Energy Workforce, in partnership with Heidrick & Struggles, held the third session of the year-long Executive Leadership Program: Integrated Leadership last week. The program equips participants with the skills and tools to effectively lead their teams and become intentional leaders.
Advisory Board Member Doug Orr and Laura Gironda, Principal, Heidrick & Struggles facilitated an extensive session, hosting several guest speakers as well as conducting a simulation exercise to evaluate internal training effectiveness and emphasize the value of genuine connections in organizational dynamics.
Guest speaker Shiva McMahon, Executive Vice President, International Operations, Woodside Energy, shared principles that have helped her lead and influence others to be successful.
Jon Graziano, Principal, Heidrick & Struggles, facilitated a group exercise using real-time breakouts.
Key take-aways after the group discussion included the concept of leadership by influence, maintaining a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability within a team and the importance of networking and building relationships before attempting to influence decision-makers.
The final guest speaker was Mohit Singh, CFO of Chesapeake, who shared insights about intentional leadership that helped him throughout his career. He highlighted four key concepts, providing details about how each can yield success differently. One of the key concepts he shared was about “listening aggressively” when making collaborative decisions. “Everyone is in the room for a reason, and if someone is not speaking up, you must ensure you are soliciting input. If you don’t give everyone a chance to contribute, you miss out on an opportunity.”
At the end of the session, based on their insights, the participants were asked what they would personally do to lead with more influence and how they would know they were successful.
One participant shared, “I have recognized the importance of social capital and building genuine relationships in influencing others. I realize I need to start putting time on the calendar for relationship building.”
Another comment from the group was, “What resonated with me was the importance of giving quieter team members more opportunities to share their thoughts and intentionally seeking out shy colleagues to get to know them better.”
Energy Workforce is preparing for the upcoming programs in 2025, offering even more participants the opportunity to effectively lead their teams and become intentional leaders.
For more information about the Emerging Executives Committee or the Executive Leadership Program, 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.
