Section 7 - leadership interview paper recommendations PDF

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Section 7: RecommendationsOur teams interview with Mr. Ure covered a broad array of leadership topics and conversations and, in general, Mr. Ure had well developed thoughts pertaining to each specific topic that was covered by the team. However, the team did identify areas and topics in which Mr. Ur...

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Section 7: Recommendations

Our teams interview with Mr. Ure covered a broad array of leadership topics and conversations and, in general, Mr. Ure had well developed thoughts pertaining to each specific topic that was covered by the team. However, the team did identify areas and topics in which Mr. Ure either didn’t touch upon or could have expanded his thoughts and / or had additional reflection on the best ways to approach the subject area. We will highlight these areas below and provide feedback and suggestions back to our selected leader in the desire to provide additional context and information for him to utilize in his owner leadership pursuits.

Regarding building a socially responsible community, Mr. Ure touched on several key points including social involvement and community efforts even going so far as make employees financial compensation linked to a corporate volunteering target goal. An additional excellent point discussed was the difficulty in assessing a candidates fit for an organization and ability to integrate into the culture of an organization based solely on interviews or pre-hiring processes. Nevertheless Mr. Ure stressed the importance of having a framework of socially responsible culture in place that allows for employees to integrate and adapt to that pre-existing culture.

One area of significance that was not expanded upon however was the importance of ethics and responsibility at the highest levels of the organization including the CEO themselves. Given that CEO misconduct is a leading cause[1] of dismissal, we felt that it is important for the executive of an organization to discuss their own roles and responsibilities and to have an explicit understanding of how they set the standard for ethical and responsible conduct within an organization.

Similarly, when it comes to motivating employees, our leader spoke on the importance of values, employee recognition and having a focus at both a personal and corporate level on continuous improvement. A potential area for improvement, however, is a more robust discussion on implementing systems and policies that can help identify if employees are satisfied with their roles in the organization and they are not, what exactly the causes of the dissatisfaction are. While this would require a well-trained leadership team and a culture that allows for open and honest discussions between employees and managers, it would allow for a method in which employees and the organization at large could best work together to find roles and responsibilities that fit both the employee and the organization’s goals.

As it pertains to creating successful and innovative work teams, Mr. Ure had our team a thorough and detailed discussion that mainly focused on the individual side of things and what sort of individual factors lead to successful or unsuccessful projects and or teams. However, one topic that could have been discussed in more detail was a focus on product of systems innovation as well. While Mr. Ure did touch on a capital project to improve IT systems for the company, there was little discussion as to what the end goal was, how it would impact the average employee (that is, help to improve their quality of work) and how the project would, ultimately, help to differentiate the service that Western Midstream is able to provide.

A final point that our team discussed, related to creating an inclusive work environment, was the challenge that Western Midstream in specific, and Oil and Gas companies in general, face in recruiting and retaining younger talent and talent from diverse backgrounds. While Mr. Ure was quick to admit that this is indeed both a company and industry wide problem, the proposed solutions or actions taken by the company were mostly passive in nature relying in industry advocacy groups and collegiate recruiting programs rather than putting specific plans or actions in place that the company can design and implement on an independent basis. It would both beneficial and reassuring to hear the executive articulate a recruitment and retention plan that underscores the challenges, and opportunities faced by the company in regard to both demographic changes and the prevailing sociocultural norms that the oil and gas industry currently operates in.

Our team would again like to reenforce that, by and large, Mr. Ure provided well thought out and articulated answers and had a firm grasp on best practices for both himself and the organization to promote and support leadership, innovation, inclusivity and social consciousness in the workplace. The suggestions offered here and meant to bolster and already strong foundation and assist with achieving the strongest possible results and developing the highest quality employee base and organization.

[1] B. Allyn, “Top Reason for CEO Departures among Largest Companies Is Now Misconduct, Study Finds,” NPR, May 20, 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/725108825/top-reason-forceo-departures-among-largest-companies-is-now-misconduct-study-fi....