Candice Shultz ’24

It’s a dynamic time to be working in the oil and gas industry. People are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact and how they use energy and fuel. It’s created a greater demand for energy to be clean, affordable, and reliable, which has created a big business opportunity for our industry. I wanted to develop broader business skills to participate in this transition. Yale SOM’s program lets me continue working in a role that I’m passionate about while learning new perspectives, and then applying what I’ve learned back in the workplace.

I’ve taken a number of very impactful courses. One highlight was Global Network Week. Our course was Sustainable Leadership: The Rainforest Perspective, Tapajos Expedition, offered through FGV EAESP in São Paulo, Brazil.  My perspective on sustainability really changed. In Brazil I saw firsthand the importance of designing projects that can lead to continuous, ongoing benefits for both business and society instead of focusing on a finite solution and then moving on.

There have been many lessons from the program that I’ve implemented directly into my role. Overall, I’ve seen my business acumen improve most by being able to better participate in cross-function business conversations and activate more diversity of thought. One example was when we hosted a workshop for our leadership team focused on the “common knowledge problem.” The workshop explored how we spend too much time in meetings discussing information that’s common knowledge among employees, rather than focusing on the unique information and approaches that different teams can contribute. It was a great way to share knowledge from the EMBA program with people across my organization.