Tien Tzuo on Why Agility Is the Key to Finding Fulfillment

In this episode of Passion Struck, I’m joined by Tien Tzuo, Founder and CEO of Zuora, one of the earliest executives at Salesforce, and the bestselling author of Founders, Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail, and What it Takes to Succeed. Tien pulls back the curtain on the paradox of being a founder—the very instincts that launch companies often threaten to derail them as they scale.

Drawing from decades of experience building two iconic companies and his deep collaboration with leadership coach Rich Hagberg, Tien shares why agility—not just in business models, but in mindset and personal growth—is the ultimate key to fulfillment. This conversation dives into the psychology of leadership, the hidden traps of success, and the strategies every entrepreneur must master to thrive in the long run.

Explore More: The Ignited Life Substack

If today’s episode sparked something in you, you’ll love The Ignited Life—our Substack created to fuel your growth between episodes.

Each edition delivers:

• Fresh insights on intentional living, resilience, and emotional mastery
• Practical tools like the L.E.N.S. method and micro-habits to ignite change
• Behind-the-scenes reflections from Passion Struck episodes
• Guest wisdom distilled into real-life applications
• Curated resources, quotes, and frameworks to help you live like you matter

Join thousands of high-performers, purpose-seekers, and change-makers who are shifting from autopilot to alignment—one intentional insight at a time.

👉 Subscribe now at TheIgnitedLife.net

Because living ignited isn’t a one-time spark—it’s a way of being.

Want to learn the 12 philosophies that the most successful people use to create a limitless life? Order John R. Miles’s new book, Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life.

Like this show? Please leave us a review here – even one sentence helps! Please post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us to thank you personally!

In case you didn’t already know it, John R. Miles (@John_R_Miles) takes your comments and questions for Momentum Friday right here every week! If you want him to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Momentum Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected]. Now, let’s dive in!

Hear the secrets and philosophy of the World’s GREATEST high achievers every Tuesday and Thursday, and tune in each week for an inspirational Momentum Friday solo message.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Listen Notes, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube below.

How Tien Tzuo Redefines Leadership, Culture, and Scaling for Founders

In this conversation, Tien Tzuo unpacks the hidden challenges that come with being a founder and why leading a company at scale requires constant reinvention. From his early days at Salesforce to building Zuora into a global leader, Tien reflects on what it means to balance vision with execution, the necessity of systems that grow with the organization, and why culture and strategy can never drift apart for long. He also reveals how leaders must learn to let go of old instincts, reframe their roles, and embrace the tension between urgency and patience if they want to truly succeed.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• Agility is essential: Founders must learn to adapt not only their companies, but also themselves, as organizations scale.
• Culture drives behavior: Even the best strategies fail without a strong culture to sustain them when leaders aren’t in the room.
• Systems matter: Hustle alone can’t carry a company—founders must build processes that evolve at every new layer of growth.
• Balance speed with patience: Knowing when to push hard and when to step back is one of the hardest but most critical skills to master.
• Leadership evolves: True success comes from developing beyond vision into execution and relationship-building.

WHY IS THIS EPISODE A MUST-LISTEN?

This episode isn’t just about startups—it’s about the psychology of leadership under pressure. Tien offers rare insights from building companies at both the startup and enterprise level, showing listeners how to anticipate the pitfalls of growth and harness their influence with intention. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a leader inside a large organization, or someone curious about how visionaries sustain success, this conversation delivers practical wisdom on thriving in the long game of leadership.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR FEATURED RESOURCES

Thank You, BIOptimizers, For Sponsoring

This November, BIOptimizers is offering an exclusive Black Friday BLOWOUT! Get discounts on all their amazing products—including Magnesium Breakthrough—plus up to $100 in free gifts. Don’t miss out! Visit https://bioptimizers.com/passion to shop now

Thank You, Hims, For Sponsoring

Hims: Regrow your hair before it’s too late! Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/PASSIONSTRUCK.

Thank You, Mint Mobile, For Sponsoring

Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at “MINT MOBILE dot com slash PASSION.”

Thank You, Rosetta Stone, For Sponsoring

Unlock 25 languages for life at “ROSETTASTONE.com/passionstruck.”

Thank You, Prolon, For Sponsoring

Reset your health with 15% off at “ProlonLife.com/passionstruck.”

STARTER PACKS

Are you new to the show? These Starter Packs are collections of our most popular episodes grouped by topic, and we now have them on Spotify.

