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This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2008 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Denver, Colorado, USA, 21–24 September 2008.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
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reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.
Abstract
Along with the dramatic price changes in the petroleum industry including gas and oil, there is one resource that has been
seriously overlooked and undervalued: experienced personnel in the field, including engineers and other technical
specialties. The real challenge is how this lack of experience is overcome in the short term, rather than just waiting for the
passage of time. The petroleum industry can make significant gains quickly by investing in true, on the job mentoring. It
could mean the difference between success and failure. Companies could be focusing less on headcount, and more on
effective and well organized mentoring programs.
The shifts in supply and demand over the past three decades have at times left many within the technical side of the industry
barely holding onto their jobs or looking at other vocations in order to maintain employment. Hoping to ride out the waves
of boom and bust, those with valuable experience are not passing on their knowledge at a rate that can sustain our industry.
These trends have led many colleges and universities to back away from true Petroleum degrees. Now that a demand is
increasing again, how can the voids be filled quickly in the field with qualified and well-trained personnel, while the slow
process of ramping up academic programs begins?
The only way to fill the void is through hiring from other engineering fields along with the inclusion of like-minded
individuals with technical backgrounds. But now that they have been hired and are on the job, how can we maximize their
success? The answer is mentoring. This paper will present the case with a personal perspective as told by mentors in the
petroleum industry on both sides of the struggle, spanning three decades.
However, the ability to transfer one’s knowledge and wisdom successfully through
mentorship is not an inherent trait of many individuals in the industry. In reality, successful
mentorship is an art form because it requires not only the transfer of facts and skills, but the
passion and commitment one has to the industry. Most companies will focus on only training
individuals instead of encouraging the mentoring of co-workers by more experienced
personnel. The commitment to a strategic mentor program is critical, but with the pressures to
accomplish one’s own tasks and meet deadlines, the value of artful mentoring is most often
rushed into if not overlooked altogether.
It is this inability to approach mentoring strategically that leads to a struggle among new
hires, supervisors, managers, and co-workers, to sufficiently address the very fate of a
company or the industry itself. This struggle is best explained as an art through the lens of
Figure 1: Sun Tzu.
Sun Tzu’s historic work “The Art of War.”
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Laying Plans
“Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought…”
If any endeavor is to be successful, the most fundamental starting place is in organized planning. A mentor must look closely
at what tasks or knowledge are to be detailed and what should be the most logical order of achievement. One thing that is
assumed here is that a willing mentor has already been chosen and his or her goal is for the ultimate success of the mentee.
In the planning stages, nothing can be overlooked and the overall success hangs in the balance. For mentoring in the
petroleum industry, a plan that includes background reading and the most basic information should be included. The
simplicity of learning everyday abbreviation or acronyms cannot be overlooked and can be a great starting point. In addition
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to planning should be a review of an actual job description for the mentee. What would apparently be common knowledge is
not common practice, as it is a very important detail that is often overlooked. For the sake of record, documentation is also
important and an initialed copy should be given to the mentee and retained by the mentor.
Rework
Included with the planning should be a common “vision” or goal that is being worked towards. This holds true if it is in the
operation of an actual piece of equipment, or in the successful manipulation of a mathematical equation. It is very easy to see
the parallels between ideas of tactical battle strategy and that of success in a job or learning task. The mentor holds the key to
daily progress if the structure is clearly laid out to be followed on a detailed timeline. Included should be benchmark dates,
weekly, monthly, or quarterly goals. Any job function can be broken down into these subsets and when viewed alongside the
ideas of actual well production, drilling depths, or project cost,
numerous analogies can be realized. With these come the by-
products of completion percentages, positive areas of learning as
well as those needing more attention.
Maneuvering
“…practice dissimulation, and you will succeed. Move only if there is a real advantage to be gained.”
Creativity, a positive attitude, and encouragement are important to both the mentor and mentee. A relationship needs to be
established with trust given and gained. More often than not, questions are asked when someone is more comfortable with a
person and not worried about ridicule or scorn. This is much more a “soft” skill and one that could be expanded upon in
great detail if looking at the psychology of motivating others. It is very much about transferring the intangibles one feels
about their profession: passion, excitement for new challenges, and commitment to success. These qualities are often found in
the industries leaders and need to be cultivated into the next generation of leaders entering our industry at such a critical time.
