New API president plans to improve teamwork

API President Red Caveney [11,976 bytes]

Red Cavaney, who once headed the "Little API" in Washington, D.C., has graduated to the challenge of running the "Big API."

Cavaney, 54, was on the White House staffs of Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan before heading the American Paper Institute-then known by Washington lobbyists as the Little API- and its successor, the American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA).

He became president of the American Plastics Council in 1994 and last month was named American Petroleum Institute president, succeeding the retiring Charles DiBona.

Association Trends magazine named Cavaney its 1997 Association Executive of the Year for his work at APC.

Communications

Cavaney has three priorities during his first months at API: to meet with leaders of API member companies, with key congressmen, and with the heads of other associations and oil company offices in Washington.

He has spent much of his first month on the road, visiting CEOs of API member companies and those of former members.

"I've been asking them what they see as the major challenges the industry faces broadly and for their input on how they feel API could better serve their specific interests."

He said one "clear message" is that API and other industry associations ought to improve communications with each other and avoid duplication.

At "Little API," Cavaney oversaw the merger of three associations representing paper, solid wood, and forestry into the AFPA in order to "better coordinate policy and communications."

He said, "There was a period, during much of the 1980s and the latter part of the 1970s, where the tendency was for special interests to create associations for almost every little slice of the pie. You see the trend going the other way now.

"It is more and more important for industries and interests to ensure that they coordinate activities and speak with the same voice so as not to create confusion"

Directions

Cavaney hinted at several new directions API may take under his stewardship. "I think that the more effort that we make to identify challenges that are on the horizon--or just over the horizon, before they are right in front of us--the better prepared we will be to work pre-emptively to impact those challenges before they land in our laps.

"That requires you to think a little more offensively and a little less defensively. It also asks you to push consensus a little more aggressively. It's harder to get everyone to agree when you're looking at a problem that's not quite before you. Not everyone will agree when you're premise, but when you can act early, it's at less cost and you can position yourself much more constructively before positions polarize."

When he was APC president, Cavaney thought API could have been more cooperative with non-oil groups. "My approach is to push things further away from you so you can impact them earlier in the process. One of the ways you do that is to help other industries with their issues and ask them to watch for issues that might affect you.

"Looking at it from afar, I don't think API did as much of that as is now required by the changing scene."

He said CEos have told him the oil industry has made huge strides in the past decade on environmental issues and to be good neighbors but don't feel the industry has the public credit that is due.

Although earlier this year API rejected the proposal for a campaign to improve the industry's image (OGJ, Apr. 14, 1997, p. 38), Cavaney said members still think that should be a priority.

"We will want to look more broadly into the issue and figure how we can communicate (industry's achievements) to the public. That's a long-term project and can be just as successful without an advertising component."

Teamwork

Cavaney's management style is decidedly casual.

He has no need for a desk, only a countertop on which to place a computer.

"I'm a walk-around manager. I like to be involved and do things. In association business, a lot of times you're not in your office. You're sitting down in meetings. So when I get back to my office, I like to stand up."

He used a walkabout approach to meet the API staff. He visited offices at API's headquarters to meet employees "where they actually work."

Cavaney said, "I see my role here at API more as a coach than a quarterback. I ought to spend my time figuring out how to enable members of our staff to do their jobs by removing obstacles, improving clarity of goals, and such."

At APC, he eliminated rigid departments and created issue-oriented teams that were matched and aligned with business units of member companies.

"I feel very passionately about team building. That's the kind of thing I'd like to do around here. But before I go jumping to any conclusions, I want to better understand the culture of the industry and API's priorities.

"My best guess is that we'll end up with something that is different than API was in the past, but not a model of APC or anything else."

Learning curve

Cavaney admits he knows little about the oil and gas business.

"I'm a quick learner, but I don't need to be technically expert in all the issues. I need to understand the dynamic where public policy intersects with the operation of the industry...and how we can make it more positive for the industry.

"I've been very pleased about the quality of the API staff that I've encountered and the feedback that I've gotten from companies.

"One of the things that's been enjoyable is that I came to the oil industry knowing nothing about it, but people have gone out of their way to offer help so I can succeed on behalf of the industry and API.

"I've been in jobs before that when you knock on the door, nobody answers. That's not the case here."