007: Procurement Maverick: Building Equity in the Tech Industry

Rendi Miller [00:00:00]:

If there's anybody that is in procurement that is listening to this podcast, I will tell you that your last interview test, basically, is how well you negotiate for yourself. If I don't negotiate, and if I don't negotiate hard for myself, how am I going to negotiate for the company? Whoever is hiring me wants to know that I'm going to go hard. I'm going to stick to my guns, you know, in terms of what I want. Always ask for everything that you want.

Christopher Nelson [00:00:32]:

Hello. Welcome to Tech Careers & Money Talk, episode number seven. I'm your host, Christopher Nelson. I've been in the tech industry for 20 plus years, and after climbing my way to the C suite, working for three companies that have been through IPO and investing my way to financial independence, I'm here to share with you everything that I've learned and introduce you to people along the way that can help you out. Today, I'm excited to share the career journey of Rendy Miller. Rendy Miller has had a nontraditional career in tech, meaning that she hasn't worked for a role that requires hard technology skills. She is a procurement expert. Procurement is something that is critical for every single business, and she's built her expertise in working for technology companies and the equity that comes along with it. And I have to say, Rendy's a maverick. I'm excited to share with you what she's done and how she can help you with all the lessons that she's learned. Let's talk to Rendy right now. I am so excited today to introduce you to Rendy Miller. Rendy Miller is the Vice President of Procurement at Qualtrics, and Qualtrics is an analytics company, and I call her the procurement maverick. She has built an amazing career in technology, but it's not what many people think. Many people think of tech and they think, okay, you're an engineer, you're a coder. And it's like, no, this is procurement. This is an incredibly important function in any type of business. But you have done this throughout your career in technology. So welcome. Randy Miller.

Rendi Miller [00:02:10]:

Thanks, Christopher. It's so great to be here with you.

Christopher Nelson [00:02:14]:

Thanks so much. So I always love to start with the origin story. Where did you get started and what was it like coming out of school and getting started in tech for you?

Rendi Miller [00:02:27]:

Well, I actually didn't come right out of school and get started. That's a big difference between me and most people that are starting into their career now. I had done a lot of different things prior to getting into tech, so I had a lot of jobs, didn't really have a real career. I was an entrepreneur and had my own business for a while. So I actually found myself starting into tech because I was going through a divorce. And so started into Tech in my mid thirties. And it was kind of funny because when I was in elementary school I skipped a grade and when I got to Tech I was not necessarily the youngest like I always was in school after skipping, but I certainly felt like I was the least experienced, I was the least educated. And so I had this real feeling of intimidation and inadequacy for a long time. But it was such a great experience to get into tech at that stage in my life, and I know it was meant for a reason, and I didn't realize that at the time. But I looked back and thought, oh, I can apply this learning that I had from this job or this experience kind of over those years of the multiple jobs and things that I had had, but I was able to apply it into this new world that I was in. And those feelings of inadequacy and intimidation, they started to fade away. I started realizing, I think I can do what everybody else is doing here. So it was not so bad.

Christopher Nelson [00:04:27]:

Well, I think that's important, and this is where I think it's important that we all need to understand that many of us get started in our careers in ways that's not the traditional right. I know. For myself, I didn't go immediately into tech. I didn't finish college right away. I decided to go on a restaurant tour for a while. And that's, I think, something that you and I have in common and shared about, is that we got started in tech later. I think that worked in our favor because of the fact that we were more mature and mature emotionally. When you see people working so fast and you see the pace of tech, I think having that emotional maturity, having some more life experience, can sometimes be a great aid.

Rendi Miller [00:05:14]:

I would agree 100%. Yeah. You are bringing new college grads, which I think is really important, and I'm all for it. They're bringing a lot of booksmarts into the workplace, but we definitely brought a lot of life experience into the workplace.

Christopher Nelson [00:05:32]:

Yeah. And I think that combination, that diversity of experience and knowledge, I think is really so important. You got a late start. How did you actually then find your way to procurement?

