Hello #cleantechers! Listeners of Scaling Clean know our show is designed to bring you management and leadership wisdom from experienced company leaders in the clean technology industry. Today, we are bringing you perspective from Jing Tian, who co-founded her own company early in her career and also led the U.S. presence for three different international cleantech firms. And Jing Tian is also Dr. Tian, who earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Drexel University and served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Chemistry Department at Princeton University. 

Jing is now the chief growth officer of Tigo Energy, a company accelerating the adoption of solar energy worldwide through innovative solar power conversion and storage products. She has a wealth of insights from her career of building and managing teams in the clean technology sector, some of which were international in their scope and their focus. 

Timestamps:
3:55 — When faced with the challenges of managing multinational teams within global companies, it’s important to understand differences in culture and normal business practices. But building trust as a leader is just as important – and it’s universal. 

6:08 — In managing trans-Pacific teams, Jing observes that in China, many young employees aren’t inclined to challenge assumptions of their superiors. To overcome that dynamic, it’s important to go the extra step to create a company culture that empowers everyone to share their opinions.   

12:42 — When hiring, Jing advises that employers remember that many potentially game-changing new hires have less than 10 years of work experience. During the interview process, she focuses on learning how candidates perform under stress and multitasking demands. Are they good with people? Are they detail-oriented?

Find out more about Tigercomm’s work at the center of the cleantech industry at www.tigercomm.us.

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Episode 14: Leading and Managing a Multinational Team to Success

Overview

• Introduction - Meet Jing Tian
• Managing Multinational Teams in the Clean Economy Industry
• 3 Essential Leadership Qualities for Clean Tech
• Insights on Hiring for Clean Tech Companies
• Firing Employees and Offering Guidance
• The Future of the Clean Economy and Market Developments

Introduction - Meet Jing Tian

Mike Casey:
Hello, cleantechers! We designed this show to bring you management and leadership wisdom from experienced company leaders. And today I'm bringing you perspective from someone who not only co-founded her own company early in her career, but she's also led the US presence for three different international Cleantech firms. And Jing Tian is also Dr. Tian with a Ph.D. in chemistry. She's now the Chief Growth Officer of Tigo Energy, and I know she's got valuable lessons learned from a career of building and managing teams, some of which were international in their scope and their focus. Jing, welcome to the show.

Jing Tian:
Oh, thanks, Mike. It's my pleasure.

Mike Casey:
Let me start with your background. How would you summarize your career to date as a company leader?

Jing Tian:
I had a great fortune, actually really fortunate, being able to take on various different roles in various different company throughout my career. I think that really built my foundation, being a leader, really growing various different skillsets when coming from a scientific background and I started my career as a research scientist. And then later on going to more as a technology leader, later on funding a company, which allowed me to see how a company operates. Technology is not as sufficient. We need to have a customer focus and really bring value to our customers. And throughout my career, I have had great fortune taking marketing roles, product management, strategic supply chain, and leading engineer development and sales operations, up to today's position as a Chief Growth Officer at Tigo. So it's been a very rich, rewarding experience.

Mike Casey:
What in your upbringing set you up for this career path as you look back on it now?

Jing Tian:
Oh, I was born and raised in China. It's probably very different from how most people grow up here. But I think it's really working as a team to learn how you work together as a group. That it's pretty important as a career.

Managing Multinational Teams in the Clean Economy Industry

Mike Casey:
If I can, I'm gonna jump around ahead on a couple of questions here because what you’ve just said kind of leads logically to this next one. But you ran Trina's Global Marketing from San Jose, and I'm really interested in finding out from you, what challenges did you find in managing a multinational team within a global company? And what advice do you have for people who are doing that now and having to bridge core cultural differences within a corporate team?

Jing Tian:
Yeah, that's an excellent question and sounds like a very simple one, most people would say, well, you have to understand the culture, you have to understand the local business. I mean, those two are foundation, but you really have to be on the ground to trust your team there and really understand their needs. You know, the presence is really important. Be with them to understand their need to build that connection. We cannot travel all the time, especially now imposing more travel challenges. But I think once you build a connection with the team to hear from them and take their input, you know, a lot of leadership has to be localized to meet the local requirement.

Mike Casey:
China is such a major player in the global clean economy industry. What are the cultural differences that our American listeners need to know about in working with their Chinese colleagues and counterparts? What are the main cultural differences that you have noticed and have understood that they have to be bridged in order to have successful multinational teams?

Jing Tian:
It's communication. Alright, what I mean is not about language communication, it's really about how we communicate an issue, approach the problem. Sometimes it's different from their mindset, how they communicate a common problem. So understanding the subtlety, understanding how people approach the problem. Looking for resolution is very different, including where they're looking for managers' input. It's very different. Then there's a company culture as well, right? So each company has its own culture. So I think it's really important to understand those subtleties, then be a good listener.

Mike Casey:
So one of our listeners might say, okay, so Jing, how does a Chinese team typically approach a problem versus how an American team would approach a problem? Can you say a little bit more about the differences in approach and assumptions?

