Woodside Energy chief Meg OâNeill says âbe true to yourselfâ to be a great leader
Leaders need to âbe the best versionâ of themselves and take on new challenges, the boss of Australiaâs biggest oil and gas business says.
Woodside Energy chief executive Meg OâNeill has led the company in a time of big change â a huge merger deal with BHPâs petroleum division, a major project in Australiaâs North West, and hot debate about the national energy transition.
The $47 billion business has also made huge investments into the US in recent months.
Ms OâNeill told The Nightly her top leadership lesson had been to âbe the best version of yourselfâ.
âItâs easy to look at another leader and admire what they do â but at the end of the day, each person in a leadership role is there because of their unique attributes,â she said.
âSo learn from others, fine tune your style, but be true to yourself.â
Her advice for future leaders was to jump at opportunities.
âOne key to career success is being willing to take on new challenges, and say âyesâ to opportunity,â she said.
âAdditionally, it is important to be self-aware, and have the ability to recognise and learn from mistakes.â
Woodside is developing a massive gas project off the coast of WAâs Pilbara region linking the Scarborough offshore reserves to a new processing plant at Pluto, near Karratha. The cost is about $19b.
But Scarborough â and many other projects â has hit plenty of hurdles. Environmentalists have concerns about the industryâs impact on the climate as exporting of gas accounts for about 8 per cent of national carbon emissions.
That has played out in a series of high-profile court battles and appeals to the approvals process.
Ms OâNeill keeps on top of changing sentiment by reading local publications, and with the support of Woodsideâs external environment team assessing trends in politics and the economy.
âI also find it personally valuable to spend time with people with divergent views, to ensure I donât get caught in one perspective of how the world might evolve.â she said.
Bringing people together and openness to new information were among the skills of a great leader, Ms OâNeill said.
She said creating space for debate enabled people to speak up.
âThe final element (of being a great leader) is the ability to make risk-based decisions with conviction and confidence, and communicate those decisions effectively to the organisation and external stakeholders,â she said.
When sheâs not leading a team of thousands, Ms OâNeill says she likes to get outdoors to unwind.
âI like to get outside and go for a walk or a bike ride or take some exercise,â she said
âI find fresh air is the best way to decompress and leave the stresses of the job behind so I can mentally reset to enjoy time with my family.â
#Woodside #Energy #chief #Meg #ONeill #true #great #leader