Episode 40: Zoë Gamble

#Cleantechers – My most recent Scaling Clean guest is a rare, career-long cleantecher. Zoe Gamble is a lawyer-turned-CEO who now serves as President of CleanChoice Energy, founded by my long-time buddy, Tom Matzzie. But this isn’t her first time leading a company. Zoe already served as CEO of Pine Gate Renewables, where she grew the company from 8 to 86 employees in just two years. I think you’ll find her a wealth of management experience. Here are her B3P’s: 5:07 - Don’t overlook the small details early in a career. These "little things" tend to grow in significance over time. Being meticulous and attentive to the small stuff builds a strong foundation, because unresolved minor issues can become major problems later in your career. 13:17 - When life gets hard, especially at work, our instinct is to jump in and fix things right away. But that’s often not the best approach. Instead, we need to slow down, be still, and pay attention in a new way, because the same thinking that got us into a tough situation won’t help us find a better way out. 15:13 - Your current experience of life is shaped by the future you're imagining. For example, if you know you're about to leave for a fun vacation, you'll feel differently in the moment than if you're about to head into a stressful meeting, even though neither event is happening yet. Feeling successful comes from having a clear, self-created vision for the future. 18:58 - When you are inheriting a leadership team as a new CEO, take the time to truly understand what someone is capable of and what they are genuinely committed to. The people who helped build the company to its current stage may not be the right ones to lead it into the future. Their past contributions should be honored, but reaching new goals may require a different team or approach. Thanks for coming on the show, Zoe.