Pivotal Moments
When you hear an idea stated simply, it sticks with you. It happened for me when I had the opportunity to hear Governor Deval Patrick speak to a gathering of business leaders in the spring of 2008. I wish I had better documentation of that morning, because what the Governor said that day changed the way I work. At first, the shift was gradual, but now, it is integral to who I am and how I approach the work I do.
The way I remember it, it was relatively early in the Governor’s first term, and he was getting to know a community that was eager to impact his agenda. It was also relatively early in my clean energy career, and I was feeling slightly sheepish being included at a breakfast of “leaders.” However, my then business partner and I decided to shelve any sense of imposter syndrome and take advantage of an opportunity to hear the Governor speak.
After his formal remarks, which laid out his comprehensive clean energy strategy, the Governor was taking questions. I cannot recall the question that prompted him, but I remember that this was what he said in response, “My door is open to any of you sitting here today. I am ready to talk to you, and I am ready to listen. But if you come to me with a problem, then I expect that the next sentence that comes out of your mouth is going to be your idea for a solution.”
Now, that may not be exactly how he phrased it, but it’s close. It struck me then and it has stayed with me ever since. I don’t think I’d ever heard the point made with such succinct clarity. It is easy to be the person who points to problems. It is better — and more satisfying — to be the person who brings solutions.
Problem solving resonates with me. As an undergrad, I studied architecture at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). No matter what your chosen medium, RISD’s program is focused on problem solving. Recognizing that creativity is borne out of constraint, RISD professors set tasks that require students to challenge assumptions (including their own) and to form solutions.
Freshman Foundation is the core program that all RISD students complete either as a full academic year or as a summer bootcamp for students who transfer in from other institutions. On the first day of my first three-dimensional design studio during my freshman year, I walked into a garage studio and encountered Ed Oates. Ed presented as a mischief-maker with a twinkle in his eye and a friendly smile somewhat hidden beneath a giant handlebar mustache. When he announced that our first project was that we had two weeks to build a violin made entirely out of one sheet of cardboard using no adhesive materials, only cuts and folds, and it had to be able to unfold as one contiguous piece of material, I admit that I thought he was joking. He was not.
In those two weeks, I learned that my solution would be unique to me and my interpretation of the constraints. I learned that my initial concept would look nothing like my final product. Most importantly, I learned that I could do it. I could find my path through the constraints to my own creative solution.
It’s been almost two full decades since I heard Deval Patrick challenge a room full of industry leaders to be solutions-makers. That expectation — to pair every problem with a solution — has become a guiding principle in my professional life. In the clean energy sector, I’ve seen that the most effective leaders foster solution-oriented collaboration, challenging teams and partners to bring forward not only critiques but also constructive ideas. The habits I formed at RISD and the charge I internalized from Governor Patrick continue to shape how I lead today: by creating space for concerns, pushing for practical and innovative answers, and building momentum toward shared goals. In every role, I strive to embody the discipline of moving from problem to solution, because that is what makes lasting change possible.
