Pipe up: It’s a competitive world

“I’ve worked in various industries from financial services to retail, but none have been as exciting as the energy sector.”

We’re all familiar with Darwin’s theory of evolution – if you are poorly adapted to your environment, you are less likely to survive. In 1859, when Darwin published On the Origin of Species this was true for plants and animals. Skip forward to present day, and we find ourselves applying the theory to capitalism and corporations.

The reason the theory can itself adapt to be relevant in these sectors is because, at its core, it is based on surviving in a competitive environment. A world that is familiar to all of us – but it’s how we choose to approach this world that differentiates us from our peers.

Will you be progressive and innovative, charging head first into the new world, finding your solutions along the way? Or will you object to change and reject the unknown, forever remaining part of the problem that everyone else is trying to solve?

Take Berlin’s response to the rise of Airbnb for example, a progressive company, using technology to make something that was once irksome and complicated – like renting out your home – easier, cheaper and available to anyone that chooses to download the app. Rather than embracing this new-found economy, earlier this month, Germany banned landlords from renting apartments to short-term visitors (with only a few exceptions) for fear that it might increase the cost of affordable housing. I’m not saying this decision is right or wrong, but the fact that Berlin residents used Airbnb in such volume suggests it’s what they want. Removing consumer choice only stifles innovation and simply slows down the inevitable.

I’m wholeheartedly on the side of progress, and throughout my 27-year career I’ve worked in various industries from financial services to retail, but none has been as exciting as the energy sector.

There really is no better place for a career right now, but it’s no secret that the industry needs to innovate. There is a desperate need to bring in new skills, new ideas and strong leadership – on top of the bedrock of operational know-how – to help force positive change and promote healthy competition.

The sector is going through a turbulent time, it’s been under investigation by the CMA, it’s moving from a small world of basic data to a smart world of big data. But most companies aren’t moving with the times.

My advice – be part of the solution, don’t hold the rest of us back by being part of the problem. It’s survival of the fittest after all.

Jason Sharpe, co-founder, Vallum