The danger of inertia

In business, uncertainty often tempts leaders to wait. To hold steady until the fog clears. But in today’s energy sector, standing still is the most dangerous move of all.

The transition ahead is frequently described as a once-in-a-century shift. It will create winners and losers, reshaping the industry for decades to come. Those who act with clarity and conviction will tap into enormous new markets – from renewables to electrification to digital energy services. Those who delay will not only fall behind, but risk irrelevance altogether.

Inertia doesn’t mean maintaining stability. It means steadily losing relevance, market share, and value, until collapse becomes a very real possibility.

Repositioning is not a marketing exercise. It’s the moment you stop describing what you were and start showing who you are becoming.

Consistency is forward motion

Too often, brand is dismissed as “surface” or a coat of paint. In reality, brand is a compass, defining your direction when the future is foggy.

Consistency is not about holding steady, it’s about moving forward with intent. It’s the difference between being reactive and being deliberate. And it’s what allows your people, customers, and investors to trust that you can deliver stability today, while building resilience for tomorrow.

Leaders who cut back on brand or culture in tough times don’t create stability; they create fragility. The companies that emerge stronger are those that keep moving – resetting where necessary but never standing still.

The real cost of inertia

Investors are rewarding businesses with credible transition strategies and penalizing those that can’t show a clear future role. For companies that fail to reposition, the cost of capital rises, equity premiums shrink, and stranded assets loom large.

The biggest risk energy brands make now is assuming there’s more time. In reality, every year of hesitation makes it harder to catch up. Rivals that act boldly secure market share, investor trust, and talent ahead of you. Those who wait are overtaken. The cautionary tales of Kodak and Blockbuster show how quickly relevance can evaporate when transformation is delayed.

Lessons from those who moved

We don’t have to look far to see the power of repositioning. The past few years have shown that being bold pays off.

Equinor dropped its “Statoil” name to shed fossil associations. Shell and TotalEnergies reframed themselves as multi-energy providers, embracing renewables, hydrogen and EV charging.

The same pattern is visible beyond oil and gas.

When Statkraft redefined its vision to “Renew the way the world is powered”, it wasn’t just a slogan. It was a deliberate shift that aligned 5,000 employees across 12 countries, reset market expectations, and gave the company a clearer role in the global transition.

When Höegh LNG became Höegh Evi, it symbolized more than a name change. It was an evolution – an explicit embrace of both LNG’s continuing role in energy security and the company’s ambition to pioneer clean molecules. The brand positioning, “The vital link to secure transition”, captured both the reality of today and the promise of tomorrow.

And when Relevate Power relaunched with a new identity, it wasn’t about aesthetics. It was about credibility. A brand that once felt “small and scrappy” was elevated to reflect its true ambition, helping secure future investment and accelerating growth.

Each case underlines the same point: repositioning is not cosmetic. It’s catalytic.

Moving with intent

Rebranding, when done right, acts as a contract. Stakeholders no longer trust promises alone; they want proof. That means evidence of change, whether through investment in new technologies, visible cultural shifts, or transparent reporting on progress.

Ørsted’s transformation away from fossil fuels is a prime example. Its leadership faced “broad and profound” internal skepticism, but overcame it by clearly explaining market realities, inspiring employees with a new mission, and backing every word with action. By controlling the narrative, they turned the story from “legacy polluter under threat” into “innovator leading the new energy age.”

This is the real role of brand: not a logo or a strapline, but a mechanism to align people, mobilize change, and communicate with credibility.

From future vision to present action

The strongest repositionings start with the future. Ask: What do we want to be known for in 2035? What role will we play in society, in energy systems, in people’s lives? With that destination clear, leaders can work backwards to define the brand signals, commitments and behaviors needed today to build credibility.

Five questions to ask before you reposition:

1. Vision – Does your brand articulate the future you’re building toward?
2. Relevance – Is it clear why you matter to employees, customers, and investors?
3. Clarity – Can stakeholders explain what you stand for in a single sentence?
4. Proof – Are you ready to back up the promise with tangible actions?
5. Consistency – Will you keep moving in this direction, not just launch and leave it?

The transition will not wait. Markets are moving, investors are watching, and talent is choosing where they want to build their futures. Standing still is an invitation to be left behind.

The future is already in motion. The only question is: will your brand move with it?