Rendi Miller [00:05:48]:

Well, I mentioned I was going through a divorce at the time. I had three kids, I was a single mom, and I took a job as an executive assistant for the VP of materials at a manufacturing company. And I thought, okay, I'm organized. I can do this. Well, I quickly realized, I do not want somebody else to take care of. I had my three kids and hats off and all the props to EA, because it's a hard job, and so many people do it so flawlessly, but it really wasn't for me. There was a buyer role that came up in indirect procurement there at the company I was working for, and I quickly said, I'll do that, I'll take it. And so I started at the very bottom of the procurement food chain or the procurement ladder and just started learning the very basics of being a buyer. And that was actually, this is going to date me, but that was back in the days where we were actually signing paper POS and printing them out. I got a very fundamental start at that time. But what drew me to procurement over time and as I made my way up in the organization is I got this insight into a lot of different things that were going on at the company. So I got exposure to the travel team, I got exposure to marketing, I got exposure to logistics. And that is what has kept me really interested in procurement, is knowing about what's going on in the entire company. I may not be an expert in every area of the business, but I know a little bit about everything that's going on across the board at the company.

Christopher Nelson [00:07:44]:

And let's take a moment, let's define, I mean, many people again, their vision of technology. Company is code testing and deploying customer service sales. What is procurement?

Rendi Miller [00:07:56]:

Yeah, procurement. It used to be when I started, we were kind of like the spend police and no one really wanted to work with procurement because I think everyone felt like you were going to be made to select the cheapest vendor, go for price at any cost to quality. And today I would describe it more as like a strategic partner to the business and I think very much so. We wouldn't do anything or make decisions without our finance partners in the business. I think procurement is now starting to come alongside and really be that day to day business partner that helps organizations know how to solve problems. We're problem solvers. So why are you trying to buy something? What is really the problem that you're trying to solve here? And so then we are helping organizations within the business to go out, find the goods, the services, the technology, whatever it might be, to solve their problems and then to make those purchases at the best quality, at the best price. So not just let's just go after the cheapest and find that we're really helping the entire company manage the spend, manage our money, and get the most quality suppliers to support the business.

Christopher Nelson [00:09:31]:

Well, it's true. And I think one of the things that's important for me, the podcast, the mission here is to get technology employees thinking like shareholders. And the more that we can understand that roles like yours that help make I think to your point, it's you're a strategic partner, helping find other strategic partners and creating good, healthy relationships that can protect margins, that can. And I think back to when you and I work together, the way that I saw you strategically think about how we want to manage spend over time. That is then protecting and locking in margin protection that's going to then return great returns for shareholders. This is something, I think many people we all need to get exposed to and understand this because it's so important that it's challenging. I know at VC backed companies where it's grow at all costs, and I know that engineers and people love their different toys and love the toys at the moment. However, there gets to be a point when we have to lock in more fiscal rigor to be able to grow. And there's that balance between innovation and running a business, and your role is literally at the heart of that.

Rendi Miller [00:10:54]:

Yeah, 100%. And I think you said something really key in there too, Christopher, and that is kind of the long term vision and the strategic plan going forward. We're not just trying to solve problems right now today, but how we are scaling for the future. And I think that's something that procurement has really got their eyes on in terms of how to support the business and how to best partner with the business as well.

Christopher Nelson [00:11:21]:

So now that we've given people an understanding of procurement, how strategic and important it is to scaling technology companies, let's go back to your story. So you just started out. You're at this large hardware manufacturing company. You're getting started now. Your career starts to get some traction, and all of a sudden you're moving from an individual contributor to a manager. Walk us through. What was that like for you? Because we all get to that point where I can either go deeper and try and grow my skills there, or I can actually start leading others.

