Success factors in the Energy Sector -especially for MBA/Engineers

From my two years in the consulting area for energy, I have occasionally tried to apply my limited experiences to advising fellow students/friends who might have questions/thoughts. While I certainly am no expert, this is better than nothing (assuming it's not nonsense).


The success factors in energy especially at bp/shell/something is a appreciation of learning from a system and understanding nuances and relationships, not being too radical unless necessary -especially being very "outwardly looking" slow or dumb. 


Sometimes, to to a layman, work at BP or Exxon as an engineer or business person is slow and all about risk mitigation and safety while doing your work but its bloody amazing when you step back and see the impact.

Some, myself included, do not (or sometimes did not) always have the patience/dedication to succeed in an environment like that - but for those that do, there is no sector that can appreciate this skill-set more.

Evolution and generational changes - the challenge of focus

Friends,
I face the puzzling dilemma of how to stay motivated to the specific tasks at hand given my vast and broad interests and goals.

(source: aiim knowledge center http://aiimknowledgecenter.typepad.com/weblog/2008/07/information-ove.html)

I am sure that contrary to popular belief, every generation faces this same challenge of a significantly increased level of information and access vis-a-vis the prior generation. I doubt that it is a function of a particular generation. I do think the scale if tremendously higher in the internet generation, given the many-fold increase in access; but the previous generations had the same impact from the airplanes, from the sea-faring vessels, from colonization, from the printing press and going back, from the invention of transportation mediums. There is a generational "error" or paradox that every single generation feels that they are significantly differentiated from the previous when it really is just the arrow of time.

As I was reading the Time Machine (HG Wells) on my iphone last week, I realized the depth of this realization - every generation perceives their improvements as paramountly different from prior changes. Yes, I am reading the book on my iPhone, but how did the first printing press created book make the process seem timelessly more able than this one?
Some thoughts to ponder on - if anyone has not read it, do browse at Sophie's World  - a brilliant philosophical book that paired with some of the innovative old scribes will make you think deep.

Now on the topic of focus, it's time for me to do just that and say adieu to musings and on to the real stuff