I worked at CHK when AKM was at the helm and CHK was the fastest car on the race track. But we were a car that had no brakes. Speed was more important than anything else, including transparency,fiscal responsibility, personal accountability, and eventually common sense. But most of the management team (MR, MB, SD, ND, JF, MJ, SM, for example) made an excellent pit crew who did their best to keep the car on track and under control.
Doug Lawler inherited a nightmare, and from day one he’s been playing with a bent coin. Heads brings success - stability, measured growth, great relationships and reputation, and the satisfaction of contributing to society, national pride and the economy. Tails brings him heartache - legacy legal issues, sustained low commodity prices, a workforce suffering with PTSD, business arrangements on very unfavorable terms, and growing animosity towards him and his EC. But again, the coin Doug was given was bent, so it has come up tails a whole lot more than heads.
It’s a shame so much institutional knowledge has been lost. It would be hard to argue with the constant restructuring and loss of good leaders if it had made a difference in the health of the company. Can you imagine the positive effect it would have on morale if CHK brought back a few of the really good management personnel to help straighten that bent coin?