Networking is a big deal for success in Shell. It's a big, global company (you knew that, right?) which means getting things done often requires knowing the right people, even internally. And the company recognizes this and is explicit in encouraging us to meet each other, to broaden our networks.
It's also a fascinating time to be at Shell because the new direction from new CEO Vosser (officially took charge July 1) are beginning to trickle down. Oh, there's some musical chairs due to head count reductions, but mostly people are talking about the shift from concensus among super smart people to an edict to make decisions more quickly, with fewer people doing business with each other internally. Just read a few of the soundbites in the media these days: The strategy of "More upstream and more profitable downstream" continues but with new emphasis on execution through organizational simplicity and increased accountability. This is the stuff of corporate strategy - clear and concise statements of vision that will convey consistent meaning and direction throughout all levels of the organization. (Take Prof. Lacey's course on Org. Structure and Strategy to learn more, I highly recommend it). Everyone in Shell has a pretty good idea of what the new direction means for them; the only question is how far the change will go. Anyway, super cool to check in with the water cooler gossip.
OK, back to networking. I'm not a "natural networker" in the sense that it's not my first instinct. When I enter a crowded room, I'm not looking to find people I don't know or identify the person who looks the most powerful or flit from conversation to conversation to accumulate the most business cards. I'm more of a "natural networker" in the sense that I like to let networking occur naturally, during the flow of normal conversation and interaction. I don't like to push it. Perhaps that's why McKinsey and Co. shed me after the second round of interviews, saying they were sure I would be good at building long-term relationships but weren't sure I could "own the room" the instant I walked in. Maybe, but that's not networking and I can be an assertive leader oozing confidence when the time calls for it. But that's another story.
So my networking began before I got to Houston. Long story short, my wife is good friends with a guy's daughter and the guy works for Shell in Houston. So I ask my wife's friend whether her dad could help me find an apartment and her dad says I should just come live in their garage apartment. Well, turns out the house is in a phenomenal part of town, right on the light rail line, we work two offices away from each other, and the guy is basically one level below the top executive management echelons. So for the first month I ate breakfast with him every morning and we rode the light rail to work, with me soaking up knowledge all along the way. Now he's on assignment in Europe but we're still learning to kite board on the weekends when he comes home.
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