Rendi Miller [00:12:00]:

Yeah, it was actually harder than I thought. I'm a nice person. I've got three kids. I know how to manage people, clearly. So I just thought this was going to be a really easy shift, and I was excited about it. And I'm going to have a team, I'm going to lead my team. And what I found was hard is, first of all, when I started managing people, I still had my day job. So now I kind of had two jobs, and I didn't realize it was quite going to be like that, that this was going to be a whole other job. And I also didn't realize how much I had to pour into those people. And really kind of not I don't want to say coddle. That was the word I was going to use. I wasn't coddling them along, but really making sure that they're okay, getting to know them, understanding what's going on in their personal lives. So you don't just become a manager, you sometimes become a counselor and an advisor and things like that. So those were all things that I had not expected out of managing people, and very naively didn't expect that. The other thing that I found was difficult was making good decisions when it comes to hiring and taking the time to find the right candidate. My first hire, I was so desperate to get somebody on my team and get some help, that I kind of almost took the first thing that came along. And when you're hiring people, it's kind of like picking out a partner, maybe a life partner. You're going to be in this for a while together, and so you want to be a little selective. I didn't realize how hard and how critical those decisions would be.

Christopher Nelson [00:14:04]:

It really is, I think, the shift to management. I always think that one of the most fundamental things is helping people manage their career. And as part of that, there is extra because careers involve life, and we talk about balance, work life balance in these extremes. The reality is it's really integrated. Like, I'm going to come to work, and if I had to go get my son, cracked his head and got stitches, I'm going to be in a mood, or I'm going to be struggling with some things, and we may have to have a conversation about that. And that's very real.

Rendi Miller [00:14:44]:

Yeah, definitely.

Christopher Nelson [00:14:46]:

So then you were staying at this hardware manufacturing company for a number of years. You built some skills. I know that you got the opportunity to then see procurement in a lot of different areas. At what point did you get and I've seen this pattern with other people on the show where they get to a point where they've been established at a larger company, and now they want to go to a company that is pre IPO, or maybe has just gone through an IPO, and they really want to scale it. When did you get to this point where I need to find something else? Or were you at that point?

Rendi Miller [00:15:26]:

I was at that point, I knew that I felt like nothing I could do was getting me and the advancement that I wanted. I mentioned that I was kind of at the bottom of the ladder. And even though I had progressed from being in technical purchasing and being a buyer to what we call in manufacturing commodity management, I could never get to the senior level. And I still always felt like everybody was always ahead of me, and I was always going to be at the back of the line. And even as much as I would ask my manager, what is it that I need to do? So I'm managing the exact same portfolio as other folks on the team are, but yet they're in a senior position. What is it that I can do to get there? And there was never anything really tangible that they could give me. I asked, I'm going to go back to school. I'm going to get my degree, which I did. And that was not the propelling thing to get me to that next level. And so when the opportunity came to join Splunk, I really jumped at the opportunity. I didn't know what I didn't know, and I thought I've never started anything from the ground up, do I really want to do this? But never once in that process did I think, I can't do this. I shouldn't pursue this opportunity. So it wasn't until after I got there that I kind of started going, oh, boy, what have I gotten myself into?

Christopher Nelson [00:17:19]:

Yeah, I think we all do that. But the one thing I know, that at one point, you had your own business, so you had this entrepreneurial spirit, which entrepreneurs and I know I got to that later in life, but my wife is an entrepreneur, and they just do they have the spirit of, like, I can do that. I am not going to fail. And there's an optimism, and then there's also I think there is a rationalism there, too, of, okay, how do I figure this out? How do I get this done? And it sounds like those were some of the two key things that when you decided to take the Splunk role, which was literally, you walked in the door, and it was you.

Rendi Miller [00:18:00]:

Yes.

Christopher Nelson [00:18:01]:

And it was you. And there was a cat farm, and you had to go herd those kitty cats, because it was yes, I remember those days. It was rough.

Rendi Miller [00:18:12]:

Yeah. Yes, it was rough, but it was fun. It was really fun. And what made it fun was everybody was trying to herd those cats in one form or fashion, and we were all in it together, and, you know, we were all trying new things and failing sometimes and going, okay, let me let me try something else. And I think that was the beauty of being at a company that was that size. I also loved knowing everybody and kind of growing with the company not coming in and being one person amongst the vast sea of people. But you saw the sea grow from this little puddle to the ocean that Splunk was that they are today.

