Reality set in for Notre Dame’s “Smoke & Mirrors” football season 20 years ago when the 8-0 Fighting Irish—wearing green jerseys at home for the first time in 17 years—were upset by Boston College.

Reality is setting in for Ireland’s “Smoke & Mirrors” energy policy as the Irish—stubbornly relying on a short-sighted view of “green” energy that has led to a continued rebuke of LNG facilities—have made the country the “worst prepared in Europe” in terms of their ability to withstand an energy crisis.

With these 2 green history lessons in mind, ask yourself:

“In what ways am I allowing a short-sighted acceptance of surface level “facts” to fog up my decision-making, putting myself and my team in very upsetting positions?”

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Are you like Allegheny County Council, which decided to toss away the undeniable benefits of natural gas development in order to score political points?

Are you so set in your ways that you would rather shut down conversations about potential win-win scenarios than do your job by critically considering all future opportunities that could benefit your stakeholders?

Are you a member of the energy industry who shakes your head at the short-sightedness of many government officials...while missing out on opportunities to tell those officials what you think as an individual citizen?

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Are you like Allegheny County Council, which decided to toss away the undeniable benefits of natural gas development in order to score political points?

Are you so set in your ways that you would rather shut down conversations about potential win-win scenarios than do your job by critically considering all future opportunities that could benefit your stakeholders?

Are you a member of the energy industry who shakes your head at the short-sightedness of many government officials...while missing out on opportunities to tell those officials what you think as an individual citizen?

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You know that a hurried Energy Transition would cost trillions of dollars and may upend the lives of millions of people around the world already facing energy insecurity....so, is the net impact worth it?

You know how irritating it is when someone says, "Hey, I've got a 'quick question' for ya," knowing how likely it is that their question is neither quick nor important....so, is the fact that you do the same thing to others on a regular basis worth it?

You know that a “quick peak” at social media can cost you an hour or more of productivity....so, is scrolling through nauseating LinkedIn posts and watching a video from another self-proclaimed "coach" worth it?

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In light of yesterday's US/EU LNG deal, it's time to create a new federal position:

LNG Ambassador

And while you might argue that EQT’s Toby Rice has already been playing the role of LNG Ambassador, perhaps his #UnleashUSLNG campaign could use an assist from none other than NBA Hall-of-Famer John Stockton.

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Is there any better day than today—National Poultry Day—to ask yourself:

"In what ways am I acting like a chicken?"

And is there any better month than March—Women's History Month—to ask yourself:

"How are the chickens leading my company unwittingly stifling the career development of our organization's women despite all of the surface level corporate commitments to 'diversity, equity, and inclusion?'"

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What better day to honor Chuck Woolery—former host of 'Love Connection' and owner of the classic pre-commercial-break phrase, "We'll be back in two and two"—than today, Tuesday 2/22/22?

And what better way to honor Chuck & and 'Love Connection' than by taking 2 minutes and 2 seconds to ask yourself how many of the connections in your life—be they related to love, business, career, faith, friendship, etc.—are INTENTIONAL connections...

...and how many of of your connections are merely based on feelings, passions, opinions, and trends that are as volatile as the price of oil?

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In honor of Jerome Bettis’ 50th birthday, this episode of The Energy Detox will share the many ways that The Bus exemplifies sustainable leadership.

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In honor of the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita—patron saint of human trafficking—and the "International Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking," this episode of The Energy Detox takes a break from the usual conversations about leadership and the energy industry to boost your awareness of (and encourage you to take action on) an issue that trumps most of the relatively comfortable topics corporations weave into their Corporate Sustainability Reports.

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This episode of The Energy Detox weaves together 1) an announced alliance formed by EQT Corp, Marathon, U.S. Steel, and others to develop an Appalachian hydrogen hub, 2) the kickoff to Beijing's hydrogen-fueled, closed-loop, fortress-like Olympics, and 3) one of the easiest and most effective ways you can (but likely aren't) helping fuel future leaders.

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What leadership nutrients are found in Meat Loaf & American Pie?

Well, in honor of the 63rd anniversary of "the day the music died" when 3 young Rock ‘N' Rollers perished in a plane crash—and in recognition of another musical death 2 weeks ago—this episode of The Energy Detox will extract 5 sustainable leadership lessons/questions from 3 of Meat Loaf's hits to help you avoid a premature (leadership) demise.

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If the Hedge Hog known as Petroleum Phil casts a shadow on February 2, should commodities traders expect 6 more months of $80 oil?

If you make one “bad” prediction against a slew of “good” ones, should that one bad prediction define you?

Well, in this Groundhog Day episode of The Energy Detox, we’ll help you 1) avoid putting too much stock in the results of a single prediction and 2) look for times when your fear of making decisions is holding you and your stakeholders back from sustained success.

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"Do you have the capacity to take on more work?"

Is your default answer to that question:

A) "Well...[audible sigh]...my plate is pretty full...maybe if I wasn't so swamped...[grimace and hope person walks away]."

B) "Absolutely! Bring it on!"

C) "I could probably reprioritize a few things on the ol' to-do list if needed and if you're willing to step through potential tradeoffs. Whatcha got?"

Well, as with conversations about electric generating "capacity" or pipeline "capacity," the way you think and speak about your personal "capacity" can be misleading—wittingly or unwittingly—to yourself or your audience.

That being said—and inspired by different reactions to this week's news that "Solar power will account for nearly half of new electric generating capacity in 2022," this episode of The Energy Detox will help you:

1) Do a better job of asking others about their capacity/bandwidth; and

2) Provide more honest, specific, and helpful responses when answering how much room you have on your own plate.

