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

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: [email protected] 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/AttioHRHereticsLINKS:Pendo: https://www.pendo.io/HR Heretics podcast with JR Rettig: Building Legendary Teams: Trust, Transition, and Quality with JR Rettig of PendoLINKEDIN:Todd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddaolsonNolan: 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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com