This week Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church sit down with Peterson Conway, headhunter, investor, and advisor who shares insights from his epic career working closely with Silicon Valley greats like Peter Thiel, Kevin Hartz, Keith Rabois, and Joe Lonsdale. Conway has assembled talent for the founding/early teams of Xoom, Palantir, Founders Fund, and 8VC
Strap in for some crazy stories. Conway's journey highlights the significance of curiosity, optimism, and unconventional hiring practices in Silicon Valley. Conway reflects on the profile of talent he looks for and drills down to certain keywords he uses to search for seeking individuals with strong convictions and a "fight from the bottom" spirit.
HR Heretics is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co
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LINKS:
Zero to 1 by Peter Thiel & Blake Masters: https://www.amazon.com.au/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296Butthole Notorious: https://pconway-73418.medium.com/butthole-notorious-e4ac4ff12db4
Peterson Conway: https://www.petersonconway.com/
KEEP UP WITH PETERSON, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN
Peterson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersonconway/
Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/
Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(01:49) Intro
(02:41) Peterson's Unconventional Path to Silicon Valley Success
(09:23) Navigating Challenges and Learning from Silicon Valley Titans
(16:18) Exploring the Magic of Silicon Valley and Beyond
(18:56) Sponsor: Attio
(24:46) The Dynamics of Connectivity, Safety, and the Future of Work
(27:37) Exploring the Intersection of Fear and Love
(27:55) The Therapeutic Journey: From Fear to Healing
(28:13) On Guilt, Shame, and Vulnerability
(29:55) Unfiltered Conversations: Embracing Discomfort
(31:42) The Power of Silence in Communication
(32:26) Team Construction and the Quest for the Right Hire
(35:04) Recruiting: From Elite Schools to Keyword Searches for Grit and Determination
(39:14) The Role of HR in Shaping Company Culture
(43:36) On Unconventional Recruiting and Finding Hidden Gems
(50:19) The Art of Asking for Forgiveness, Not Permission
(50:41) Wrap
The State of Startups in 2023 and 2024: A Conversation with Peter Walker of Carta
Remote vs. In-Person
From MIT to HR Leader: A Conversation with Richard Ni, former CPO of Scale AI
How to Be Layoff-Proof
Building Legendary Teams: Trust, Transition, and Quality with JR Rettig of Pendo
The Promotion Problem
The Freedom to Fail and Dispassionate Assessment with A.J. Thomas of X, Google's Moonshot Factory
We Don't Talk About Board Dynamics Enough
Emergency Segment: Chamath Wants to Abolish HR?
Is Shopify's "~Mastery" Blowing Up Levels?
Building Radically Better Businesses with DHH of 37signals and Basecamp
Segment: Bolt Slashes Valuation 97% and Screws Over Employees
L.J. Brock, CPO of Coinbase Is Unflinching in the Face of the HR Status Quo
Elizabeth Patterson of Sapphire Ventures on How to Get Noticed by a VC Talent Partner
What’s Next For DEI: A Conversation with Mita Mallick of Carta
On The Record: New Norms for Layoffs in 2024
Inside M&As, Redesigning Comp, and a Public Company's CPO HR Tool Kit with Brigette McInnis-Day of UIPath
Reversing Roles: Number 1 or Number 2 Seat?
The Interview Process is Fundamentally Broken: Linear's Move to Work Trials
Katelin Holloway Thinks More HR People Need a VC Checkbook
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