Christopher Nelson [00:19:07]:

Yeah. I think it was a definitive moment for a lot of people's careers, including my own, where we were just this small walk around the building, knowing everybody, understanding what we were trying to accomplish, being aligned to a goal which was not just getting public, it was actually getting to a billion dollars in revenue. Like, we were all laser focused on that.

Rendi Miller [00:19:31]:

Yes.

Christopher Nelson [00:19:34]:

And you built something. You literally came in, and there was nothing, and you built something that is now a department in a multibillion dollar year company.

Rendi Miller [00:19:48]:

Yeah. That's pretty exciting.

Christopher Nelson [00:19:52]:

It is exciting because I always encourage people to think about when they go to work for companies like that. I say your fingerprints are on the company. Your policies and things that you wrote are still there. People that you hired are still there. And it's a really unique opportunity. And so then you put in four years, you built this. And then I had to imagine that it had to be hard to leave that once you built it. But walk us through at what point did you realize, okay, I've either built enough or again, was there another ceiling there that you felt, I have to go somewhere else to move on, to move up?

Rendi Miller [00:20:40]:

That's exactly it. There was a little feeling of, I think I've gotten as far as I can go here, and leadership always changes. And you and I were fortunate to work with mostly all the same leaders. But I knew that was coming, and I knew that I was probably going to stay in the same role, the same position. I was in a Senior Director role, and I was probably not going to be promoted to a VP anytime soon, right? And I knew that that was the next step in my career. And that was something that I really wanted to get there. That's what I was working towards and what my goal was. And so there were a few opportunities that presented themselves, and I didn't feel right about them, and I didn't feel like it was the right time. And I am a person that feels like when you know, you know. And when Zendes called me and presented the opportunity to me, and I learned a little bit about the company, about the role, about the team that I would be taking over, I knew that it was the right time for me. I also knew that my team that I had established and I had hired every single one of them, that they were in a really good spot and they were going to be okay as I walked away. Because I have an extreme sense of loyalty to people, not just to my team, but to my manager there as well, who has become a dear friend. That sense of loyalty held me back for some time, but at that point, when I knew everybody's going to be okay, everybody's replaceable, everybody's going to be okay, I knew it was time. And the opportunity for me was the right opportunity.

Christopher Nelson [00:22:56]:

And how did the opportunity come along? Was it through your network or were you working with recruiters?

Rendi Miller [00:23:03]:

It was through my network. It was actually through a friend who was exiting the role. And she said, I'm going to give them your name to call you, to recruit you. And I said, no, don't. I'm staying, I'm not leaving, I'm staying. And she said, no, I'm going to have them call you. And so they called, and I met with a recruiter, I met with a team, I met with a CFO. And like I said, I knew it was the right time and it was the right opportunity for me.

Christopher Nelson [00:23:41]:

This is great. I love this. I love these stories. I love your stories so much because in the span of this conversation, right, we've gone from you individual contributor to manager. And when we're at Manager, we see the director, we want to get to that director role. And then once you get to the director, when you are in this climb mode, you want to get to that VP. But sometimes when you walk in that door and you get what you wanted, it's a whole different ball game. And I want to try and help people understand what that is like. When you were okay, you had the Senior Director role, you had a team in place, you walked out the door with confidence that they could deliver what you had been running there. Then you walk into this VP role. What were your expectations and then what was it like?

Rendi Miller [00:24:40]:

