Brock Niezgoda

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Brock Niezgoda recalls a high-stakes negotiation of a multimillion-dollar deal when the energy executives, lawyers and investment bankers took a break. “Some of the midstream and upstream guys from Louisiana started discussing hunting squirrels and the countless ways to cook squirrel meat,” he says. “The looks on the faces of some of the New York guys were priceless as some were clearly questioning whether or not they should be trusting these guys with millions of dollars of funding.” Such is the diversity of the energy industry that an M&A attorney like Niezgoda loves. “With the vast mix of players in the industry, I enjoy the role of being a lawyer as we get to facilitate transactions that involve all of these parties and help tie the various components (and personalities) together.”

What qualities do you think are necessary to be a good leader in the oil and gas industry?

I think good leaders in the oil and gas industry need to be steadfast in their core principles, but always willing to learn and evolve. Change is constant, particularly in the oil and gas industry, as we see with market conditions, technology advances, regulatory changes and other factors. Failure to recognize when change is necessary or beneficial is also a failure of leadership.

How have you exercised leadership to help shape your department and company?

I always strive to fight for the members of my team, but also recognize we’re part of a bigger firm and will always respect the decisions of senior leadership in our firm, even if I or other members of my team do not agree with that decision. In those scenarios, I will publicly stand behind the firm’s decision and promote it within my team. While we may not always agree, undermining the process and going against firm leadership only fosters dissension and ultimately undermines your ability to lead.

What advice would you give other young professionals?

My advice to young professionals in the energy industry is to always keep learning. When I finished school, I underappreciated how much continuing education would be necessary to be successful in my career. The energy industry, and particularly the law, is constantly changing and keeping up with those changes is necessary for success.

Which transformations do you think the industry must undertake for it to thrive in the future?

I think the most important thing the energy industry can undertake to thrive in the future is to educate the general public more about the industry. There is a lot of distrust and disdain for the industry, and I believe a lot of that stems from a lack of understanding of the industry. In addition to educating the public on what the energy industry is currently doing to evolve and transition, the industry should also be more aggressive in educating everyone on the current impact of the industry on our everyday lives and the negative impact certain drastic changes to the industry would have on both our economy and our day-to-day lives, particularly if we don’t have well planned and reasonable alternatives available.

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