Jing Tian:
One thing, in China, there’s a very young group of engineers because the renewable company is just going exponential growth. Typically looking for a manager to give them an answer. Very few are willing to challenge the assumptions. So I think it's really important to encourage the culture for them, be able to speak up, speak their mind to really empower them. I think in the US same thing. We need to be empowering the people, and empowering the team. But I think in China you need a little bit more to really make them feel comfortable to speak their mind, to challenge their assumptions.

3 Essential Leadership Qualities for Cleantech

Mike Casey:
What are three things you know now about leadership that you wished you knew when you first started managing other people?

Jing Tian:
I think it's a lot about being a human in a lot of ways. I think when you just study as a new leader, you oftentimes, feel scared to be vulnerable. I think it makes us create a little bit barrier with a team we work together. But I think it's the contrary, makes you a much more effective leader if you're being a human, knowing you don't know everything, and being a good listener. First, I find it's very important to bring a team together, to bring the right people to work together. Second, I would say, it's building a culture and accountability, right? So we all depend on each other, building a culture of accountability. And then lastly, it's also quite important that we should have fun. I think when we work all together, we should have fun together as well.

Mike Casey:
As a woman, have you found challenges that you think female executives more commonly encounter than their male counterparts?

Jing Tian:
Hm. I think that the environment of female executives has changed quite a bit in the last few years, right? So I found the most challenging early in my career it's networking - to find a group of people where both internal and external networking can form a support system. The landscape has changed quite a bit in the last few years. I'm very happy to see it, but I think we need to continue nurturing and building this network to support each other.

Mike Casey:
Jing, were the challenges that you cited in that last answer that you faced because you were a female leader? Was that because you were a young woman or was it because it was more the time and the age in which you had entered the workforce?

Jing Tian:
It's a good question. I haven't really thought about it. Probably could be both, right? So as a young female leader entering the industry, that's about 15 years ago, most leadership roles were male. Just socially I don’t feel very comfortable, having social interaction or sometimes I'm way too self-conscious. I think, if I were to give advice to younger myself, I would say, don't be afraid to go out, make a connection, do a network. I think a lot of people will be more than happy to share their experience, to be a mentor. I think it's very important to have a mentor early on in the career.

Mike Casey:
You started your career in tech and then you joined renewables. What drew you to this sector?

Jing Tian:
I think I would look at it - renewables - it's gonna be the economy. I was working in a different tech company and in one of the areas with my background, I saw a technology application for solar cells. And I firmly believe that renewable is the economy in the foreseeable future. I wanna just make things really impactful and meaningful. So that's what drew me to the renewables.

Mike Casey:
You quit your job tomorrow and you become a business school professor and you're gonna deliver your introductory class on corporate leadership. How would you describe the role of the effective clean economy leader?

Jing Tian:
I think you gotta have a passion. You gotta share your passion with your team. You have to be passionate about believing in what you do. Secondly is being an effective leader, really need to share your vision. Cause it’s the shared vision that brings all the team together, right? So then that's what tremendous, energy and power. Lastly, it's really being human. I think it's humanity. It's really important to be an effective leader, bringing the right people to work together. Cause nobody knows everything it's really important for the team to share a common vision, then work together to bring out the best of everyone.

Mike Casey:
Having made that switch from another sector into a clean economy, have you noticed differences in being a clean economy company leader versus a leader in a company in a more mature sector? Are there differences? And if so, what are they?

Jing Tian:
I would say it's only fundamental to be an effective leader. There's no difference if I'm in one segment or the other. But I think in the clean economy fast growth, lots of learning is happening. So we must stay flexible and there are some uncertainties, policy uncertainties, and others. But with the latest, policy, I hope it's very clear that a clean economy is the way to go. But really, we must stay flexible cause there are a lot of new learnings. But we also can take a lot of success from other segments to help grow and mature the clean economy. Mostly a lot of different companies are based on different technology.

Insights on Hiring for Clean Tech Companies

Mike Casey:
I wanna ask you two questions about hiring. It's often cited as one of the most challenging parts of leading companies. What have you learned about hiring?

Jing Tian:
I think you gotta have a very clear vision of the company's culture and vision. Now you gonna bring people who really exemplify the value of the company. There are a lot of new workforces out there. A lot of people want to learn clean economy. One of my lines in hiring, I always value potential over experience. I mean, of course, I would love to have people with lots of experience and a perfect match, but a lot of time not the case because as you mentioned a lot of new workforce people don't have 10-15 years of experience. But I think all of them are a great addition to the company, and it's important to align the vision and culture of the company.

Mike Casey:
When you're interviewing candidates, how do you try to find out that match with their potential and the vision that you're communicating? Are there things that you ask and are there ways that you structure the interview process to learn the most about their potential?

Jing Tian:
Oh, there are so many good questions you can ask, but I think we all know that we should be focused on the behavior interview questions, depending on the type of role and the job I'm looking for. So, I mean, obviously, I'm looking for people, whether it's a good team player, whether they can handle personal stress, whether a person is detail-oriented, depending on the type of job. Some people are more people-oriented, love to talk to people. So I usually typically try to understand the person, for example, what are your most recent accomplishments that you were most proud of? So what are the things you've done recently, you wish could be done differently Through that conversation really to understand the person and some of those aspects I just listed earlier. Sometimes I like to throw off-the-wall questions. About trying to understand, for example, I wanna someone be a very good mechanic engineer. I would ask them what kind of hobbies they do. Then it helps me understand whether a person loves to build things or it's very much hands-on and has a lot of a different skill set, that would be great in the lab. So it's just through different questions to understand a person.

