Led by industry expert and licensed psychologist Dr. Roy Rhodes, the newly assembled crew of Rig 129 had the opportunity to learn techniques to work together more productively and be introduced to the culture of a new customer through a recent team building program. “We use these opportunities to communicate goals, objectives and expectations” says Kathy Willingham, Vice President of HR and HSE. “This forum allows the crew members to identify key objectives from our customer and establishes the groundwork for a successful drilling operation.”

Rhodes, an experienced facilitator, has worked in the oil and gas industry for decades, most notably for Noble Energy, where he spearheaded a recruiting program and safety leadership initiatives. (There is even an offshore platform named after him!) Direct and to the point, Rhodes led the crew members through organizational realities and discussed the challenges that a new rig and drill site can face. “We want to set these guys up for success,” says Rhodes. “We have the opportunity to tackle specific business issues and challenges based on the tools and strategies discussed during this team building process.”

Contractor of Choice

For Cactus, educating employees on proper safety procedures is paramount. We also take this a step further with the quality of management, technology, and safety performance to become the contractor of choice for our customers. Rig 129 is drilling near Kingfisher, Oklahoma for new customer Felix Energy. “This is our third drill site, and we chose Cactus because we felt like it was the right fit,” says Bill Arnold, Vice President of Operations. “We have a like-minded culture of safety and efficiency.” For us at Cactus, efficiency is key, working within our limits to ensure safety and achievement to routinely attract new customers and retain our current business relationships.

These sessions “are loaded with lessons about problem solving, communication, and having confidence and respect for the task.” says Josh Simons. And the members aren’t the only ones who benefit. “Team building activities give management a better idea of how to work with the crew members and communicate better with them.”

Returning to a Bottom Line Focus

Superintendent Red Garner, in charge of several rigs including Rig 129, believes these meetings really help focus the new crew: “I am glad we have these team building exercises to open communication and allow everyone from the rig floor to the customer to ask questions and get excited about the new job.” When communication is open and the goals are clear, there is a much higher potential of success, says Rhodes. When there is a new customer and team members are potentially working a different job than before, it is important to set our employees up for success and ultimately provide them with the best working conditions, resulting in a satisfied customer that keeps us in business.

 Successful team building activities have a real impact on the functionality of a rig’s performance. “When we shift our focus to team building and customer satisfaction, that adds real bottom line value,” says Rhodes. This framework, and the understanding that each potential roadblock can be addressed through communication and teamwork, opens up new possibilities for dramatically achieving our customer’s expectations and more.