#113 CEO PagerDuty, Jennifer Tejada: The Re-Finder

PagerDuty CEO Jennifer Tejada has mixed feelings about how she is often portrayed in the press, as a “badass woman CEO.” The scarcity of female executives in enterprise means that it’s often the first thing anyone wants to talk about — not her performance leading a $2 billion company, or her team. She has specifically designed that team to include more under-represented people like her, so that she is not “the only one in the room” — but one executive team isn’t enough. “In my peer group, there’s still not enough Hayden Browns, there’s not enough Yamini Rangans, there’s not enough Safra Katzes,” Jennifer says. “And that is a failing of the industry.”

In this episode, Jennifer and Joubin discuss IPO chasers, the P&G Mafia, reward-centered leadership, participation trophies, serving others in a crisis, working women, plate spinning, perfect girl syndrome, unconscious bias, competitive offshore yacht racing, disconnecting from work, “re-finders,” interrupt work, consistent high standards, beginner’s mind, talent identification, weird but beloved brand names, and dealing with grief.

In this episode, we cover:

• The good side of market corrections, and investing in people (00:58)
• Learning how to fail and where Jennifer’s work ethic came from (05:28)
• Her father’s death and how she adjusts “when shit hits the fan” (13:03)
• Recognizing your own limits and working for your family (17:43)
• The double-edged sword of being a visible female CEO (23:13)
• Taking a break from your career to work on yourself (28:42)
• Identity in Silicon Valley and getting put in a box (35:09)
• How Jennifer got to PagerDuty and delivering value to customers (40:17)
• PagerDuty’s IPO in the middle of a major pivot (45:23)
• Responsibility overload and self-criticism (49:36)
• Founder-led companies and the advantages of being a “re-finder” (52:55)
• PagerDuty’s transition from one product to many (57:56)
• The “unfathomable loss” of Phylicia “PJ” Jones and being vulnerable with coworkers (1:00:36)
• Why grit is a requirement for success (01:06:52)

Links:

• Connect with Jennifer
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: jennifer@pagerduty.com
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
• This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm