Reflections On My Career Journey

After 37 years at Chevron, I’m retiring February 1. For my last post as a LinkedIn Influencer, I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned over the years.

It’s important to pursue your passion in a compatible culture:

Pick an industry that you have some passion about, and pick a company whose values and way of doing business are compatible with yours. You’re going to spend more time with the people at work than with your family. That’s the reality of a long workday.

I’m very passionate about the oil and gas business. The reliable, affordable energy we produce keeps hospitals, data centers and factories running. It keeps our transportation systems moving and provides the feedstock for everything from plastics to roads. I consider this a noble industry.

I was very proud to become part of the culture I found at Chevron 37 years ago, and I continued to encounter that culture every step of the way within the company. I was raised to understand that integrity and those personal characteristics that make up your reputation are very important. My parents often mentioned that you have only one reputation. It has been wonderful to be a part of Chevron and find those same values here. 

Company culture is sometimes overlooked. But I think it’s very important for people to understand the importance of culture when they’re choosing a profession and a company or organization to work with.

Energy makes lives better:

When I started my career, I didn’t know much about the world or energy. I didn’t get on an airplane until I was 18. I graduated around the time of the Iranian revolution, and so oil was topical, as it is today. And I got very interested in the oil industry for its geopolitics, for the macroeconomic implications of the industry and for the technology that’s involved. It just seemed like it was a broad and critical industry for the world. I interviewed widely – in the oil and gas business and elsewhere – and wound up joining Chevron.

Working at Chevron, I have traveled widely and seen how important affordable energy is to the well-being of people worldwide. I think we take a lot of things for granted in this country because we have so much. But as I’ve traveled the world, I’ve seen what our company and industry do to bring power and the modern lifestyle that enables human progress around the world. The world may be composed of many different governments, but people everywhere want the same thing: They want a better way of life. And by developing the reliable energy the world needs, we make lives better.

Recognize the value of seeing the impact of your work:

I have so many wonderful memories of my time at Chevron. One that always sticks with me is an experience I had in Venezuela back in 2005, when I got to see our corporate responsibility in action. Beyond bringing reliable, affordable energy to communities around the world, we make social investments in health, education and economic development.

We had just built a school in Venezuela in a town near our oil operations when I went to visit. I remember how appreciative the teachers were. They were speaking in Spanish – I know a little bit of Spanish, so I understood some of the words, but I could feel the real emotions as they expressed their gratitude. It was fulfilling to see the things we do to help communities around the world beyond delivering energy. I’ll always remember the pride I felt seeing the direct impact we had on improving that community.

Value people in business:

Thinking back, if I were to start my career over, I would do one thing differently. During my early years in the company, I was fairly analytical in how I approached most situations. And although that served a purpose, I later realized that you can be much more effective if you recognize the importance of people in business.

The sooner you learn about reading people, listening to others and building relationships, the sooner you will be more effective. So I would have spent a little more time on the people side, a little more time on the relationship side, early in my career.

Accept the different ways to advance in business:

There are many ways to advance in business. You can become a subject matter expert or move into management. Becoming a subject matter expert requires staying ahead of trends and on top of new knowledge in your field. Advancing as a manager requires getting good at choosing the right people for jobs.

I chose the management track, so I had to get good at evaluating people. Being good at asking the right questions to draw them out so that you can evaluate them properly is very important. This requires good listening skills. In addition, it’s important to understand which employees make others around them better. I watch for those things in leaders. And I think individuals that are conscious of those characteristics early in their career have a better chance of being successful.

Adapt to changing circumstances:

The biggest thing I learned as CEO is that organizations will respond very well to what leadership asks them to do. I am continually amazed at how resilient and how responsive our organization has been. We’ve gone through tremendous adversity in our industry during my time as CEO. We’ve had oil prices as high as $128 a barrel that then fell to $26 a barrel. And our organization has responded to everything that I’ve asked them to do to adjust to this volatility. Our employees have been remarkably positive about adapting to that change.

Plan for retirement:

I’m looking forward to watching Chevron continue to progress under the leadership of my successor, Mike Wirth. He has strong values, a track record of success and a keen sense of direction for the future of the company.

At a more personal level, I will join a couple of boards. I have some philanthropic endeavors I intend to pursue. And I may even work on my golf game and travel. I’ve done a lot of traveling with Chevron but often on short trips when I’ve been focused on business. While I’ve seen a lot, I’m looking forward to traveling with my wife, Diane, to see some of what I missed.

Enjoy the daily encounters:

I’m going to miss the people of this company. I have been so fortunate to be able to visit our operations all around the world and continually meet new people. The enthusiasm that I encounter every day when someone is presenting their work or explaining their business is infectious and contagious. That excitement really rubs off on me and motivates me to do better. I’ll miss that interaction in all the corners of the world.