Grit

#181 CEO Transcarent, Glen Tullman: Problem Solving

Mar 11, 2024

On this podcast, CEO Glen Tullman shares insights on hiring low and firing high, failures of leadership, changing expectations, and radical honesty. He discusses his competitive childhood, charitable efforts, and maximizing efficiency through physical activity and time management. The conversation also covers transformative mergers in healthcare, philanthropic endeavors, and the significance of grit in business.

01:30:17

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Glen Tullman

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Quick takeaways

Hire low, fire high - prioritizing value over finances in hiring and gracefully handling employee departures.

Focus on future impact - emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and looking ahead for personal and professional growth.

Balancing work and personal life - highlighting the significance of prioritizing family, time management, and community involvement for effective leadership.

Deep dives

Challenging the Healthcare System

Addressing the challenges in healthcare delivery efficiency and equity is a significant goal, driven by the belief that it is both morally right and an exciting challenge. Despite the U.S. being wealthy, healthcare access remains an issue. The speaker sees the importance of using opportunities to make a difference in healthcare and enjoys the process of effecting change.

Starting Over and Challenging the Status Quo

01:20

Focusing on Impact and Hiring Great People

01:22

Learning from Mistakes through Feedback

01:22

Embrace Team Effort and Avoid Stress Through Passion and Perseverance

03:04

Introduction

4min

Reflections on a Transformational Merger in Healthcare

23min

Transformative Journey in Healthcare Industry

27min

Philanthropic Endeavors and Family Dynamics

18min

Exploration of Sleep Habits and Personal Views on Rest

2min

Maximizing Efficiency Through Physical Activity and Time Management

9min

Embracing Greatness and Impactful Change

2min

Exploring Hiring Strategies and the Significance of Grit in Business

4min

Guest: Glen Tullman, CEO of Transcarent

Before he was CEO of Transcarent, Glen Tullman presided over the biggest digital health merger of all time: His previous company Livongo was acquired in 2020 by Teledoc for $18.5 billion. Over his decades of experience in health tech, he has developed saying: Hire low, fire high. When one of his friends was offered a job and said he wanted to consider another offer, Glen withdrew Transcarent’s offer because he didn’t want to be the highest bidder — in other words, hire low. But whenever he has to let someone go, he sees it as his responsibility to “help them go off and do something else that’s great, and be successful.” Firing and replacing executives, he said, is “just part of growing ... it doesn’t have to be ugly.”

In this episode, Glen and Joubin discuss conservative values, John Doerr, Teledoc, failures of leadership, Steve Case, Bill Gates, changing expectations, Travis Kalanick, incentive bonuses, Bucknell University, massive layoffs, criticizing in public, anonymous charity, cycling events, Michael Jordan, Bill McDermott, Barack Obama, private jets, and hiring without titles.

In this episode, we cover:

(01:11) - How Glen splits his time
(03:55) - Looking back and leaving Livongo
(09:03) - Would he do it again differently?
(13:42) - Energy at work
(18:00) - Failure and starting over
(21:16) - What Transcarent does
(25:29) - Taking on the system and stress
(30:33) - Turning Allscripts around
(33:48) - “We educated you to make a difference”
(38:06) - The birth of electronic prescriptions
(42:52) - Hire low, fire high
(47:47) - Radical honesty
(53:04) - Charitable efforts
(57:55) - Glen’s competitive childhood
(01:00:55) - His family and priorities
(01:08:24) - Would Glen go into politics?
(01:12:32) - “I hate to sleep”
(01:15:06) - Peloton meetings
(01:17:32) - Trading money for time
(01:24:11) - Sharing credit
(01:25:54) - Who Transcarent is hiring
(01:28:05) - What “grit” means to Glen

Links:

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

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