Sean Barnes
Former VP, Corporate Operations
Nine Energy Service
Sean Barnes is a seasoned cross-functional leader with over 20 years of progressive experience in Digital Strategy, Leadership Development, Operational Excellence, HR, HSE, and ESG.
Over the years, Sean has had the opportunity to lead and be a part of the acquisition and integration of over 50 companies as well as going through two initial public offerings of oilfield services companies.
His passion and desire to blend aspects of Leadership Development with Operational Excellence led him to start The Way of The Wolf Podcast with a focus on building leaders and high performing teams capable of delivering results far above expectations.
Learn more about the Houston CIO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Expanding the scope of my role beyond IT was the result of needing more of a challenge in my career and wanting to help the business succeed. When an opportunity came up to start leading Human Resources as well, I jumped at it.
Stepping into a leadership role for a functional domain that you know nothing about can be scary, but it was just the challenge I needed. This change helped me learn more about the business and discover my passion for Leadership Development.
Over the years, the business has also given me the opportunity to lead the ESG, HSE, and DOT areas and I've learned that effective leadership is a skill that can be applied across all domains in business and in life.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Having a servant leadership style is crucial to the long-term success of your team and business.
With disruption being a key theme of the past few years, where do you see your role as an executive leader going in the next 1-2 years?
Having the ability to expand your reach of impact beyond just your team and increasing the effectiveness of all teams (in and out of your business) should be a priority.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in a similar role?
It will feel like you are drinking from a firehose at times, but trust your gut, check your ego, learn to communicate, and make sure you take care of your team.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I geek out on the topic of space and the universe.
- I started a podcast to force myself out of my comfort zone and help others grow.
- Fitness is a huge part of my life.
What is the value of joining an Evanta community?
The network of professionals that are part of the Evanta community are some of the best I have ever had a chance to encounter.
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