No matter how long you’ve been a leader, you can always gain valuable insights from reading books. Whether these books are specific to the oil and gas industry or simply seek to impart wisdom on leadership and strategy, an article on Business News Daily notes reading’s multiple benefits for your career. To start, reading expands your vocabulary and intelligence, allowing you to communicate more effectively and navigate complex scenarios in the workplace. Research also shows that leaders who read often can better empathize, which is especially crucial in an industry as diverse and wide-reaching as that of oil and gas.
The good news is, even if you’re not the type to carry a hardbound or paperback when conducting daily business, books now come in digital and audio formats for greater ease and convenience. Everand’s subscription service provides leaders and professionals access to an extensive library of ebooks, audiobooks, and other online resources. Instead of buying each book individually, multiple works about the industry’s history, trends, and thought leaders can be read wherever you go. In this light, here are the top book recommendations that can help you thrive and advance in the oil and gas industry.
Determined to Lead by Nada Ahmed
If you’re a female professional in the male-dominated oil and gas industry, it helps to hear the insights of powerful women who paved their way despite all the barriers placed before them. One such woman is Nada Ahmed, author of Determined to Lead, a book that intends to guide female leaders and professionals through navigating the gendered struggles in the offshore oil, gas, and maritime industry. Nada draws her insights from her own experiences with self-doubt, microaggressions, and male-dominated environments — ultimately inspiring female readers to embrace their femininity and remain resilient throughout their personal and professional journeys.
The Creativity Leap by Natalie Nixon
Another female author whose work is worth reading is Natalie Nixon, a thought leader, global keynote speaker, and president of the organization Figure 8 Thinking. As a creativity strategist, Nixon’s award-winning book, The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation and Intuition at Work, focuses on creativity not just in artistic terms but also as an essential component of business-oriented industries like oil and gas. The book encourages you to tap into your creativity as a tool for innovative thinking and substantial business outcomes by featuring interviews from other fields like farming, plumbing, medicine, and technology.
Bits, Bytes, and Barrels by Geoffrey Cann and Rachel Goydan
Moving onto industry-specific reads, you can’t miss out on learning about the digital solutions being integrated into oil and gas operations to drive greater efficiency and business growth. Such is the central theme of Bits, Bytes, and Barrels, which sheds light on the latest trends that facilitate digital transformation and help the oil and gas industry catch up to other fully digitized industries. Expect to see topics on the Internet of Things (IoT) and sensors that enhance data transfers between equipment, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning that help analyze reservoirs and customize drilling systems.
Oil 101 by Morgan Downey
Lastly, you can never go wrong with Oil 101 by Morgan Downey, which essentially acts as a primer on the oil industry — from its history and chemistry, to its supply chains and drivers of demand. Since Downey has been recognized as one of the oil market experts, the book will also aid in your understanding of market forces, price trends, and where the global wholesale industry is headed.
As these ebooks and audiobooks serve as a springboard for honing your business acumen and transforming your overall mindset, remember to expand your horizons by also exploring long-form articles and features. Thus, consider subscribing to OILWOMAN Today’s monthly newsletter to receive the latest business news, events, and trends directly in your inbox.
