Noted energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens will deliver the keynote address at PMI Global Congress 2009—North America, 10-13 October in Orlando, Florida, USA, one of the world’s largest and most significant events for project practitioners.

Mr. Pickens rose to prominence in the oil industry as the founder of Mesa Petroleum, the largest independent oil company in the United States.

He later became one of the most successful investment fund operators as founder and chair of BP Capital Management, which oversees $4 billion. He is the author of The First Billion is the Hardest.

Recently, Mr. Pickens has become a strong advocate of alternative energy technologies, particularly wind and solar. His efforts to fund and spur these energy sources have been at the forefront of the push for sustainable power. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of its “100 Most Influential People.”

Global congress attendees will have the opportunity to hear Mr. Pickens discuss a variety of topics, such as alternative energy, project management, leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation.

In a recent conversation with PMI, Mr. Pickens shared some of these insights, including:

The Necessity of Alternative Energy

There is no question that we are going to have to use renewable energy, both wind and solar. These are going to happen. Prices get higher as supply is strained and there is an increased demand. Prices may run off scale. We are already feeling the effects of drastically reduced supplies, such as oil, and they will reduce more over time.

Alternative Energy Growth

… I think renewable energy is here to stay. There is an opportunity to make money and develop new products in the sector. If we get 200,000 megawatts going in the Great Plains, it is unbelievable what it would do for the economy, jobs and taxes in the small and mid-sized communities that have lost population over the past several decades. It can all be done with the right leadership.

Project Management

You have to express authority. You can’t just tell everyone to go do their best and then sit back. You are in a role where you can direct. A great part of my career as an entrepreneur is that I am a team builder…

About one percent of the people I’ve hired have left for better projects or a better plan. Everyone else stays with me. There is always something exciting going on. My door is always open, and when the market has a bad day, we change the direction.  

On Hiring People

I look for someone with a good work ethic. Someone who doesn’t leave work early. Leaders shouldn’t be at the front or end of the food line. They should know their employees and not separate themselves from the people that they work with.

I have a system and this system works. If we think that something has come up better, then we change it. I love change and young people love change. If they change then they have a better chance of moving up.

More than 150 educational sessions are planned for PMI^® Global Congress 2009—North America, along with networking events, breakfast speakers and an exhibit hall filled with products and information useful to project professionals. For more information, visit the congress website.