Jocelyn Mangan, SVP at OpenTable, Houston Native & Vanderbilt Graduate Now Calling San Francisco Home  

Jocelyn Mangan works as the Senior Vice President of Product Management at OpenTable in the breathtaking city of San Francisco, whose charming, cream-colored buildings stacked in (very) uneven tiers, right down to the blue ocean, bring to mind somewhere like Capri. And such a setting, rife with beautiful restaurants to boot, seems appropriate for someone trying to attract diners into them.

Mangan moved here after growing up in the South and working in places as diverse as Nashville and London.  She found the experience of working abroad challenging but inspiring from a business standpoint (more on that below).  And since then, at OpenTable, she has been able to combine her degree in English – starting out as a restaurant writer for CitySearch – with a love of technology.  She notes that her role includes lots of “cross-functional discussions” and brainstorming, as well as working a great deal of the time with product managers, designers and engineers.

She gets motivation for those energetic endeavors, she says, from a love of her family, including her husband, two kids and a puppy, and a healthy breakfast of “egg, cottage cheese and avocado.”  As for advice to anyone interested in improving relationships in business, she says her go-to book in that area is Danny Meyer’s Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business, with Mangan mentioning perceptively that “people are at the heart of any business. There are some incredible lessons in that book that will serve you well regardless of your industry.”

Her previous professional roles at Ticketmaster (as a Senior Project Manager) and current one at OpenTable ensure that the main focus of her work is squarely on providing great, memorable “evenings out” for the public.  And to that end, she says that her focus every day is on growing OpenTable even beyond the powerhouse online brand it is today.

Can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in the South, and have lived in several cities since college, including Nashville, Los Angeles, London, and now Oakland (in the Bay Area). I am a mom to two toddlers, ages 3 and 4 with my husband, Craig. I have been in technology for twenty years, and started as a restaurant writer for CitySearch, back when it was still a startup. 

What does a day in your shoes typically look like?
My day is full from the moment I walk in to the moment I leave. No day is the same, but can be filled with any of the following: one-on-ones with my team, cross-functional discussions, brainstorms, meeting with candidates, customers, and time set aside for planning.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning and the last three things you do before you go to bed?
Morning:
1. Get a “good morning” from my son, Wyatt  — who wakes up way too early, quickly followed by his sister, my puppy and my husband.
2. Yoga (not as much as I would like)
3. Read – typically an industry article or sometimes something motivational that I have bookmarked or seen in my newsfeed.

Evening: Read to my kids, prep dinner, and share a glass of wine with my husband.

What is your breakfast of choice? 
Egg, cottage cheese, and avocado.

What keeps you energized and motivated at work? 
I truly enjoy the challenges that my job puts in front of me, and the promise of growing OpenTable beyond what it is today. 

What is the favorite part of your job? 
I like working with product managers, designers, and engineers. The way we develop products in technology is ever-changing and I have enjoyed figuring out how to get better at it, particularly as our company has grown in size and the technology has allowed us to move faster. 

What and who inspires your work?
I have been fortunate to work on products I love and use, ever since I started back at CitySearch. I have always loved food and restaurants, so being able to come to work every day and work on products that serve that space feels very motivating. I am surrounded by talented people on my team, who challenge my thinking and open my mind to new ideas. I get inspiration from my husband, who is in a creative field, as well as my children who are constantly in a state of wonder. 

How does your culture/background influence your work?
My dad was someone who took work seriously, but also really put his heart in to it. I think I get some of my love for work from that influence.  My mom encouraged me to try new things, move new places, and take chances – all of which have fed in to my decisions on what to do. 

How many times have you changed your career direction? 
Really once. I graduated in English, wanted to write or go to law school, but fell into technology and have not looked back. 

What has been your biggest obstacle in your career and how did you overcome it?
Moving abroad for work was tough at first. I had to really start from scratch to prove myself with a new team. At the time, technology companies were still very new, and there was resistance to how it would all play out. I tried to stay focused on the work that had to be done, stay true to the type of startup working environment I wanted to grow, and with time, the team learned how to thrive with old and new ways of working. 

What is your favorite leisure activity after a stressful work week? 
Yoga.

Three questions you like to ask during an interview to know if the candidate (or job) is the right fit?
“What do you want to do more of/less of in your next role?”
“What is motivating you to look for a new role?”
[For Product Managers]:  “How do you decide what to build?” 

What are the most important qualities of a good leader?
Being inspired, focused, and a believer in people. 

What advantages do you see as a woman in the workplace? 
Seems like we hear more about the disadvantages than advantages, and there is still a notable lack of women in technology. I am hopeful that is a trend that will reverse. The executive team at OpenTable has a mix of men and women, and what I notice is that it brings different perspectives and styles to the conversation. Diversity helps us avoid “groupthink” and ultimately helps us make better decisions. 

What advice would you give women starting their career? 
Stay true to what inspires and motivates you. Do what you want to do, not what you think you should/have to do.

What book would you recommend for women just starting their career?
Setting the Table, by Danny Meyer. We actually give this book to all new hires at OpenTable. It’s a great look at how to think about running a business or working in one. Danny has such a great way of talking about people, and people are at the heart of any business. There are some incredible lessons in that book that will serve you well regardless of your industry.