“Accessible, clean, reliable, and affordable energy for all is fundamental for human prosperity and development. Without that, everything else - healthcare, infrastructure, education - is very difficult to provide. Affordable electricity is necessary to bring people out of poverty.” - Marek Kubik
Watch full interview now: https://youtu.be/txjP2tDKsjw.
In my latest interview for the School of Social Justice, I interview Marek Kubik, Managing Director of Fluence. Fluence is an energy storage company that had an initial public offering a few months ago. Its IPO raised just under a billion dollars. The company’s mission is to transform the way the world is powered. He trained as an engineer, and then become one of the founding members of a start-up that has grown to become a considerable player in its industry.
In this interview, Marek argues and reminds us that things which are not sustainable, are, by definition, unsustainable, and will eventually lead to the end. His passion and drive for his work is built on the belief that such efforts play a part in helping improve the longevity of the human race and prosperity. In his day-to-day, the values that drive him and his team are: 1. Leadership, 2. Responsibility, 3. Agility, and 4. Fun.
My two main lessons from this conversation are that: (i) We need to recognise, back, and invest in a variety of initiatives that can make our lives more sustainable, to protect the future of our planet; and, (ii) We should support those who have the technical know-how to develop innovative solutions that work, and provide opportunities for people who want to develop crucial deep-tech skills our society need.
Highlights:
- The leadership demands during the start-up phase versus the scale-up phase differs. As an organisation grows, leaders must grow, too.
- Listening to users, customers, and citizens is crucial to know what works and what doesn’t. When building things for people, sitting in an ivory tower removes you from opportunities for learning and improving.
- To succeed in something, you have to focus on that thing. Trying to do too many things means that you cannot have sufficient focus.
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Full interview available now:
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/txjP2tDKsjw
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0yciYTBsyit22USaPYPbPt
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Want more? Watch one of the other eight episodes out now:
- How to become a social justice leader | Wayne Caines MP shares advice for aspirational changemakers
- Advice from the daughter of a social justice warrior | Liana Nanang, Founder & CEO of Unstoried
- How words can stop climate change | Interview w/ award-winning investigative journalist, Emma Howard
- We have lost too many Mandelas and Gandhis | Utkarsh Amitabh (Author and CEO, Network Capital)
- We need real leaders who understand real people | Sarah Smith (Politician and Charity Leader)
- We are conditioned to believe that there's only one standard of beauty | Kat Tchernavskikh Interview
- Society and business in a post-colonial society | Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, Caribbean Business Leader
- Small things you can do to save the planet | Interview w/ Josephine Liang, Sustainability Campaigner
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Hope you enjoy the conversation, and learn as much as I did. And I hope that you are able to use the lessons to go on and change the world.
Alvin
Founding Director
schoolofsocialjustice.com