How to Stay Idealistic Without Being Naive: Varun Sharma

Varun Sharma has spent years working in green energy and hydrogen. So why is he now taking on defense and oil & gas clients?

Kwame Christian welcomes Varun back to the show to unpack "pragmatic idealism": holding on to your ideals while staying honest about how power actually works. Drawing on a decade in Estonia on NATO's eastern edge, a father who served in the military, and his years in government, Varun explains why strength prevents conflict instead of inviting it, why doing nothing is still a choice with consequences, and why polarization is costing us the middle ground.

Kwame also asks the question he poses to audiences in his trainings: would you rather have every negotiation skill in the world, or all the power and leverage? Varun's answer reframes the whole question. Plus: China, batteries and the geopolitics of the energy transition, AI and job losses, and Varun's three-step process for making hard decisions when your values pull in different directions.

CONNECT WITH VARUN

Sapient Ventures: https://sapient.ventures

Varun's previous episode: Stop Talking: How to Use Silence to Win Any Deal

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