Here at AC Power, our work is guided by our Grounders, a collection of 30 values and guiding behaviors we practice every day to support our mission. At the start of each week, we highlight one Grounder, encouraging our staff to reflect on it. You can follow along with us on Instagram, where we post a new Grounder every Monday!
These values underpin how we show up and work together, ensuring we're all in sync and putting our best foot forward. This week, some team members picked a Grounder that resonates with their current work and shared their perspectives on how they embody these values.
Which ones stand out to you? Are there any you see yourself incorporating into your mindset—or have already? Let us know in the comments!
Make Quality Personal
Take pride in the quality of everything you touch and everything you do. Always ask yourself, “Is this my best work?” Everything you touch is a statement of your integrity and has your signature. Sign in bold ink and make sure it’s a statement of excellence.
Ensuring that I always present the best possible version of my work makes me proud and confident in what I do. I want my name to be associated with quality so people can trust my work without needing to double-check it. Making quality personal builds trust with peers and clients. I feel secure knowing I can trust my peers' work because they also make quality personal, creating a positive feedback loop where no one feels overburdened. – Isadora Muszkat, Senior Business Development Analyst
Do It Right the First Time
The goal is to get things right, not simply to get them done. While we always want to work with a sense of urgency, sometimes we need to slow down in order to speed up. Double-check your work. Taking the time to get it done right the first time will always save time in the long run.
Quality is particularly important to me, and even though it's tempting to do things 'good enough,' I push myself to chase excellence. I believe a quality product might take longer to produce, but it leaves an indelible mark and makes you stand out as an individual, a team, and ultimately as an organization! – Kinshuk Sharma, Director of Project Development
We Don't Have Problems, Only Opportunities
What others call problems, we call opportunities. Every so-called “problem” has within it the seeds of a valuable lesson. We take advantage of these lessons to grow into a better, smarter, and more effective team. In fact, the greater the challenge, the bigger the opportunity for growth.
Navigating the development of our solar projects can be challenging, full of twists and turns. Every new problem is an opportunity to do things better than before. We strive to work proactively and learn from both our successes and failures, better equipping us to handle whatever new challenges come our way. – Paul Foster, Director of Development Engineering
Use the Science to Make Art
Make decisions by relying on facts and data, and the reality in which a project will live, but understand that this is an ever-evolving market. No two projects are alike no matter how similar they look on paper. Be sure to also consider unquantifiable data and personal experience. Use the data but add your responsible flourish when working on a project.
Developing a brownfield solar project requires using science and data to inform our designs and permitting actions. However, development is rarely black and white because solar development varies from state to state and even between counties in the same state. We must be comfortable working within the gray space, making “art” by employing our technical expertise. – Kyle Miller, Chief Strategy Officer
Practice Blameless Problem Solving
Apply your creativity and enthusiasm to developing solutions, rather than pointing fingers or dwelling on problems. Identify lessons learned and use those lessons to strengthen the team, and to improve ourselves and our processes so we don’t make the same mistake twice. Get smarter with every mistake. Learn from every experience.
They don’t call it the “Solar Coaster” for nothing. The AC Power team faces complex challenges daily at all stages of the development cycle—from business development to project construction. We cheer for each other during triumphs, but more importantly, we navigate tough times together. Knowing your coworkers have your back allows our team to maintain a forward-looking, can-do attitude, delivering best-in-class results for our clients. – Jake Hirsch, General Counsel
Maintain a Healthy Work/Life Balance
Stay happier, healthier, and more productive by balancing your time between work, family life, emotional/spiritual development, community activities, and physical fitness. Be a lifetime learner outside of work. Growth only happens when we stretch.
I like this Grounder because it recognizes and reinforces that we all have lives outside of work with different commitments and pressures. It allows for true “after-hours” enjoyment. – Colleen Kokas, Senior Director of Real Estate & Redevelopment
Assume Positive Intent
Work from the assumption that people are good, and that the intent behind their actions is positive. Set aside your own judgments and biases, give people the benefit of the doubt. Likewise, act from a place of positive intent.
I love this Grounder for work and life in general. When things go wrong, it's easy to think everything and everyone is making your life harder. In reality, no one knows everything you're dealing with, and you don't know what others are facing. Most of the time, everyone is just trying their best. – Jennifer McClung, Senior Director of Operations
Embrace Change and Growth
Solar development is art as much as science. Get outside your comfort zone, rather than stubbornly hanging on to old ways of doing things. Encourage and expect healthy and vigorous debate. Respectful, constructive conflict is vital to our company’s health. Be excited by the possibilities that change and growth bring. Be flexible.
This grounding behavior resonates with me and PD. No two sites or projects are alike; each has its own set of existing conditions, facts, and data that we must review, analyze, interpret, and assess creatively to determine the path forward and to NTP. Each project is a new puzzle and requires creativity. – Gina Wolfman, Senior Director of Project Development
Be Passionate and Positive
Your attitude is contagious. Spread joy, passion, optimism, and positive energy. Demonstrate your passion and embody that we are a mission-driven company. Make the most of each day by approaching every task with energy, focus, purpose, and enthusiasm. Keep your foot on the gas.
It's easy to be passionate about work on a micro and macro level when our mission is so inspiring. Passion drives us to embrace challenges, generate innovative ideas, think creatively, and consistently deliver our best. Our collective passion for sustainability ignites a spark that propels me forward and inspires our team to excel. Combining passion with positivity creates an unbeatable team dynamic. Positivity transforms setbacks into growth opportunities, keeps a cheerful atmosphere, and fosters a supportive work environment. I always strive to bring passion and positivity to the office to cultivate a productive and vibrant environment—one where everyone is motivated to succeed and enjoys the journey. – Chelsea Moore, Senior Business Development Analyst
Be Curious, Ask Questions
In the search for the best solutions, challenge and question what you don’t understand. The quality of the information you get is directly related to the quality of the questions you ask. Be interested in understanding another party’s point of view. Listen to hear, don’t just wait to respond.
I love this Grounder because it puts a positive spin on the old saying, "there are no dumb questions.” Displaying curiosity and asking questions show that you're actively listening, interested in others’ perspectives and expertise, brave enough to admit what you don’t yet understand, and committed to understanding challenges, solving problems, and collaborating. This builds trust, which I think is the cornerstone of a healthy workplace and thriving community. – Tina Carr, Community Engagement Liaison
Celebrate Success and Show Gratitude
Recognizing people doing things right is more effective than pointing out when they do things wrong. Regularly extend meaningful acknowledgement and appreciation – in all directions throughout the company. Use the #GettingStuffDone Teams channel generously!
Celebrating success and showing gratitude is one of the easiest ways to let your team know you care about them and their work. We all work closely together, and each project that moves forward is a win for everyone. The ways we celebrate our success and show gratitude make AC Power such a wonderful place to work. – Daniela Ramirez, Business Development Analyst
Have Each Other's Back
We each play important roles in the interdependent chain of tasks required to meet our goals. Be there for each other and willing to help when that’s what’s required to get the job done. Help each other succeed. Set up the next person in the chain for success by producing quality work. We win and lose as a team.
At the end of the day, we’re all here because we share a vision of what our world could look like. Having this unifying ethos means being in each other’s corner, no matter what comes our way. The work we do is bigger than any one of us, and we only accomplish what we do by bringing our best selves to the table and picking each other up when we’re down. – Alex Bazeley, Marketing Manager
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