I think about what is required to be successful in energy from an innovator’s, or entrepreneur’s perspective. And the principle applies to many other sectors. When you see a problem that people need a solution to, and you have a solution to that problem, sometimes it’s better not to see all the hurdles to delivery or else some wouldn’t dare.

Making remote teams work, who are not familiar with each other, requires a more considered and structured nurturing approach to get the best out of the people and the time. It might feel as though you're injecting more formality than you’d like when you start out, but the objective is to set the norms for how the group interacts, and the structure should become a supporting framework rather than a cage.

According to a number of studies, the no.1 reason for start-ups failing is because they fail to achieve product market fit. A primary cause for this occurring can be groupthink. When does alignment become groupthink, and how can a team or leader sense check, and ensure they’re not missing the target because team agreement has unintentionally become the priority?

How a team behaves toward each other will inevitably be reflected in the way they treat external stakeholders; customers, partners, investors. If the team is treated with contempt, then that attitude will spill over to become the company brand. And then even the most dominant brands become short-lived.

Sustainability is not a static state. We cannot “achieve” it someday like winning a race. It is ephemeral and we must constantly pursue it.

How do you reinforce brand values and norms when you take away all social reinforcement that comes with working together in person?