“Good courage in a bad affair is half of the evil overcome.” — Plautus
Dear friends, welcome to the October issue of BIC Magazine. I am super proud of our staff and the wide array of information BIC brings to you each month both in print and online, helping to connect people in industry with one another for the betterment of all. While those of you in the petrochemical and refining industry are setting records, others in the exploration and production industry are facing real, immediate challenges in the current climate. Those of us in the industry for any length of time understand the cyclical nature of our business and have adopted a long-range vision and strategy to get through the downtimes.
In my last “From the Publisher” column, I wrote of the power of vision, and the topic certainly was welcomed by you, the readers. (I received more direct feedback and also more hits online than any other column I have ever written. Thank you.) One reader who reached out to me and complimented the insight also expressed frustration with his personal work situation, in that his own vision for a positive workplace was being thwarted by unreliable people, even subscribing to some colleagues’ evil motives. He felt if he did not jump on the bandwagon, he would be labeled not a team player, and his career was doomed whatever he did.
I can say I have experienced a similar environment. When I started my career at Exxon Exploration Co. in the early 1990s, it was in the midst of a huge oil bust, much like the environment many in the upstream business are facing today. We experienced wave after wave of layoffs. I believe there were four in the first five years of my employment. Needless to say, it was a tough environment, full of conflict. I understood the need for “right-sizing” as the company’s activity was slowing. Everyone was anxious; however, there were certain co-workers you had to look out for. Some were passively going to set you up for failure by inculcating a bad attitude; others seemed to actively desire to set you up for failure in order that they might look better. This put me in conflict with some folks in the workplace.
My advice in workplace conflict is to first take care of your own business and your own attitude. Continue to work hard no matter the situation and, as far as possible, work peaceably with others. It’s hard for someone not to like you when you’re doing good for him.
During the U.S. Civil War, hatred became entrenched between the North and South. In one instance, President Abraham Lincoln was criticized for speaking of benevolent treatment for the Southern rebels. The critic reminded Lincoln there was a war going on, the Confederates were the enemy, and they should be destroyed. But Lincoln wisely responded, “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.”
Talk about workplace conflict. Lincoln as president was servant to all citizens, even those who vehemently opposed him. Lincoln was looking to do his work and live peaceably as possible with others. He was not a pacifist; he conducted war, which was necessary to resolve the conflict. Yet he understood peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
Like Lincoln, I would also advise to never subscribe to an opponent’s motives meaner than your own. The good and bad mix themselves so thoroughly in our thoughts, even in our aspirations, that we must look for excellence in overcoming them rather than in freeing ourselves from their influence.
Also, it is comforting to know a little bit of good can overcome a ton of conflict. It is well-documented by psychologists while much bullying takes place in a public setting, almost always one person speaking out against it will stop the bullying in its place. Robert Kennedy spoke to this in 1966 when he made an influential visit to South Africa. There he offered words of hope to opponents of apartheid in his famous “Ripple of Hope” speech at the University of Cape Town. In his speech, he declared, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
During the oil bust of the early ’90s, while at Exxon, I resolved to solve conflict by forging a positive attitude, act directly when necessary, but mostly to become the best at my craft, to learn from co-workers and mentors, to serve them and my management, and to become more active serving my peers in industry through association involvement. It served me well.
It is fitting for this topic that Oct. 15 is International Conflict Resolution Day. Conflict Resolution Day is a global event intended to promote the concept of peaceful conflict resolution. Created in 2005 by the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), it is now an annual celebration.
Conflict resolution requires action, but with that action attitude and the right heart. Scripture calls us not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
In this issue of BIC, we interview AFPM Vice President Melissa Hockstad, Dakota Prairie Refinery Plant Manager Mary Trost, RuggedCycles Founder/President Vince Denais, Central South Carpenters Regional Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Jason Engels, SPIR STAR Vice President of Sales and Chief Commercial Officer Jerry Carter and LAGCOE 2015 Chairman and Badger Oil Corp. Operations Manager Steve Maley.
We also visit with Oilfield Helping Hands President Gary Brooks and Women in Manufacturing Chairperson Gretchen Zierick to encourage you to stay active with your peers in industry. And we bring you the latest on a variety of subjects from workforce and regulations to crude oil exports and turnaround safety.
As always, please share this issue of BIC with your colleagues, family and friends, and visit BICMagazine.com daily for the latest industry updates and events. And be sure to look for our special pullout wall map of U.S. refining facilities in this issue!