Jane Stricker

In a way, Jane Stricker has found her life’s work to be like riding a bicycle.

“My cycling coach told me that the key to improving on the bike was to get comfortable with the uncomfortable—push past the known limits and get used to the feeling of that stretch,” she said. “Having a great career requires the same.” 

That means accepting big tasks. Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, BP agreed to improve safety protocols in its settlement with the U.S. government. The company tapped Stricker to oversee the effort.

It would take five years and over 20,000 pages of documentation, examined by two federal auditors and a federal monitor, to demonstrate improved processes and programs in support of safety and compliance for the company’s U.S. operations. Its completion was a milestone for BP and another mission accomplished for Stricker.

“Don’t shy away from roles that are not in your core discipline,” she advises young professionals. “My best career opportunities and experiences came from taking on roles that I didn’t know existed and weren’t in my core discipline. Don’t let imposter syndrome or fears of failure stop you.”

Among the best pieces of advice Stricker received from mentors were:

• Work hard and take responsibility for mistakes.
• See the big picture and the importance of excellence in execution.
• Empathy, humility and vulnerability are important in leadership. Be a servant leader.

But the advice that had the most lasting effect came from closer to home.

“The best career advice I ever received was from my father, who told me, ‘All things being equal, take the job that makes you happy. The rest will work itself out,’” she said. “It has allowed me to build a truly interesting and exciting career and take on roles I never would have imagined.”

As a graduate student, Stricker completed an independent study with a professor, Gerard Egan, who authored “Working the Shadow Side: A guide to Positive Behind-the-Scenes Management.”

“Reading that book and understanding the insights alongside the author helped shape my business and leadership style,” she said. “I learned the importance of collaborating, leveraging other’s strengths, and understanding their style and preferences to achieve alignment and move issues forward. It has greatly influenced my approach to business leadership.”

The challenges facing women in oil and gas are much like the challenges women have faced over the last two decades in many industries, she said, including barriers to growth and development opportunities; difficulty finding sponsors and supporters with influence; limited self-confidence; and lack of recognition for outstanding performance.

“These are all things that could have held me back, but instead, they continued to give me a reason to work harder, respectfully challenge false thinking or poor leadership when appropriate, seek out great leaders and build meaningful relationships built on care and trust,” Stricker said. “When I realized that keeping my head down and just working harder wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to be, I sought out the people, skills and opportunities that would allow me to grow and lead. A willingness to step into new roles, but also to humbly seek help from others to learn, became the key to overcoming those challenges.”

In her current role at the Greater Houston Partnership, she is building her own team of professionals to help her develop and implement the Houston Energy Transition Initiative strategy.

“Building that team was a key milestone for me in my career,” Stricker said. “And each one of my team members has the potential to create significant impact over the course of their career.  I love having the opportunity to guide them and prepare them for their place as leaders in our industry.”

Check out the rest of Hart Energy's 2024 Women in Energy here.