When I say “your career is a river”, what I mean is it’s a journey. You jump in at the same time as a whole bunch of other people and start. Some start swimming aggressively, some really miss college and a small group say “F this”, climb out and go look for another headwater. Along the way, you meet people who will ultimately turn out to change the course of your career. Bosses who tell you to calm down and...

A lot of people ask me: what can I do to prepare myself for the coming transition in the nature and structure of oil and gas in North America? Love yourself. In February 2012, I had the essence of my core ripped out because my entire identity was built around my career. Losing that meant losing my self worth and all the things around me, which I had ignored for years- friends, family, exercise, mindfulness- were all that I had...

I truly love all the DMs I get from people who are supportive of the hottake but I hate when I hear "I'm too afraid to interact with your post on social media because my company won't like it". Like reading my daily post is some sort of guilty pleasure. What kind of a world are we living in when there are some bosses that get to do anything they want. They control your career progression,...

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is think about my kids and how little I care about their birthday. Why? Because I love them equally every single day (I bet you didn’t know that’s the punchline to that story). My kids are why I do everything and for whom I would do anything. On episode 3 of the #hottakeoftheday podcast, we featured the story of Erin and Nick Williams, their beautiful family and...

When I think of February 5, 2012, I know that it was the day that I was at the lowest emotional spot that I have ever been. True story. I was lower than in 1996 when I was in Egypt and was told that I would be playing in the 5th spot on the national team (squash) at the world championships (only 4 played, the 5th cheered). I was lower than in 2008 when my “sure fire” investment (made in my...

Christmas week has arrived and after the carnage that we saw in December of 2018, this month has been quite a comparative treat. Deals closing (CPE-CRZO); being announced (WPX-Felix, APA-TOT) and oil starts with a “6”. It’s only been tough one for the natural gas bulls - but you’ve had a long time to get used to the beatings. In honor of Christmas and running through the rest of 2019, you are going to have a chance to win one...

Having never published a book prior to Friday, I was more focused on the major points: front page, content, dedication, author’s note and what it would feel like to share all my flaws with the world. What I didn’t think enough about was how to categorize the book. So you will believe me when I say that I’m not totally clear what I was thinking when I answered the question: “What category is this book?” with the phrases: “Business,...

That was the day that ended the world as I knew it: All the things I had wanted, and thought I could achieve, ended in boxes that contained the remnants of my career. That was also the day I started writing the book: “What the F@&K is Wrong with Everybody Else?-What They Didn’t Teach You in Business School” (shortly after reintroducing myself to my children, discovering I was 10 days away from a separation and explaining why Daddy didn’t have income or health...

As you can probably tell, I like to write. No doubt there are many better at it than me but I enjoy combining data and analysis with creativity. However, every once in a while, it’s nice to abandon the data and the research and turn totally to the world of fiction. So, since it’s Sunday, I have a challenge for you: I’m going to give you a story title (Terminal) and an object (an IV) and...

This week’s question is less of a question than a statement: “DRW. You seem crankier than usual”. -#hotquestionoftheweek. This is true. Beyond my exasperation at the equity performance of energy companies and the obvious things they can do to fix it… there is something much deeper at play. Carbs. Or rather, the lack there of. It turns out “hangry” is a thing. When I woke up 5 weeks ago unable to button...