I don't really know that I had certain expectations. I felt like I was going to be part of the really smart group in school and that upper echelon of the valedictorians of the class, I was going to be sitting with them. I felt very much like when I left Seagate in that individual contributor role, and I moved over to Splunk to start something completely new. And I thought, what am I doing here? And those feelings of intimidation and inadequacies and all of those things started to roll back and you hear those little voices in your head that you're not as smart as all of these people. I sat for a bit in the beginning and listened. That has always served me well to just kind of listen and observe. And then I started realizing I am bringing something to this group that no one else has, and as is each one of these other individuals. So it's not that anybody is smarter than the rest, but we know our space and we're bringing something unique to the table. And we were hired. I was hired for a purpose and for a reason and to be a leader, not just within my own team, but within this whole organization and within this leadership team as well. I have a responsibility to lead here amongst these other leaders, just like I do amongst my team. So that was kind of this transition. And ironically, as I was exiting Zendesk just six months ago, and the person that was coming in to take my role was someone that worked for me. And he said, I'll never, I'll never be as good as you, and I don't know what it's like to be a VP. And I said, four years ago, when I took this job, I didn't know what it was like to be a VP. And I said, you don't have to know. You will figure it out. And you just continue on this journey of growing. And I think sometimes that's what gets people to that executive level is that desire to continue to grow, to continue to lead. And again, when I say lead, I don't mean just within your own team, but lead at the company and lead other organizations as well.

Christopher Nelson [00:27:21]:

That's so important. It's so important for people to understand that when you do make major breakthroughs in your career and you get to these Aspirational levels that we all have had and we've gone to manager, Director, senior Director, VP, some of those voices come back and they come back very strong of I'm not good enough or I'm not the smartest person in the room. And we have to expect that and we have to, I know for myself, and I think for you as well. It was peer groups that got me through. It was having other people at my level at the same companies or levels above me or below me that I could have conversations with and share some of these feelings. And they're like, you have this and being able to get that out. I just want to share that. Our experience together, yours and mine, I think parallel and combined, has always been that we need to surround ourselves with other like minded people to help us get through these growth stages and spurts. And that's what's going to allow us to settle into the role, find our footing, and then ultimately find success. And it's not going to be a blueprint because the world that we operate in, technology is always changing, the rules are always going to change.

Rendi Miller [00:28:55]:

What I have found is we are all just people. And my insecurities may show up different than somebody else's, but everybody has them. And just realizing that we're all people. Nobody's perfect. We will never, always be the smartest one in the room. And we've got so much to learn. I think that's what gives me just a lot of comfort and a lot of courage in continuing to grow and to take on new challenges.

Christopher Nelson [00:29:28]:

Right. And now you've moved on from Zendesk and now you're at Qualtrics, operating in the same role and continuing to grow at a brand new company. I want to spend some time talking about what are skills, what are techniques to build what many would consider a nontraditional career in technology. And so for yourself, knowing you and having been in the room with negotiations, high dollars, high stakes negotiations, down to the wire, you're very skilled at what you do. But what we just learned is you literally walked in the door going, how does this whole thing work? So talk to us of how did you really learn and grow in your skills to deliver, to develop this level of expertise that allows you to negotiate multi year, multimillion dollar contracts that have large impacts to companies?

Rendi Miller [00:30:31]:

Well, the first thing that I would say is anyone that has children, you have a master class in negotiation because those little buggers are like the absolute best negotiators I've ever seen. That is the first place that I got this negotiation crash course. Christopher, you talked about the life experiences and even the work experiences that we had prior to getting into tech that we've really drawn on. And there have been so many things that I didn't even realize have played into where I am today. The building of the entrepreneurial spirit and loving that opportunity to build something from nothing, or even to take something where it is and build it into something even bigger and greater. So all of those have really helped in continuing on in my skill development, I guess, if you will. But I think one of the things that has helped me is certainly practice, certainly putting yourself into difficult situations and continuing to do things and learning from them. Networking has been my absolute go to for everything. If it's something that I'm not quite sure of, either how to negotiate or what's the best deal, I'll go to tap into my network and ask them, what's been your experience in this area? Or I don't know quite how I should build this program out. Go ask somebody. There's always somebody who has done it before me, and I can go and chat with them and find out what worked for them, what didn't work. So that has really been my absolute golden ticket to where I am today. I have learned from others. I ask a lot of questions. I'm curious, and I want to know and I want to understand. I have my degree, but I've never gone and got specific procurement or strategic sourcing certifications or anything like that. I've taken a few negotiation classes, but really it has been just learning from doing and learning from others is really how I feel like I have developed and honed my skills over the years.

