What Type Of Person Thrives In The Tech Industry According To PagerDuty's Chief Of Staff Finance
Andrew, a Chief of Staff in Finance at PagerDuty, highlights a risk-taking mentality and agile prioritization as key traits for success in the tech industry, stating that "people are constantly pushing the edge of what's possible." This aligns with their own approach, emphasizing calculated risks and dedicated focus to achieve company goals in a competitive landscape.
Risk-Taking, Agility, Prioritization, Focus, Dedication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Andrew La Follette
Chief of Staff, Finance
PagerDuty
University of Arizona, 2012
UCLA MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Technology
Finance
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Risk-taking is essential: The tech industry demands calculated risks and resilience to failure. Those who thrive aren't afraid to push boundaries and learn from setbacks.
2. Agility and prioritization are key: In the fast-paced tech world, individuals must be adaptable and able to ruthlessly prioritize tasks to navigate competition and resource constraints.
3. Dedication and focus are crucial: Successful professionals demonstrate a strong commitment to their company's goals, which allows for clear direction and efficient collaboration.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
I would say that the majority of people I've worked with are extremely talented, very smart, and very thoughtful in their approach to just about everything. But the biggest thing I see is that there aren't a lot of people who are afraid to take risks.
In the tech industry, you have to take risks, especially as a startup. But even as part of a larger company, you have to take calculated risks. You can't be afraid to fail.
That's what I really like: people are constantly pushing the edge of what's possible. So there will be people who fail, and there will be companies that don't make it or don't go public.
But that's the fun of it too. There's some risk, but there's a high reward if you get it right. That's kind of how I operate too. Taking big, calculated risks is a fun part of this industry and the people in it.
Especially on the smaller tech company side, you have to be agile. People are ruthlessly prioritizing on a day-to-day basis across many tech startups. You have to do this because there's so much competition.
It costs a lot of money to start and maintain a tech company and build it into a durable company. So people have to be extremely dedicated and focused on what they think is the right direction.
I appreciate that because it gives very clear focus and clarity as to what a company stands for and what they are doing. That helps me as an employee figure out how to prioritize and focus my own time to help achieve the goals these very focused people have set out for us.