You can also browse starter packs for existing listeners to find your old favorites. Every week, John interviews everyday heroes from all walks of life. Learn how to subscribe to the show and never miss a new episode or topic.

Like this? Please subscribe and join me on my new YouTube platform for peak performance, life coaching, and personal mastery.

Founders Keepers: The Psychology of Leadership at Scale

Tien Tzuo’s latest book, Founders Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail, and What It Takes to Succeed, co-authored with Rich Hagberg, Ph.D., goes far beyond the traditional “startup playbook.” Dr. Hagberg—often called Silicon Valley’s CEO Whisperer—is a psychologist and executive management coach who has spent over 40 years advising more than 6,000 executives at companies like Salesforce, Twitter, Dropbox, Asana, Pinterest, and Instacart. Together, Tien and Hagberg provide a rare window into the paradox of entrepreneurship: the same visionary traits that ignite a company’s creation often become the very forces that threaten its survival.

Tien’s own journey—from one of the first 15 employees at Salesforce, where he worked closely with Marc Benioff and Parker Harris, to building Zuora into a global SaaS leader—makes the lessons of Founders, Keepers deeply practical. As he shared in our interview, one of the hardest truths a founder faces is realizing when their instincts no longer serve the company. At Salesforce, he learned the power of pairing visionaries with strong executors. At Zuora, he discovered that scaling requires not just hustle, but systems, culture, and the humility to unlearn old habits.

A key takeaway from Tien’s story is that founders must reinvent themselves as often as they reinvent their companies. Just as products evolve to meet customer needs, leaders must evolve to meet the demands of scale. This is where Hagberg’s psychological framework and data-driven insights provide a roadmap: teaching founders to recognize their blind spots, balance urgency with patience, and shift from driving every detail to empowering their teams.

For entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders alike, Founders, Keepers is both a cautionary tale and a survival guide—reminding us that building a lasting company begins with building ourselves.

Thanks, Tien Tzuo

If you enjoyed this interview with Tien Tzuo, let him know by clicking on this link and sending him a quick shout on Twitter

Click here to let John R. Miles know about your number one takeaway from this episode!

If you want us to answer your questions or you want John to discuss a topic on one of our upcoming Momentum Friday episodes, drop us a line at [email protected].

RESOURCES FROM THE SHOW WITH TIEN TZUO

Please note that some of the links on this page (books, movies, music, etc.) lead to affiliate programs for which The Passion Struck podcast receives compensation. It’s just one of the ways we keep the lights on around here. Thank you so much for being so supportive!

1. Tien Tzuo’s Website
2. Tien Tzuo’s Twitter
3. Tien Tzuo’s LinkedIn
4. Buy Tien’s Book, ‘Founders Keepers’
5. APA’s recognition of mattering as critical to child mental health
6. Passion Struck Core Value System: https://passionstruck.com/the-passion-struck-core-belief-system/
7. Listen to Passion Struck’s interviews with New York Times bestselling authors Gretchen Rubin and Seth Godin.
8. Check out Passion Struck’s Episode Starter Packs on Spotify or Passion Struck starter packs to get started with the podcast.

About Today’s Guest, Tien Tzuo

Tien Tzuo is the Founder and CEO of Zuora, the leading platform powering the world’s shift to subscription-based business models. Widely recognized as the creator of the term Subscription Economy, he has been at the forefront of transforming how companies innovate, monetize, and grow. Before founding Zuora in 2007, Tzuo was one of the first 15 employees at Salesforce, where he spent nine years building its original billing system and later serving as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Strategy Officer.

An influential voice in the SaaS industry, Tzuo is also the bestselling author of Subscribed and Founders, Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail, and What It Takes to Succeed, co-authored with renowned executive coach Rich Hagberg, Ph.D. His work blends deep insights into leadership psychology with practical lessons from scaling two groundbreaking companies. Born in Taiwan and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Tzuo holds a BS in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Follow John R. Miles On Social

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/Milesjohnr

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrmiles.c0m

* Medium: https://medium.com/@JohnRMiles​

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_r_milesacks for existing listeners to find your old favorites. Every week, John interviews everyday heroes from all walks of life. Learn how to subscribe to the show and never miss a new episode and topic.

* Gear: https://www.zazzle.com/store/passion_struck/

Learn more about me: https://johnrmiles.com.

Passion Struck’s mission is to unlock the power of intentionality for the benefit of us all. To create a world where we live better, be better, and impact the world through our unique and powerful content.