Christopher Nelson [00:33:03]:

And I want to spend a few minutes here because you came into procurement with no network. So what were some of the steps that you took to start building that network? Was it in the larger manufacturing company at first, keeping in connection with them? Was it formal networking groups? How did you start building that network?

Rendi Miller [00:33:29]:

Yeah, I didn't have a big network when I was in the manufacturing space, to be honest, it was pretty closed. We all just had each other. We didn't go out. I think it's a little different in the tech space and what I have found over the years. Procurement as an industry is extremely open to nurturing other people, bringing them in, helping them grow, helping them develop in their careers and in their skills. So the way that has kind of organically happened is during my time at Splunk, I was told about this networking group in the bay area that I thought, oh, I need to join this, I need to join this group. And they wouldn't allow me in. It was kind of and they wouldn't allow me in because at the time, Splunk was not a billion dollar company, and so they really wanted only practitioners from large companies to be part of this group. So I thought to myself, well, maybe I should just start something of my own, because certainly I can't be the only one who was not invited to the cool kids group and lunch table, right? 

Actually, I was talking to one of our vendors at Splunk, and they said, I think you should start something. I think this would be a brilliant idea. And so they kind of connected me with a couple of people, and we connected them with a couple more people. And we formed this kind of core group that we then started saying, let's host a big networking event and that's all it's going to be just networking. And so we put the word out and we had probably, I think in that first, our first meeting at Splunk, we had close to 100 people that came in. And that was kind of the birth of Silicon Valley sourcing leaders. And then we would rotate. But really all it was, was just people coming in and talking to each other. And we'd do a little panel and people would ask us questions or things like this. 

But leaders from all over the Bay Area, that has been just so beneficial to me and to so many other people I know as well in either getting new jobs or like I said, learning, what are you doing in this space, or what technology are you using for procurement, or what am I missing? So things like that. And it's kind of exciting because this group has actually spread to Utah and to Chicago and to New York, and there's a new one going to start up in Las Vegas as well. So now that COVID has allowed us to meet together again, like I said, I think the power of networking really can't be understated and other people are seeing the value and wanting to start these types of groups within their own communities.

Christopher Nelson [00:36:49]:

Yeah, that is a very impactful story that I think we all need to hear. And the clear message is, if I'm not invited to the party, why don't I start my own? And yes, I think we all believe, oh, everyone's so connected, or everybody doesn't need it, but the reality is we all need to connect. We all need more connections. 

Right now, I think post 2020, we're more disconnected than we've ever been. And this opportunity in peer networking groups for myself as well, was a steroid to my career growth. Like, some might consider it illegal. No, it was definitely growth because in a peer networking group, you get the ability to find people that understand your day to day that you may not always understand the management, the discipline. There's the idea of sharing. And then what we heard from your story before, there's the job story. I mean, the job sharing, right? You got your first VP role because somebody in your network said, you're ready for this, come on in, take my seat. And regardless of what you felt, the opportunity opened and you went in there and you took it. And so creating this networking group and now think about this multiplier impact of being able to scale this. I think that's so important.

Rendi Miller [00:38:19]:

Yeah, it's been fun.

Christopher Nelson [00:38:22]:

So you learn a lot. You obviously talk to a lot of people. Let's talk for a little bit. One of the things that we like to talk about on this podcast as well is also not just the career, but also the money. Right. So I want to talk about what it was like for you negotiating some of these compensation packages? Right? You're a sourcer, you're a negotiator. So what were some of the tactics and things that you use to get the best compensation on the table? I figure you're a negotiator. Let's lean into this.

Rendi Miller [00:38:56]:

Yeah, well, if there's anybody that is in procurement that is listening to this podcast, I will tell you that your last interview test basically is how well you negotiate for yourself. So I've always thought about that and I've always thought, if I don't negotiate and if I don't negotiate hard for myself, how am I going to negotiate for the company? And they want to know whoever is hiring me wants to know that I'm going to go hard and I'm going to stick to my guns in terms of what I want and what's reasonable. I make sure I do not fail on that last interview test. 