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What's your favorite and/or most nauseating leadership cliché?

"Do more with less?"

"Think outside the box?"

"There is no 'I' in team?"

"There are no stupid questions?"

Or is it, perhaps, "Don't run AWAY from something...run TOWARD something,” which is the focus of today’s episode of The Energy Detox, which is driven by a recent Hart Energy article that points out how running AWAY from fossil fuels via divestment is a short-sighted and counter-productive approach for those who erroneously THINK they're running toward a more rapid energy transition.

The reality is that a "divestment mindset" will make it more difficult to meet the growing energy needs of our planet, a goal that all "runners" should be focused on.

And, as Citi's Chief Sustainability Officer Val Smith notes in the article, "We are going to have a very disruptive transition if divestment is part of that conversation."

So with that in mind, take a moment to ponder whatever professional and personal transitions are brewing in your life and ask whether you've become overly focused on "divestment" or whether you're truly excited about investing in something new.

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Q: What can Danny Tanner, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Elizabeth Warren teach you about Leadership Humility?

A: That it’s ok to ask for a little help from your friends.

🆘 Danny Tanner—played by the late Bob Saget on 'Full House'—sought the help of his friend Joey and his brother-in-law Jesse to support Danny's daughters following the death of their mother.

🆘 The Steelers sought the help of the Jaguars, Raiders, and Chargers yesterday to make the playoffs as they helped themselves to an upset road win against the Ravens.

🆘 Senator Warren SHOULD seek help from her friends in Appalachia as her Massachusetts constituents 1) face the potential of blackouts and natural gas shortages this winter; 2) pay far more for energy than residents of Pennsylvania; and 3) rely on imports of natural gas from not-so-friendly Russians.

All that being said, this episode of The Energy Detox will challenge your leadership humility and help you (G)row, (P)rotect, and (S)ustain success by encouraging you to answer these 3 questions:

💡 In what ways is your refusal to seek help hindering your ability to grow?

💡 What do you think you're protecting by ignoring assistance from others?

💡 For how long can you sustain momentum before you need a push or pull from someone else?

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On January 3, 2022, “Geriatric Millennial” Ben Roethlisberger likely played his final home game for the Steelers; and the Steelers may have played their final game under the shadows of giant ‘Heinz 57’ ketchup bottles.

And in this live episode of The Energy Detox, we use those headlines to help you defend against ageism in the oil & gas industry—regardless of whether you’re on the kicking or receiving end of this value-destroying problem.

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"Net-Zero: To boldly go where every corporation has gone—or said they're going to go—before!"

Do you honestly believe that the predictions or resolutions you're making for the new year are "bold?"

Or do you know that what you're saying or promising isn't much different from the scripted and stale words of a CEO trying to convince his stakeholders that his company's long-term net-zero plan—or in some cases, a "plan to come up with a plan"—is something unique or praiseworthy?

Either way, this episode of The Energy Detox will help you realize that there's nothing bolder than taking action TODAY to help yourself and your company (G)row, (P)rotect, and (S)ustain success. RIGHT. NOW.

That being said—and as you devote time and #energy looking ahead to the new year and beyond—take a moment to ponder the words of Marcus Freeman from his first address to the Notre Dame football team as their head coach a few weeks ago:

"This isn't about the future...this is about right now."

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Are you unwittingly spreading toxicity among your professional and personal stakeholders?

Find out now by taking a simple 3-step test that merely requires answers to these questions:

1 - In what ways are you limiting the growth of those around you?

2 - How might you be protecting yourself at the expense of others?

3 - How sustainable are your demands and expectations?

NOTE: Self-administered tests have a much higher likelihood of false negatives than tests administered by an independent third party...especially if that third party also tests your friends, family, employees, co-workers, and other close contacts.

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What's one Christmas "gift" you've received that turned out to be nothing but trouble?

🎁 A new puppy...that immediately ate all the other presents?

🎁 A promotion...that destroyed a career?

🎁 Free cheese...that harmed the health of its lactose intolerant recipients?

🎁 Renewable energy...that led to a cold, dark Christmas?

On today's live Christmas-themed episode of The Energy Detox, we'll string together the following topics to help you be a more conscious leader...and gift-giver:

📰 The 40 year anniversary of the "Government Cheese" Program

📰 Last month's Strategic Petroleum Reserves headlines

📰 The unintended consequences of renewable #energy

And as always, we'll gift you 3 questions to help you (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success:

💡 Are you unwittingly growing a stockpile of moldy, smelly, and over-processed #leadership gimmicks?

💡 In what ways might the "gifts" you're giving your employees actually inflicting harm?

💡 What's one gift you can give your team that they'll actually still use a year from now?

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Well, with the U.S. Department of Energy announcing a new $20 billion "Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations" yesterday, what better time to ask yourself whether you're better at TALKING about your theoretical value or DEMONSTRATING your actual results.

So, to help answer that question, today's live episode of The Energy Detox turns to the personification of CLEAN ENERGY DEMONSTRATIONS: the late Pittsburgh native and OxiClean spokesman Billy Mays.

The headline: 𝐃𝐎𝐄 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐰

The goal: to (𝐆)𝐫𝐨𝐰, (𝐏)𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐒)𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 success by pondering these 3 questions throughout your day:

💡 Do you have a clean and clear vision of the results your audience expects you to produce?

💡 How well are you protecting and promoting your prior successes?

💡 What are all the ways you can demonstrate your current and future impact on the "real world?"

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