You’re working with a team in Oil and Gas. How can you create a sense of shared purpose?

Involve each team member during discussions (even the junior most); send out meeting agendas ahead of time with clear instructions of who is expected to contribute to which topic; seek opinions in an open manner; be respectful and most important of all, first have a deep understanding of your own vision as a leader before embarking on the above!

As a fresh team member of my RE team, I faced several challenges during my initial days while getting involved in meetings and team discussions. But my team was very inclusive and allowed me to communicate my vision and ideas effectively by giving value to my academic knowledge. This is very vital in developing a sense of adaptability to new environment in this dynamic oil and gas business where the outcomes almost don't match the predictions. Also inter team discussions with the oil and gas industry veterans associated with my organization helped me grow exponentially in terms of knowledge. Positivity should be the main goal, and one should always self-motivate him/herself to contribute effectively.

The Oil and Gas sector, well known for its dynamic and challenging nature, has traditionally attracted a wide range of the brightest minds from the world's top academic institutions. This sector, characterized by its intellectual diversity, competitive ethos, and reliance on empirical evidence, demands a communication approach that resonates deeply with its distinct audience. An authentic, passionate vision of the future, supported by data and research, providing clarity on 'the why' that resonates with each member of the team, not just as individuals, but as a collective - is vital to creating a sense of shared purpose.

Understanding the impact of what "I" as each individual is very important and how each of us are contributing in big schema. One side Oil and gas industry demands high safety and reliability on the other hand, the industry will undergo a strong competition with reviewable energy. Therefore, it is highly important to share the value of competitive advantage through the long term vision and communicate the goal with specific intentions os that each team members can interprets and develop the Task to achieve the goal.

By clearly and consistently communicating the project's vision, describing its objectives, importance, and alignment with the organization's mission and values, it is possible to inspire, motivate, and guide the team. Additionally, by explaining how each member's work contributes to the vision and what each person's role is, it is possible to strengthen commitment and cooperation, creating a sense of shared purpose that drives the team towards meaningful results aligned with the organization's goals.

By requesting contributions, feedback, and suggestions from team members, it is possible to promote a collaborative and trusting environment, demonstrating that their opinions, skills, and contributions are valued. Additionally, by delegating tasks and responsibilities according to individual strengths and interests, empowering members to take ownership and initiative, it is possible to strengthen commitment to common goals and promote a sense of shared purpose that drives the team towards meaningful and aligned results with the organization's objectives.

The best approach to involve the team is building business acumen, through which all employees understand how their organization operates and makes money. Today's employees are increasingly specialized in order to have the greatest impact. But that often means they don't see how the whole organization runs, and how their role affects the bottom line. Thus, it may be helpful to provide employees with C-level insights on how an organization runs so they can align their efforts to the overall business objectives.

As a team leader, demonstrate a strong commitment to the team's goals and values. Lead by example, exhibiting enthusiasm, dedication, and integrity in your work. Show that you are invested in the team's success and willing to support them in achieving their objectives.

To have active team, you will just need to establish attractive reward & bonus system which would encourage your team members to boosting their limits to high scores to achieve self satisfaction in addition to get personal benefits due to existing positive motivation and effective recognition systems i.e. (when the employee’s knowing they will get appreciation as soon as they complete their tasks, more performances will be seen by themselves and management continuously).

In an industry ravaged by knee jerk corporate reactions to changes in oil and gas market stability, maintaining high morale has been a challenge for many years. Losing good team members or the utter slow down in new talent joining firms has been a mood dampener. So, a concerted effort to recognise and celebrate efforts and achievements is key and a fundamental need. Being able to share stories of successes and failures and building a strong sense of team go a long way. Though beware that you are not just minimising effort by just focusing celebrating years of service etc. Be proactive, get the team to nominate who is being celebrated and provide that joint effort of collectiveness.

Manager should understand and use strength of Each Team Member. A sense of understanding of Team Member's background, his/her current psychological condition makes a lot of difference in strengthening the Team. A good Team can sail the boat in Toughest Situations with limited or less no. Of available Team Member.

Always take time to appreciate and recognize your staff and team members even though how small or big the impact was. This is a small investment and effort that could give a huge impact and value to the organization by increasing the team's motivation to constantly contribute and deliver the business.

Making the team realise the impact of the job and keeping them updated with field operations helps cultivate a strong sense of responsibility. This drives excellence and helps the team constantly pursue projects on a fast-track basis.

By offering opportunities for the development of skills, knowledge, and competencies within the team, as well as supporting their career aspirations, it is possible to promote an environment of learning and mutual growth. Encouraging the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices among team members, and learning from feedback and mistakes, contributes to collective improvement. Additionally, challenging the team to innovate, experiment, and adapt to constantly changing situations, and adopting a growth mindset, is crucial for promoting a culture of continuous improvement.

Communication and comprehensiveness, everyday learning from one another in the team is way to create sense of shared purpose. Giving equal importance in sharing both win-win situations and challenging situations.This way it will help the team to learn from each other challenges and how to handle them. Creating environments where team and every individual feel noticed and appreciated will surely helps us create better products at work and we will achieve great culture in team with empathy and we can observe continuous improvement with in the team.

Support professional development and growth opportunities for team members. Offer training programs, mentorship opportunities, and career advancement paths to help employees feel valued and invested in their work.

Encourage collaboration and teamwork by breaking down silos and promoting cross-functional cooperation. Create opportunities for team members to work together on projects, share knowledge, and learn from each other's experiences.

By getting to know team members personally and professionally, understanding their backgrounds, perspectives, and motivations, it is possible to establish deeper bonds. Additionally, open and respectful communication, coupled with a constructive approach to problem-solving or conflicts, is essential for promoting a healthy and collaborative work environment. Creating opportunities for interaction, socialization, and moments of relaxation among team members is also crucial for strengthening a sense of belonging, respect, and camaraderie, elements that support shared purpose. By building strong relationships, the team becomes more cohesive and committed, driving the achievement of common goals more effectively.

One way to ensure that everyone in a team to appreciate the "shared purpose" is by understanding the overlap across disciplines and ensure positive handover of data and deliverables.

Enrolling on world-class executive leadership programs enables senior directors and team leaders to cultivate high-performing teams and cultures. These programs are typically designed to provide leaders with insights around the major functions of executive leadership teams, how to be effective in communication with C-Suite leaders and board of directors, effective leadership through coaching conversations, how to run effective meetings, understanding the role of the leader in connecting the dots in order to bring future focused insights, guidance and priorities, and creating action plans for gaining commitment to authentically become effective leaders.

Create a space where the team's have the full ownership and accountability to deliver the shared vision. Create a way of workings that could promote a high performing team at the work place. Cultivate an Openness, Honesty and Inspired Inclusive at the work place and trust your team members to deliver the shared vision.

Get to know your team; short (15 min) 1 : 1 discussions with each team member, with a clearly defined agenda for discussion are very effective & productive as these are private & thus in a supportive environment.

In my opinion, the integrated subsurface team is somewhat predominated by 2 disciplines: the RE and the PG. Breaking the walls of professional “silos” promotes interdiscipline inclusivity within the shared earth model. Exploration and Production starts with a Geological concept and ends in well abandonment, understanding the roles and days delivery one’s discipline, it’s dependency and how this links across disciplines is key.