So I think just like in any negotiations, whether it's the new car that you want to buy or the house that you want to buy or the new job, or if you are in a procurement practitioner and you are negotiating a deal, you always want to ask for more than what you think you're going to get. Because I will always tell you that you will never get what you don't ask for. So ask for the world and put it all out there. What are all the things that are reasonable for you to ask for? And most likely you're not going to get everything, but you're probably going to get more than you thought and you're definitely not going to get it if you don't ask for it. So that's my first piece of advice, is to always ask for everything that you want. The second thing I think is do your homework. And if you're asking for something that's completely out of line with your role or whatever it might be that you're negotiating right.

Christopher Nelson [00:40:44]:

Your level or understanding stock bands or whatever, then you're in outer space. Then it's like you can't negotiate with somebody who's way out of bounds. Yeah.

Rendi Miller [00:40:54]:

No. And that one that doesn't look good on your credibility either. They want to know that you've done your homework, you know what you're talking about, you're being reasonable, but you're also being aggressive. And don't be afraid to be aggressive. And again, sometimes I think it's harder to negotiate for yourself than it is for me to go and negotiate on behalf of my company. But no one will negotiate better for you than you. And so you are the only one that has that opportunity to do that. And no one is going to give you more than you deserve or more than you're worth. So make sure that you are going out and asking for that. Know your value.

Christopher Nelson [00:41:41]:

You just nailed it. Because that's one of the things that I really try to educate other technology employees about is like you have to be able to articulate your own value. If you don't tell your own story, and again, not talking about what you did, and this is where I know you like you're going in and you're saying, here's the result I delivered for the company. I created a program that over years saved this many millions of dollars, that's hard, bottom line dollars that I can bring that value to you. And other people need to think, what is that company's result? What is that company goal that they're moving the needle on and being able to articulate how they can do it, even if it is at an individual contributor level. Being able to connect those dots is so important.

Rendi Miller [00:42:33]:

Yes.

Christopher Nelson [00:42:37]:

Obviously I'm a huge fan of your career and everything that you've done and the way that I have seen you work some miracles, like 11th hours saving millions of dollars and it's amazing. And you're a woman in Silicon Valley. What has that experience been like for you? Because I don't know that perspective. And I've seen you just as an incredible power broker, but share with us what's that been like.

Rendi Miller [00:43:10]:

My personal experience has been largely all positive. I think in the early days of my career in manufacturing. And this just was still kind of back in the late 90s, early 2000s, procurement was still very male dominated, and it was very kind of like, really grind your suppliers into the ground and just get as much as you possibly could from them to where they walked away, not feeling good at all. So it was a little challenging then because that is just not who I am as a person. Not just as a woman, but as a person. I'm just not going to make someone feel so badly about themselves that they just go, here, take it for free. I don't even deserve to be paid for this. So that was never my style. 

So that was a little difficult just navigating in that space. But overall, I often am the only woman in the room and I'll notice it, but I don't feel any less than and I feel like I have gotten to the place of earning that respect of other people, be that man or woman in the workplace. And some of that has just been it doesn't not just because of my role or my title, but I think because of how I have carried myself and how I've always been respectful to others. So I do feel like I've been fortunate. I know there's a lot of stories out there of women who have been really mistreated and paid very inequitably compared to their male counterparts. I, fortunately, have not experienced that. 

But I do believe that all of us need to show up and need to be our genuine selves. And I have also been fortunate to have some male mentors that I think too seldom women think they should only seek out female mentors because they will know how to get them to the next level. But I think that it's really important to also get a man's perspective of that in the workplace as well. And I think it's good for men to mentor women as well, to get their perspective of things.

Christopher Nelson [00:46:05]:

I like that. Yeah. It's this whole concept of being allies, of helping each other. And I think that creates a great environment of partnership. Definitely.

Rendi Miller [00:46:18]:

Yeah.

