers today didn’t come up through the organization with an HR hotline or opportunities to discuss EQ, so they expect it to be that way still. But the new employees coming in expect a different culture. That’s why this topic is so important.”
The program wrapped with the group discussing what drives trust, the art of listening, how inclusion leads to belonging, coaching and feedback.
After the program concluded, the participants were asked to share key takeaways from the 2-day course. One participant said, “I will be intentionally working on my listening skills to understand people better.” Another shared, “I realized I’m not the field expert anymore, I’m the cultivator of field experts and in charge of leading people that want to do things right for the betterment of themselves and the company.”
Registration is open for 2026 Frontline Leadership Programs. For more information about Energy Workforce training programs, contact Vice President, Programs & Events, Peggy Helfert.
Peggy Helfert, Vice President Programs & Events, writes about the Energy Workforce’s sector-specific best practices and leadership. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
