Event Overview
Today’s energy landscape demands innovation at an unprecedented pace and scale. Uncertainty increases the need for innovation. The uncertainty in policy, market and consumer preference means now more than ever, the natural gas industry needs innovation. As an established industry challenged by rapidly shifting stakeholder expectations and markets, your company must transform through innovation. Leading Today’s Workforce with Innovation will help break down common barriers to innovation and build the rituals, habits and culture that allow innovation to flourish in your department or organization. The class and workshop will tackle hard issues head-on such as creating an innovative culture by design with lots of practical techniques. The class will help you and your organization rethink how you can enable innovation on a day-to-day basis and drive lasting change. You don’t need to outsource or layer on millennials to drive innovation; this class will teach you a system-level way to encourage and enable the average employee to think and act beyond the status quo.
Attendees will receive 4 Professional Development Hours (PDH) upon completion.
Key Benefits
- Create your personal innovation leadership plan
- Learn to lead the creation of an innovative culture within your organization and empower your employees to sustain it
- Become skilled at identifying, prioritizing, resourcing and commercializing innovation opportunities
- Create the behaviors and incentives that foster innovation in your organization
- Acquire tools and techniques for effectively leading and motivating innovators
Learning Objectives
At the end of this class and workshop, you will:
- Define specific behaviors that enable innovation
- Understand the “shadow strategy” that institutionalize inertia
- Learn how to change people’s habits through a series of interventions
- Ensure new habits stick and scale via the use of BEANs: behavior enablers, artifacts and nudges
- Learn practical tips and tools to help you drive culture change
- Practice the phases of innovation in a real-life example:
- Discovery
- Blueprinting
- Assessing and testing
- Moving Forward
- Apply best practices to your own organization
- Obtain reference material via the culture of innovation bookshelf
Who Should Attend
- Senior executives, division presidents, vice presidents and directors who are ready to challenge traditional approaches to innovation
- Department heads who initiate, drive and lead innovation strategies in their organizations
- Multiple participants from the same organization who share innovation responsibilities
Meet Your Instructors
Suzanne Ogle
President & CEO
Southern Gas Association
Suzanne Ogle is President and CEO of the Southern Gas Association. As CEO she helps SGA members overcome the challenges, they face operating in the natural gas industry and navigating public perception. With her entrepreneurial mindset and wide range of experience across the natural gas value chain from service, to exploration and production, midstream and transmission she focuses on business process, optimization and effective communication to prepare the SGA members for resilience and innovation in an industry in transition.
Suzanne is an Accredited Public Relations and Certified Investor Relations professional. She holds an Advanced Marketing certificate from Southern Methodist University, as well as Finance Management, Business Analytics and Change Management certificates from Cornell University and an Executive Leadership for Energy Professionals certificate from the University of Houston. She received a Master of Education in educational psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in business marketing from California Lutheran University.
Cindy Mitchell
Vice President of Operations
Southern Gas Association
Cindy Mitchell serves as vice president of operations for the Southern Gas Association (SGA), where she manages the day-to-day functions of the organization. Prior to joining SGA, Cindy spent 20 years of her first career as a county official for Denton County, Texas. When elected, Cindy was the youngest elected county clerk in Texas, serving the 9th most populous county in the United States. She has served in leadership roles within state associations and the National Association of Counties nationwide.
Upon retiring from the local government, Cindy transitioned into leadership development training and coaching for both local governments and the gas industry, leading her to SGA. “When I was elected, I found that people presenting to me had such limited interest, and it was never mine or my constituents. I will always have a heart for local government officials, and equipping leaders is a passion of mine,” Cindy said, “To be able to offer solutions to local leaders is especially gratifying.” When not working to advance the energy industry, you may find her traveling, spending time with family, or entertaining friends.