Christopher Nelson [00:46:19]:

Okay, well, we have covered a lot, and I really think just sort of recapping this half of the show is I think the peer networking is so important, and I think that's a critical skill. And leaning into that network to get educated is something that you really articulated. And then I love the advice of being able to negotiate for yourself and understanding your value and understanding. The other thing I heard from that conversation, too, was understanding what the philosophy, the focus of the compensation structure is, because that's ultimately what you're doing as a procurement professional. You understand, okay, how is this company pricing their product? Where do they see the value? I now have this rare and valuable object that I'm now negotiating for the best deal possible, which in that scenario is you. You want to then get the best deal on the table. And then I like what you ended with, where I do think that there should be mutual mentorship between men and women and in the workplace to help each other advance. I think it's great.

Rendi Miller [00:47:32]:

Yeah.

Christopher Nelson [00:47:33]:

So now we're going to get into the fire round.

Rendi Miller [00:47:36]:

Okay.

Christopher Nelson [00:47:36]:

Ask some questions. We're going to end up where this is where you're just going to drop just these amazing pieces of knowledge on everyone. I'm excited. So question number one, what was the worst career advice you ever had?

Rendi Miller [00:47:54]:

You're too nice to be a good procurement person. Yes. I was told that I've never changed who I am.

Christopher Nelson [00:48:10]:

I can actually attest to that. That you with a smile on your face will just say, no, thank you, not good enough. And yes, I've seen you get with a smile on your face and a great attitude, get great deals done, and it's baffling. I think it's a phenomenal technique because people think there always has to be something like, a scowl or something. No, you deliver the answer with kindness. So how do you keep learning in your role?

Rendi Miller [00:48:40]:

I've already kind of covered this, but it's networking. Hands down. It's networking. It's asking questions, it's learning from others. And when I don't know something, I'll go find somebody who does know. It's how I learn. I enjoy reading a good novel, but give me a business book and I'm like, oh, I can't stay awake. So I like networking. I like talking to people.

Christopher Nelson [00:49:06]:

Excellent. And so what do you do to recharge? We work so hard. How do you recharge the batteries?

Rendi Miller [00:49:14]:

Hands down, spending time with my family, and even if it's chaotic and they're all here and it's loud and the house is a mess, it is what fills up my cup. And I love it. It recharges me. I love to cook. I want to cook for everybody. And I love to get away and travel, too.

Christopher Nelson [00:49:34]:

That's always good, too.

Rendi Miller [00:49:35]:

That's what charges my batteries.

Christopher Nelson [00:49:38]:

So what advice would you give to your younger self working in tech?

Rendi Miller [00:49:44]:

My advice for my younger self is you don't have to be the smartest person in the room. Not only won't you always 100% of the time be the smartest person, you don't have to be the smartest person in the room. And don't be afraid to share your knowledge and your opinions, because they do matter and you're smarter than you think. That's what I would tell myself.

Christopher Nelson [00:50:07]:

Oh, that's great. That's great. And then what's the best investment of time that you've ever made?

Rendi Miller [00:50:14]:

My best investment of time is investing in people and really caring about them, making them feel like they are valued. And that is not just to my team or my coworkers. It's also my manager. It's also the suppliers that I work with. Kind of getting back to being too nice to be a procurement person. Everyone deserves respect, and everyone deserves to be valued. And I think investing in people just goes so far, personally and professionally.

Christopher Nelson [00:50:52]:

That's great. Well, thank you so much for taking the time, Rendi. I know that you're super busy with everything you have going on, but we appreciate you. And I thank you for taking your time to share your knowledge with others and your story.

Rendi Miller [00:51:06]:

Thank you so much. It's just been an honor to be here with you, Christopher, and reminisce on old times a little bit and just get to have the honor of sharing my story. So thank you.

Christopher Nelson [00:51:17]:

You're very welcome. And thank you to everybody for listening in. Remember, we are a new podcast, so I would ask that you do three things. Number one is, if you like, please follow our podcast. We are on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, you name it. Number two, please leave us a five star review and a comment. We would love to hear from you and then tell other people, right? We are here to help tech technology employees answer the tough questions around career and money. We all had to figure it out. But now I want this forum to tell other stories so that you can learn from what we've done and carve your own path. Thank you very much.