What Type Of Person Thrives In A Startup According To A Greentown Labs Program Director
Michela, a Director of Programs, highlights the importance of thriving "in ambiguity and in a fast-paced environment," possessing the ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively within a team, as key traits for success in the cleantech industry. The ability to manage one's own responsibilities and projects with minimal oversight is also crucial, as tasks are often "not quite formalized."
Ambiguity Tolerance, Independent Work, Teamwork, Project Management, Personal Responsibility
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michela Grunebaum
Director of Programs, Greentown Go
Greentown Labs
University of Vermont
N/A
Environmental & Related Sciences
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Thrive in ambiguity and fast-paced environments
2. Work independently and as part of a team
3. Enjoy a lot of responsibility and direction-setting
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
People who thrive in this industry are able to work with a lot of ambiguity and in a fast-paced environment. Sometimes, your tasks and role aren't formalized in a way they might be at bigger companies.
Because of this, you have a lot of direction and personal responsibility, which can be difficult if you struggle to work under those conditions. But if you can thrive in ambiguity, you can set your own responsibilities and projects. You can tweak things to make them as exciting as possible for you.
I think people who don't need much oversight but can work as a team also do well. Again, there's often a lot of ambiguity, but everyone is very collaborative. You're often working as a team, but then you need to complete different tasks and strategic priorities independently, then come back to the team with those done.
So, thriving in ambiguity and being able to thrive without much oversight are the two things I would call out.