Eskil Jersing, EP Executive

The Faroese have 37 words for fog-crikey. This last month, I have been working my way through the list, moving from Mjorkakov (very thick fog) to Toppamjorki (mist on the mountain tops).

The Faroese also refer to their country as the land of “maybe”. I am not Faroese (just half Danish) but have always tried to live a “love everyone, trust few and paddle your own canoe” mantra. Whilst my mind of late has been at times fogged up paddling upstream, the one thing that always seems to work in times of change is stepping back and seeing the wood for the trees; well, maybe. 

After leaving my last role, friends rightly told me to switch off over Christmas and recalibrate away from the dystopian cyclical carousel that often is the small cap E&P sector. 

To get a bit more balance to my days and a purposeful activity, away from twice-weekly motorcycle journeys into London, PC/phone time in my study, I have been building a bridge (next will be a pallet shed/summerhouse!) to our little island, whilst “hunting” for the next role in 2020. The body has been distracted, but the mind of course continues to whirr away. Whilst sawing, screwing, nailing, digging and building, some thoughts crystallized, that may benefit some of you going through a similar transition:

Avoid beating yourself up – This one is difficult and everyone will have a different way of grieving over what can feel like a bomb going off. It needs grieving but not dwelling.

You continually rationalize that it’s an opportunity, but then fight with the little monkey on your back who tells you the past was avoidable. You can go around forever in these circles do step back recognize you should not sweat the small stuff- I know easy to say!

Listen to your emotions, trust your instinct and don’t get stuck in anxiety led circles of blame. “Guilt is the polyester of emotions” a Counselor in Houston once told me.

Keep reminding yourself that you will prevail even under great adversity and focus on what you can control. I recall Steve Farris, the CEO of Apache, on stage at a management conference in Dallas in 2011 pumping his fist and exhorting “If you believe you can achieve”- yes an evangelized cliché but sometimes simple statements can help you recalibrate and refocus your mojo.

Accept reality and make a plan - I put together an xls database (with multiple filtered tracking columns) and started to contact my networks, and headhunters very quickly getting in contact with 100 plus people around the globe via phone, email and in person, planting the seeds and raising awareness. They have pretty much without exception been uplifting and marvelous. The secret however is to move beyond the "easy" A network (those you know well and will support you) to the B network (those you have met briefly-Linkedin the perfect tool of course!).

Never discount anyone, anything or any connection and be prepared to compromise. When last in this situation in 2013, one random call got me a role in Rotterdam, a super job but had to commute weekly from Oxfordshire, which I did for a year until the right role came up. A lot of folks will advise you to not take the first role you get offered and I think this is solid counsel, but of course highly dependent on your personal circumstances, search for the situation that is right for you not just a job.

Careers are unfortunately now built in far shorter chapters, so don’t lose sight of your 5-10 year goals and map a path and try to broadly follow it. It helps if you have jurisdictional flexibility as you can cast your net wider but not all have that luxury. Research the Companies and roles that may be of interest, then do it again- understanding the macro direction of travel of the Industry can help you proactively target opportunities and gaps for your competency/skillsets.

Then of course there is the need to stay in some sort of shape, so starting a few weeks ago I returned to swimming regularly. Counting up to 100 lengths and focusing ensures the external BS is just Toppamjorki- keep on swimming Dory...

We are all human – Early on, I made the call to go into London regularly to meet/see/talk with my UK network. Reach out to stay strong. Don’t underestimate the importance of other people when you are faced with stress of unemployment.  Social contact is natures antidote to stress, face your feelings. It’s been great and has quickly allowed me put so much in true context, those folks I least expected made me laugh out as loud as I have in decades at the incongruity of my malaise.

Time heals, but speaking with those you trust repairs the pain of losing your professional identity faster. Laughing is best though, preferably with your family as they are and should always be number 1.

Meet and have coffee/lunch with old colleagues and acquaintances you have not seen for a long time and listen to their story, boost their ego, help them- don’t moan, don’t beg, don’t look desperate- you have lost a role and maybe your mojo but not your dignity and pride or principles. You are the same person you were before the “schism”.

Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help from your family and friends and to those folks who have been formative and supportive of you in your career. Nine times out of ten they will be delighted, listen attentively be happy to guide, boost your mojo, introduce you onwards and help as necessary.

How do you make a difference?  

We are all unique, defining and clearly communicating your E&P value proposition to a new role will set you apart. Ensure that you retain your integrity as a passport, ours is a small and incestuous E&P patch, the truth is King (It used to be Acreage was King, then Free Cashflow and now distributable returns!), it will come out. Make sure you let folks know you are happy to advise and assist on anything in the interim, even pro bono on a case by case basis, whilst searching for a full time position.

We all play roles, don’t get stuck on titles, find something you can enjoy and make that difference. Don’t be afraid to look up and down the E&P food chain, you’ll be surprised at what materializes, its not just jobs but partnerships, relationships- you may be able to provide a reference for an old colleague and pay it forward.

Be open-minded and stay relevant while you search but keep abreast with the Industry and its macro and micro nuances - landscape, theme, technology, financial markets, challenges, geopolitics etc. None of us can predict correctly or precisely, but experience has allowed us to be reasonably accurate. Use that knowledge and your scars to help you find your perfect future niche / path.

To all of you in personal transition- rest assured, we will prevail, we will be stronger and “make a difference” again, renewables transition (now that there is a fractious ongoing debate in our community), ESG and other challenges aside.

I heard Jose Mourinho paraphrase Nelson Mandela the other week “You don’t win or lose, you win and learn”, so true.

No matter how stressed or emotionally out of control you feel now, life can and will get lighter and brighter.

There are of course many blogs and inspirational stories on the web alluding to the above suggestions and thousands of great E&P professionals have turned a setback to a great opportunity these last few years. But this has been cathartic for me, and hopefully useful for you!

Happy New Year for 2020.