Most of our guests to date have led companies that develop renewable energy plants, sell cleantech equipment, or provide energy services. But today our guest is a pure play. She's a career-long investor who served in leadership positions at sequential investment funds, and she now serves as the co-founder and CEO of the DC-based Galway Sustainable Capital. Jennifer Von Bismarck's shop invests in companies, projects and assets that drive environmental and social resilience at the local level. I wanted to learn from Jennifer how a career in investment shaped her views on running a successful company.

As a lot of you know, we convene quarterly roundtables for podcasters, journalists, and investors in the cleantech space. Today, I get the privilege of talking to Tim Montague, who has achieved some serious milestones in his cleantech coverage.

This article was originally published on CleanTechnica.

#Cleantechers, Scaling Clean listeners know that we seek out clean economy CEOs for their lessons on building teams and running companies. All our guests to date have developed their leadership abilities by ascending a career ladder, and they’ve done that across several companies.

Today’s guest has instead learned his leadership lessons on the job, so to speak. Jesse Grossman founded Soltage LLC 17 years ago, and he’s led since then as Chairman and CEO. Soltage is a New Jersey-based utility-scale solar IPP company that was founded on the belief that capital cost shouldn’t stop the spread of solar.

In Miranda Ballentine, we have a CEO with “.com,” “.org” and “.gov” experience. Most know her as the head of the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA). But Miranda’s experience runs a gamut that includes stints as a sustainability director of Walmart, a consultant through David Gardner Associates, and as Air Force Assistant Secretary managing energy budgets for 170 military installations. She also was CEO of Toronto-based Constant Power that develops distributed energy projects.
 
If you are short on time, you can read the main conversation highlights below:

6:40 – Encourage your employees not to feel pressured to automatically accept a promotion. With any job change, people should ask themselves three questions:
1.  Which job allows me to make the greatest difference for my organization?
2.  Which job would allow me to have the most positive impact in the world?
3.  Which job is just going to be the most fun?
 
17:45 - In addition to developing the culture and vision of a company, a CEO needs to be adept at resourcing and problem solving. The more senior you get, the more complex problems you are expected to solve. It’s crucial to sharpen your ability to prioritize problems, outsourcing the smaller ones to managers whenever possible.
 
18:51 - Learn whether you are an entrepreneur or INTRApreneur. The two are different, and the intrapreneur’s skills of influencing, persuading, and moving big systems are crucial in the climate work of large, mature institutions.  
 
31:31 – When interviewing candidates, Miranda uses “hiring panels” drawn from a diverse cross-section within her organization. They give her a broader perspective on a job candidate. 
 
42:12 - Building a strong culture for your company is imperative, not a nice-to-have. You will see negative impacts if culture and cooperation are neglected.

You can listen to the full interview on Cleantech Leaders Roundtable's website or on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart Radio.

Kevin Smith, CEO of Lightsource bp, is one of the few people in cleantech who's led two major solar companies. Kevin’s a great interview in part because of the depth of his background: fossil fuels and renewables, Europe and the US, and experience in two different types of solar. Throughout it all, he's proven to be an impressive company builder who draws consistent praise from the people that work for him.

#Cleantechers, Tigercomm hosts/moderates three quarterly convenings of cleantech players. These groups of journalists, podcasters and investors bring fascinating perspectives that help us stay current on trends within clean energy.

Here's the latest Investors Roundtable, which we moderate in partnership with Cleantech Leaders Roundtable.

These folks are very smart and worth the time to hear. Thanks to our panelists Amy Francetic, Matt Cheney, Nancy Floyd and Dave Kirkpatrick. It was fun to talk with you.