Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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For Bill McDermott, work has never been just a job.

On this Labor Day rerun of Grit, first published Jan 9, 2023, the ServiceNow CEO reflects on what he learned from his earliest jobs and how he carried those lessons from a deli counter in Long Island to the boardroom of an $80B software company.

Links:
Connect with Bill
X: https://x.com/billrmcdermott
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billrmcdermott

Connect with Joubin
X: twitter.com/Joubinmir
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854
Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com

Learn more about Kleiner Perkins: kleinerperkins.com

00:00 Introduction
05:20 How a Teen Took on 7-Eleven — and Won
09:37 The Xerox Interview: Outworking Everyone
13:54 Why Optimism Makes You a Rock for Others
18:04 Turning Work Into a Calling
23:20 The Promise to His Father That Drove Him
31:21 Living in the Now While Planning Ahead
34:49 Walking Away from Xerox: Tough Lessons at Gartner
40:42 Sloan Kettering & Father Michael Judge
46:29 Chasing Dreams vs. Building ServiceNow
52:35 Losing an Eye — and Gaining Courage from Heroes
01:02:41 Why He Bookended with the Kennedys
01:08:25 Who ServiceNow is hiring
01:09:13 What "grit" means to Bill
01:09:24 Outro