Communication Tools for Geoscience Team Leaders and Mentors (Compete for People, Part 2)

Effective communication is vital in effective geoscience teams. Without it, poor decisions are made and morale slips, and individuals start looking for different opportunities. Leaders and mentors can increase their impact on retention of talent by engaging professionals in focused conversations. The purpose is to get beyond the short-term and think into the future. Join us for an AAPG E-Symposium on May 17 at 10 am.

These Essential Conversations are low tech, high touch in-depth and long-term. They lay the foundation for key retention factors:

• Value-based, long-term career goals
• Improved job fit and increased job satisfaction
• Higher levels of personal performance
• Increased power and influence through enhanced networking
• Anticipation of the future through personal scenario planning
• The conversations can also catalyze the discovery of hidden talents

This seminar describes these conversations as a series of questions to be explored: What defines you? What drives you? How large is your network? Can you access everything you need? How are you positioned? What is your creative domain? What is your Plan B? … and Plan C? These are questions that only need to be answered once. The answers do not become obsolete. But they need to be explored in some depth. It is a long-term investment by all parties; just as retention is a long-term issue. The conversations are also the basis for a final critical retention ingredient…mutual trust. The expense of time and effort will pay off, and is certainly preferable to the high cost of attrition.

Key Words and Concepts:

• Essential Conversations
• Value-based, Need-driven Career Goals
• What Drives You?
• Job Fit
• Networking as a Source of Power and Influence
• Positioning Professionals
• Creative Domain
• Managing Transition and Uncertainty
• Personal Scenario Planning
• Personal Career Profile
• Low-Tech, High Touch, In-Depth, Long-Term

Audience: Geoscience managers, leaders and mentors; geoscience professionals who have a stake in retention of top talent. This program will prepare leaders and mentors to retain top geoscience talent in the face of a looming technical talent shortage. It puts the tools for retention in the hands of those closest to the problem and most likely to affect the outcome.

Bio: Dr. Kenneth F. “Frank” Wantland earned MS and PhD degrees in Geology from Rice University and a BS in Geology from the University of Cincinnati. He managed the geologic research group and was Director of Technical Human Resources for Cities Service Oil Company, and served as Director of the School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Oklahoma. He has over thirty years’ experience managing and coaching geoscientists. He wrote nearly 100 columns for the AAPG Explorer on change transition and career self-management. He is currently a Leadership and Career Coach living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This year Frank will present papers on retention of talent at both the SWS Convention in Fort Worth and the GCAGS Convention in Austin.

Structure of the E-Symposium

Each e-symposium consists of one-hour live e-symposium, along with material for one full day of independent study.

The live portion will be followed by a full day of independent study (not a live event). The one-hour live e-symposium can be accessed from any computer anywhere in the world using a high-speed internet connection. After the event is over, you will receive via email information about accessing the asynchronous segment (not live) which consists of your independent study materials, to be accessed and studied at any time. You will be able to email responses to the readings, along with your study question answers for CEU credit (if you sign up for the extended package).

Cost: $75 for AAPG members
$95 for non-members

EXTENDED CEU OPTION
$100 for AAPG members
$145 for non-members