Hart E&P shares reader feedback about the infamous Tiger Mike. (also, see our precious post)
Meanwhile BOE Senior VP Odd Finnestad recalls experiences with Mike-like characters offshore Norway:
For some reason I think there were many – and still are some – Tiger Mikes around in the business. I know they were here in Norway when our first field, the Ekofisk, was discovered by the “Ocean Viking” and later developed the field way back in the sixties. And when you would be sacked simply for having been clumsy enough to have had your fingers crushed by the makeup or breakout tongs. The comment of the ODECO supervisor would then probably be: “Five minutes for a smoke. Then you come back or you f…. jump on the first f…. helicopter!” He might even have added: “And, if you do, I don’t want to see your f…. face again!” well knowing that it was not really necessary for him to elaborate on the fate of the poor Norwegian roustabout that had just signed on for the good money!
You do not find so many of these supervisors in the offshore NCS today. But I think I can still see some – busily harassing employees in other types of oil and gas related organisations.
The Tiger Mikes of today are much more subtle. While they may say the right things (at least officially), their actions and offhand comments send other signals. They insist on making every decision, create an atmosphere where employees are afraid to raise safety concerns, and ignore warning signs that might delay operations and increase costs.
When things go wrong, the temptation for both operators and regulators is to be more like Tiger Mike – more memos, more prescription, and more approvals. While this approach may address certain technical or operational details that contributed to a specific accident, it does not address the fundamental leadership, organizational, and cultural shortcomings that must be corrected to improve operational performance and reduce safety and environmental risks.
Great organizations stimulate and harness employee energy and ingenuity such that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Similarly, great regulations foster organizational excellence on the part of both the regulated community and the regulator.
Don’t be like Mike!
BOE was cheering for the Netherlands and our good friends in the State Supervision of Mines, but it was not to be. Oh well, Rio is only 4 years away!
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 