The Niche to Nowhere

Abstract

We are gradually letting an incredible opportunity slip through
our fingers. Mentally, top management has relegated energy managers
to the catacombs. And we have let them.
In our industry, the word “manager,” as it pertains to energy, has
become almost meaningless. How much management responsibility
does the energy manager have in most organizations? How often does
the energy manager sit at the management table?
Can you visualize the energy manager climbing the corporate lad-
der to be the next CEo? Unfortunately, we can easily paraphrase that
old song about not letting our kids grow up to be cowboys by caution-
ing them not to become energy managers. There is just no future in it. It
is a niche to nowhere.
The implications of having the energy manager in this dead-end-
job are huge. It has an impact on our industry, our energy future, and
even our political perceptions.