Mike Casey:
When you have taken over a leadership position at a company and you inherited a team of people, I've often heard that it's also more art than science in deciding who to keep and who to let go. How have you handled that challenge?

Jing Tian:
I usually really spend the time to get to know the people. Personally, I really don't like that people go. I think everyone has a place in the company. We just have to find out what makes them happy and what the company needs. Through restructuring, and reorganization to really empower everyone. For people obviously, good performance. So we just have to find the right place for everybody to shine. But then you find the people are not a good fit. I always say mostly not fit is a culture mismatch, right? So in those cases, unfortunately, you have to let people go.

Mike Casey:
Are there certain qualities you're looking for or certain behaviors that you're looking for in people that you've inherited that you have to manage? Okay, I have to evaluate whether or not I'm gonna keep Mike on my team. Are there things that you're gonna look for in me, whether I do them or say them that will tell you I'm a good fit to keep on, or you need to move me somewhere else?

Jing Tian:
Yeah. Some of the traits I’m looking for: number one is the person flexible, right? Because things will change, company products will change, and the company goals could move. Is the person flexible? And then second, does the person have a desire for growth, right? And believing in the company and is a person a very good team player? I think it's more so than ever we really need very good team players. Does a person actually step up under stress? Right? None of those sales are in the order of importance. And also some people are a little bit stronger in one aspect than others, but it's just overall you are really looking for good contributors, who really care with passion for the company's mission and vision.

Firing Employees and Offering Guidance

Mike Casey:
When you have to let people go. What is the guidance that you offer to other cleantech company leaders on having to fire people?

Jing Tian:
I must say, in history, I haven't fired many people I can recall, but in general, I always believe in the goodness in everyone, unless there’re some really bad apples and oftentimes it is a fit issue, it's not a good fit for what company needs or what this person's skills. I usually try to have a candidate conversation, really help the person find the right fit or right company for them. Cause often I think they all come in with a passion for the renewables. So I'd like to see if they’re not successful in my company, in this role, I wish them to be successful in different companies, different roles. Perhaps they can shine there.

Mike Casey:
What is the most valuable interview question you have ever been asked?

Jing Tian:
I find the most valuable question is really about the very reflective questions. So it can be phrased in various ways like, tell me about the most recent achievement that you're most excited about it, or tell me about the most recent failure or mistake you made, and what you learned from it. And I think it, these type of questions. I heard many phrases differently, but I think in general, it's really to see the person, the reflective person oftentimes is a person who will learn from their own success or failure. And that's what I call the growth mindset, right? So you can grow from there.

The Future of the Clean Economy and Market Developments

Mike Casey:
Given what you're seeing as a cleantech leader, as a mother, as someone who's been in this industry for quite a long time now, are you a climate optimist or a climate pessimist?

Jing Tian:
I am an eternal optimist. So I believe we have come a long way. I think we still have a long way to go and I must stay optimistic. As you mentioned, as a mother, I look at my son's generation who is just into college life, things they care about it, the passion in the younger generation, it makes me very happy. I think we are all together. Okay, definitely makes a difference. I think clean energy is the way to go, is the economy for the future. 

Mike Casey:
So now I'm going to ask a slight variation of that question. Are you a clean economy optimist? And if so, what makes you optimistic? Things you're seeing right now in the marketplace, that give you long-term hope that climate solutions technologies can grow and scale and become mainstream, that you saw when you first learned about renewables way back when.

Jing Tian:
I see quite a few changes. The clean economy with project financing people get very creative with various investments into the clean economy, right? So with the energy crisis in Europe, in the sense, it's an unfortunate case, but on the other hand, I think, the growth, the clean economy in Europe is second to none right now. And with the latest, the Inflation Reduction Act, I'm so excited. And then with the investment into clean energy, then I see the scale from solar to solar plus storage to hydrogen. I think a couple of years ago, hydrogen was a new thing. Now hydrogen has sort of become an economy of its own. And now there’s a talk about long duration and the EV charges, EV costs. So all this I can see is the entire ecosystem. It's really gonna bring up the clean economy.

Mike Casey:
Jing, I have so enjoyed having you on this show. I have enjoyed working for you over the years being your advisor and being your friend and your fellow traveler. And I'm just really looking forward to having this episode get out there. And I'm just grateful that you took the time to join us on the show. Thank you so, so much.

Jing Tian:
Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Mike Casey:
Hey, our thanks to Jing Tian, the Chief Growth Officer at Tigo Energy for her time today. This is Scaling Clean, a production of Tigercomm and I am Mike Casey. Thanks for joining us. You can subscribe to our show for free, anywhere you get your podcasts. And while you're there, please leave us a rating and a review. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks for listening.