‘Motherhood further shaped my leadership perspective’

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Margarita Licht, Product Manager BESS &amp; Charging at Germany's Goldbeck Solar. She says diverse perspectives and cognitive styles are essential in the solar and energy storage sector, enabling smarter solutions, effective problem-solving, and long-term planning. She also emphasizes that creating inclusive environments, fostering allyship, and choosing workplaces that value authentic strengths empower growth and drive meaningful impact.</span></p><p>Energy storage within the solar sector demands multi-disciplinary thinking. We are dealing with complex topics: grid balancing, battery optimization, integration across markets, and these challenges cannot be solved through a single lens. Effective problem-solving comes from teams with diverse experiences and perspectives. People from different backgrounds bring different approaches: some excel at seeing the whole system, others at diving into details, and others at rapid decision-making. When you combine these approaches, you get smarter solutions. This isn’t just an ethical argument; industry studies and real-world results consistently show that diverse teams outperform more homogeneous ones. In my experience managing international teams deploying batteries in new markets, inclusion was never an abstract concept, it was an operational necessity. To deliver results, I needed cross-functional expertise, diverse perspectives, and buy-in from different stakeholders.</p>
<p>Motherhood further shaped my leadership perspective. It taught me to think in generations rather than quarters, an approach that aligns naturally with the long-term nature of energy infrastructure. But it’s not just about gender or parental status, any life experience that gives you a new lens can enhance problem-solving. What this industry truly needs is diversity in cognitive styles: reflective planners, decisive communicators, and integrators who understand complexity. Diversity, in all its forms, is a strategic advantage.</p>
<p>I focus on creating environments where people can remain themselves while contributing their strengths. Inclusion is not about forcing uniformity; it is about enabling difference to become a source of value. I build task forces that bring together cross-functional experts and invite different levels of management into decision-making processes. Facilitating these conversations requires intention. I prepare deep-dive knowledge and actively track who is speaking. If someone hasn’t contributed, I will ask directly: “What’s your take on the approach?” or suggest we take time to reflect: “Let’s take 24 hours to review this.” This approach values thoughtful analysis alongside quick decision-making. Whether I am direct, careful, or empathetic in communication, my goal remains the same: to ensure valuable perspectives are acknowledged and considered.</p>
<p>However, building inclusive environments goes beyond team dynamics; it requires a shift in how we frame talent and leadership. Language shapes reality, and in our industry, that matters more than we often realise. For example, describing motherhood as a “work-life balance challenge” frames it as a limitation, when in fact it can cultivate long-term planning skills that are invaluable to our sector. It is the same reality, but with an empowering narrative.</p>
<p>Similarly, telling women to “be more confident” places responsibility on the individual. A more effective question is whether the environment values different cognitive styles. This shifts the focus from fixing individuals to improving culture and leadership.</p>
<p>Allyship has played a critical role in my career. My first manager demonstrated what that looks like in practice. Coming from a chemistry background with no sales experience, I was unsure how quickly I needed to develop new skills. He gave me clarity: “I know what you can do and what you need to learn. I want to support you.” That statement created both trust and direction.</p>
<p>In another instance, when a customer requested “someone more senior” during a technical discussion, he joined the call but immediately redirected the conversation: “Margarita is leading, she’ll walk you through it.” This was not about stepping in to rescue; it was about reinforcing my credibility. These are simple, replicable behaviours: redirect rather than replace, vocalise trust, and align visibility with growth. That support reinforced my confidence as I took on complex, customer-facing roles across new markets.</p>
<p>Reflecting on this, I don’t say “I was lucky to have great bosses.” I say, “I chose environments where I could grow once I understood how much that mattered.” This reframing reinforces agency and reshapes how we think about career progression and inclusion. Narrative change is not just semantic; it creates clarity, calm, and ultimately power.</p>
<p>For young women entering the solar and renewable energy industry today, my advice is simple: stay yourself. Success is not about becoming louder if you are naturally reflective, it is about finding environments that value your cognitive style.</p>
<p>During interviews, go beyond the role description. Meet the team, observe how they interact, and ask yourself whether different voices are truly heard. This is how you assess strategic fit, not by adapting yourself to the environment, but by choosing the right one.</p>
<p>Look for what I call the “allyship playbook”: leaders who redirect conversations to you, create space for reflection, and openly express trust in your capabilities. These signals matter.</p>
<p>Early in my career, I avoided architecture because it felt too male-dominated. Today, I work on solar and battery projects in EPC environments because I made deliberate choices about where I could grow and contribute authentically. You do not need to change who you are. You need to choose where your strengths are recognised.</p>
<p>That is not always the easiest path, but it is the one that allows you to grow faster while staying true to yourself. And in an industry as critical as the energy transition, that authenticity is not just beneficial, it is essential.</p>
<p><em>Margarita Licht is Product Manager for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)</em><em> and Charging at Goldbeck Solar. With a background in chemistry and over a </em><em>decade of experience in the lithium-ion battery sector, she has held roles in sales,</em><em> program management, and strategic customer development through key </em><em>account management. Margarita has worked across Europe and internationally, </em><em>coordinating cross-functional initiatives and complex energy storage projects</em><em> from concept to market. She is known for building inclusive, cognitively diverse </em><em>teams and for influencing without formal authority, bringing together </em><em>stakeholders at all levels to align on technical and commercial decisions. </em><em>Passionate about sustainable infrastructure, she bridges technical depth with </em><em>customer relevance to deliver long-term, reliable energy solutions.</em></p>
<p><em>Interested in joining <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarita-licht-9b9203340/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Margarita Licht </a></em><em>and other women industry leaders and experts at Women in Solar+ Europe? Find out more: <a href="https://circularsynergies.com/wiseu/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">www.wiseu.network</a></em></p>