Punch Friends, Not Foes

Fight club for the win.

Quick personal story: When I was writing Accidentally Adamant in 2015, I flirted with left-leaning publishers offering lucrative book deals for providing a tell-all on the oil and gas industry—and with conservative publishers who wanted me to provide a “Why I left” indictment of the environmental movement. I turned them down, of course, and ended up writing exactly the book I wanted to and publishing it myself.

In the 10 years since I left the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, it’s been painfully obvious that I could have had a lot more followers (and made bank) by adopting either of those worldviews. But I haven’t and I won’t—because it’s lazy and dumb, and anyone can attract an audience by confirming their biases. Also, I’m sick of polarization and unrealistic narratives and simple solutions and righteous finger-pointing.

Writing my new book, about The Moment, turns out to be is harder than I thought, mostly because it’s the opposite of a tell-all—instead, it tells the industry I love to get its shit together and seize leadership of the energy transition instead of high-fiving about the past. That’s a hard, unfashionable truth—but at this point I’ve spent seven of my nine professional lives advocating for and with oil and gas, so I’m not going to stop now. Interestingly, the truth, a topic that industry supporters (including my readers) are crazy about, often makes your audience feel as if it’s getting punched.

If you’re a leader, you need to confront this task head-on. It will be an increasing part of your mandate going forward.

Both of these things are true:

• Telling the truth to (aka “punching”) your colleagues and supporters feels much harder than to your critics and stakeholders.

• When you do tell the truth to your friends, the ultimate payoff is usually much greater than it is when you do it to your antagonists.

Why I ‘Punch’ My Friends—and You Should, Too

There’s a miraculous window of opportunity opening for progress that Both True readers care about: energy realism, climate pragmatism, and practical environmentalism. (See “Practical Environmentalism Is Inevitable.”) It might be hard to see this opening now, veiled as it is in the high drama of a new Trump administration and overzealous critiques of the left. But in the next two to five years, the world of energy-climate-environmentalism is going to look quite different, and smart oil and gas leaders are playing the long game. They see this window of opportunity—and are throwing it wide open.

It's not currently fashionable in industry (or anywhere) to tout the importance of decarbonization, sustainability, community and environmental justice engagement, and DEI initiatives. That’s exactly why you need to be listening outside your usual conversations and thinking carefully about your company’s game plan. As I covered in “Where Woke Went Wrong,” overcorrection is endemic to political pendulum swings. And you—the visionary leader—need to resist the temptation to overcorrect.

Standing up for moderation with your in-group has always been the most difficult task. I’ve lived that journey with both the left and the right, receiving death threats, having my children targeted, and facing votes of confidence on my organizational leadership. So I can tell you firsthand the courage required. Charting a middle path is seen by in-groups as a deep betrayal. To tell the truth, you may have to throw some punches at your friends.

Why would you critique your own industry even privately, much less publicly? Here’s why:

• It’s in your business interest. Energy is a competitive business—and distinguishing your company in smart ways is part of your future success.

• You have a reputation to uphold. Oil and gas companies are held accountable for the worst actors among us. Articulating clear stances on important regulatory and political items build your track record with important stakeholders.

• Demonstrated courage is part of the long game. When today’s fever dream clears, companies that showed consistency will be valued partners. Imagine the next climate-centric state or federal administration—will you have street cred with it for the positions you are taking now?

• Truth bombs are most effective from inside your group. You have significantly more influence than outside-industry critics. When you take a courageous stand, you can move the Overton window of acceptable outcomes within industry.

The situation (and examples of how to punch)

We expect—and call on—our antagonists to critique their own in-group. Let’s look at that expectation for a minute and what it might mean for our own in-group critiques.

Anyone who has led a partnership with an eNGO on behalf of an oil and gas company has most likely felt betrayed. You make the case within your company for the project or announcement, and then, inevitably, at some point, the eNGO has a blog post or media quote critiquing your company or the industry at large—and you are, awkwardly, held accountable within your organization. In frustration, you ask your eNGO partners to be brave and either stand up for you and your endeavor or put their name on the damn report you all worked so hard on together! They don’t. In essence, to you, their fulfilling your request would be speaking the truth with courage. However, to them, it would be punching their friends.

But we, too, are faced regularly with these situations—which we should see as opportunities for courage. What do I mean, exactly? What might an in-group critique look like for a brave industry leader?

• Red-state political leaders. If your company works in, say, Texas or North Dakota, you might engage with state leaders who take political stances that undermine public confidence in our industry, such as blanket pledges to roll back regulation or ramp up drilling without proper safeguards. Your truthful response might look something like this: “Our company supports robust community engagement processes to build partnership with our neighbors.”

• Trade associations. Articulating a unique company commitment that raises the bar for other actors is often seen as a betrayal of the band-of-brothers trade mindset. But what might be the long-term benefits of calling it like it is? Try something like: “Our company is making significant investments in carbon capture and sequestration because we are committed to pathways that reduce our carbon intensity.”

• Rogue actors. From aggressive political positions to safety incidents, sometimes poor performers need to be isolated. Try language like this: “Our company rejects that position and is committed to a strong regulatory environment that protects our communities.”

Company leadership is rarely actually aggressive—rarely throwing real punches, much less landing them. Nevertheless, I promise you, these assertions will be received as punches. They thus require your leadership courage.

Navigate past the siren song of overcorrection

As we can learn from “Where Woke Went Wrong,” the political winds will shift. They always do. Anyone over celebrating now is proving our critics’ most damning critique: Oil and gas leaders were never serious about decarbonization, sustainability, or the environment. You have the opportunity now to execute on your real sustainability strategy in a way that future stakeholders and partners will value. Do this:

• Have a vision for the future and your company’s role in it. A well-articulated vision provides the North Star that ensures that your efforts are proactive. (Check out “The Antidote to the Apocalypse” for tips on a compelling vision.)

• Tie your strategy to material. You depoliticize your positions by ensuring that your real sustainability strategy is tied to financial success, material business interests, and durable objectives. (Read “Real Sustainability” for guidance.)

• Acknowledge, and then ignore, politicized narratives. You are operating in a political environment, but you will be most successful when you transcend politics by having a forthright, grounded, and enduring strategy. Articulating it shouldn’t require courage. But it will.

Now what?

I’d like to talk to your leadership team about smart strategies to stay the course on long-term real sustainability. No punching required.

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Welcome to Fight Club,

Tisha