Energy Heroes
On Monday morning I spoke in Sun Valley, Idaho at the annual customer event of Sinclair Oil, the company famous for its giant green dinosaur logo.
I did two sessions. The first was “How to Talk to Anyone About Energy”—the one-hour speech version of the material I teach in my four-hour Constructive Conversation Workshop. I focused on three tactics: beginning a conversation with openness and eagerness, asking “framing questions” to encourage even-handedness and precision, and using “opinion stories” to explain your position in a relatable way.
The three-word takeaway from the session was “framework before facts.”
The second session was “Energy Heroes.” I shared my journey going from someone who thought that energy heroes were the people fighting fossil fuels to someone who thinks of fossil fuel producers—such as John D. Rockefeller and George Mitchell—as heroes. The two key shifts for me were 1) changing my standard of heroism from “green” to human flourishing and 2) understanding the fossil fuel industry’s superior ability to produce abundant, affordable, reliable energy.
At the end of my talk I shared my belief that the fossil fuel industry has a moral obligation to teach employees the heroism of their work. It’s not just a “necessary evil”—it’s a superior good.
Thanks to Sinclair, especially Ross Matthews, Jack Barger, and the Holding family, for inviting me and allowing me to share my perspective with your illustrious customers.
My new “sizzle reel”
My team just created a new 3-minute “sizzle reel” of my speeches, debates, and interviews. You can view it here. What do you think?
The goal is to create a super-easy way to introduce me to new, high-level events and programs. Please share it far and wide.