The actual maneuvering of a mentor with the mentee is an art with levels of complexity that requires further study and self
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reflection. This section may seem out of place in the petroleum industry, but much can be gained when the “humanness” is
acknowledged and discussed in the public arena.
Variation of Tactics
“…in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.”
Mentor’s Perspective
“The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his
ability to pick out the right men and to utilize combined energy.”
The concept of mentoring is not always an easy task. Often no additional reward or compensation is offered by the company
for time sacrifices made by a mentor. The ultimate goal needs to be seen as passing of a torch of great knowledge; the future
success of the mentee is reward enough in and of itself. This concept has changed over the decades towards a more openness
and less of a fear that one’s position may be in
jeopardy. The passage of time and spanning of
generational gaps are benefits as well. The
past is to be remembered and learned from due
to the fact that history has a tendency to repeat
itself, as is extremely evident in the cyclic
nature of the petroleum industry.
Mentee’s Perspective
There are pressures while starring into the
unknown outcome of responsibility that can
lead to great risks and rewards. Questions
without easy answers are daily facts in this
industry, but with each question answered
comes continued knowledge, experience, and
dialogue. Even when not necessarily shown,
the respect is there to those who have gone
before and laid the great foundation for the
bright future of the next generation in the
petroleum industry. The truth is shown in
patience, attention to detail, and the overall
desire to learn all that is possible while being Figure 6: Three Generations of Mentors: Pictured from left to right are
George Woo, Jim Edwards “Big Ed”, and Bobby Rich..
humble enough to accept the fact that you may
not know all the answers.
Summary
The world demand for oil has approached the milestone of 1,000 barrels per second. Along with this exploding demand are
the ripple effects on personnel demands across all sectors of the petroleum industry. When we speak of personnel needs, one
of the first causes for alarm is the average age of current professionals in the industry. From the latest surveys, on average
workers in the petroleum are 45 years of age with over 20 years experience. The approaching reality of significant
retirements from the industry’s “experienced class” could wreak havoc on the ability of the industry to adequately cope with
the ever-increasing world energy needs. The argument can be made that part of the future success for many companies is not
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only in filling new positions, but more importantly transferring the valuable knowledge of the past to the fresh faces entering
the industry. Luckily, the solution is easier than we first imagined. The answer to this struggle is best explained as an art
through the lens of Sun Tzu’s historic work “The Art of War.” It involves an industry-wide strategic commitment to laying
plans, identifying stratagem and tactical dispositions, examining strengths and weaknesses, maneuvering, varying tactics, and
recognizing the perspectives of mentors and mentees. Approaching the mentoring of the next generation of industry leaders
as an art form, not a chore, will dramatically increase the likelihood of industry success in the next phase of our industry’s
growth.
Conclusions
1. The current state of the Petroleum industry has lead to higher demand for personnel.
2. These demands have been faced before in the past three decades due to its cyclic nature.
3. With the current experience level of most professionals in the Petroleum industry today, a great wealth of information
is available to be passed on.
4. Mentoring is key concept for companies to “buy in” to help ensure future success.
6. By a series of rational steps and conclusions, this struggle for mentoring success is achievable.
Acknowledgements
The Authors would like to thank the BJ Services Training Department (Tomball, TX) in addition to all past, present, and
future mentors in the Petroleum Industry.
References
1) Edwards, J.T. and Woo, G.T. 2006. An Organized Approach: Challenges Faced by Today’s New Engineers in the Petroleum
Industry. Paper SPE 102202 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio 24-27 September.
4) SPE. General Society News. 2008. Membership Reaches New High. 28 January.
http://updates.spe.org/index.php/2008/01/29/spe-membership-reaches-new-high
5) Tertzakian, P. 2006. A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent
World. New York, New York: Mcgraw-Hill.
6) Tzu, S. and Cleary, T. 1988. The Art of War. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications.