Pendo CEO Todd Olson on Co-Founder Conflict, Hiring Slow, and Pushing Limits at a Software Unicorn

Playback speed

Share post at current time

Share from 0:00

0:00

Transcript

Pendo CEO Todd Olson on Co-Founder Conflict, Hiring Slow, and Pushing Limits at a Software Unicorn

HR Heretics

Jun 13, 2024

Transcript

In this episode of HR Heretics, Kelli and Nolan engage in a heartfelt discussion with Todd Olson, CEO and founder of Pendo.

Todd shares his personal and professional journey, from his early days as a developer to his current role as CEO. He provides deep insights into leadership, his unique hiring process, and why he believes HR is essential to business success where human connection and vulnerability are prioritized.

*Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co

HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine.

Discover Workvivo, Zoom’s employee experience platform, designed to delight your hybrid workforce. With dynamic and intuitive features people actually like using, Workvivo fosters a sense of belonging and boosts retention and productivity. Join Ryanair, Dollar General, and Virgin — head to https://bit.ly/hrhereticsworkvivo to book a demo (tell them Kelli and Nolan sent you).

Attio is the next generation of CRM. It’s powerful, flexible, and easily configures to the unique way your startup runs, whatever your go-to-market motion. The next era deserves a better CRM. Join ElevenLabs, Replicate, Modal, and more at https://bit.ly/AttioHRHeretics

LINKS:

Pendo: https://www.pendo.io/

HR Heretics podcast with JR Rettig: Building Legendary Teams: Trust, Transition, and Quality with JR Rettig of Pendo

LINKEDIN:
Todd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddaolson
Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/
Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:00) Typecasting and the importance of being the CEO

(05:00) Co-founder dynamics at Pendo

(09:00) The CEO card and cultural decisions

(12:00) Blending human elements with leadership

(16:00) The impact of personal life on leadership

(17:13) Sponsors: Workvivo | Attio

(19:47) Todd on Elon Musk

(21:00) Building a culture of followership

(24:00) Hiring practices

(27:00) The "why" behind joining Pendo

(31:00) Interviewing Senior SDRs

(34:00) CEO involvement in offer review

(37:00) Hiring executives

(41:00) The first 90 days of an executive

(45:00) The role of HR in 2024

(50:00) Hiring a head of HR

0 Comments

“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

After a decade+ of “blitz-scaling” companies, HR, talent, and People leaders now face an uncertain economy that has already seen big booms and busts. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact?

Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners – Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors.

This show is for those who are ready to ditch conventional wisdom and figure out from first principles what works for their culture, business model, and industry, with the goal of building a resilient and enduring company. You’ll come away with real guidance for seeing around corners, building enduring companies, and carving out an impactful career – plus a newly-honed bullshit detector.

Topics frequently touched on in this season include: building high performing cultures, compensation negotiation, performance reviews, company design, equity, M&As, recruiting the best talent, and how to manage your own psychology as a people leader.

Listen on