Do Oil and Gas Industry Professionals Need "Personal Branding"?

Just about a week ago, Yogashri Pradhan published a new book entitled Fueling Impact: How to Improve Personal Branding in the Oil and Gas Industry, which helps engineers, operators, executives, and emerging talent in the oil and gas industry navigate the challenge of visibility in a traditionally hierarchical sector. She reframes personal branding not as vanity, but as a form of leadership.

When I spoke with Yogashri recently, I asked her: "Why is personal branding so important for professionals in the oil and gas industry?" Here is her full answer:

Personal branding is important because we do not live in a meritocratic world. Being your own advocate is just as important as the quality of your work produced in the oil and gas industry. The oil and gas industry is well known for promoting putting your head down, working, and letting the work speak for itself. In fact, many tout how this method of having the work speak for itself leads to becoming leaders in the industry. Unfortunately, not all work is created visibly, especially when comparing those who use social media and speak up in meetings versus those who do not. Those who are not seen or remembered are forgotten and not considered for positions they would otherwise be fit for. 

To increase visibility of your work, you must develop a unique value proposition both in person and externally. In-person brand building entails relationship building and knowledge sharing, which leads to credibility and trust. External brand building entails showcasing knowledge and helping others with your experiences, which also builds credibility and personability. Personal branding in the oil and gas industry also increases the chance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership positions because, regardless of gender, having the necessary skills to showcase work and value increases representation in the industry.

What do you think of Yogashri's perspective on personal branding? Are there oil and gas industry professionals reading this who have considered this? What do you feel are the pros and cons?

Are Electronic Networks the New A3s?

I recently read this short article titled Lean Project Ideas by Dan Antony, which appeared on ehow.com. The article reviews basic concepts as defining value streams, identifying waste, kaizen events, and automation. The section that specifically caught my attention advises to "implement social media" -- that is, using electronic tools to share and illustrate improvement ideas throughout the company and worldwide locations. For example, Siemens has established an internal blog so employees can share benefits worldwide almost instantaneously while Microsoft is encouraging its employees to use podcasts to proliferate ideas throughout the organization.

A3 reports have used by Toyota for decades to document improvements, and this problem-solving tool has gained much popularity and use in the US during the past few years. A3s were named after the size of paper used to document a particular solution -- but it's the concept, and the thinking behind it, that holds the real power. Are electronic networks the next logical step in the evolution of A3s?