Google’s CEO Reveals the Mantra That Helped Him Handle Work Stress Since His Student Days

Leading a $1.92 trillion enterprise requires a strong constitution, as per the statement.
CEO of Alphabet and Google, Sundar Pichai
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Much of his role involves making critical choices and resolving issues that others haven’t been able to tackle, Pichai stated during a talk at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
event in April 2022
Whenever he feels stressed about his job, he recalls a straightforward two-part saying he picked up during his time as a grad student, he mentioned.

Initially, taking any action surpasses spending time pondering over alternatives. Additionally, majority of decisions aren’t final, and you have the opportunity to gain insights even if you err, as stated by Pichai.

When someone from Google approaches him with an issue—which frequently occurs when his team is split between two potential resolutions—he makes sure to pick one of these choices swiftly, he mentioned. Alternatively, succumbing to stress typically leads to delays for either the group or occasionally even the entire organization, he explained.

“You making this decision is the most crucial step you can take towards moving forward,” Pichai stated during the event. “Although it might seem as though everything depends on your choice, when you reflect back, you’ll see that it wasn’t as significant as it appeared then,” explained Pichai.

According to some experts, learning to manage workplace pressures could make you both happier and more efficient at your job. When faced with tight deadlines, significant projects, or an overbearing supervisor who causes stress, consider these obstacles as chances to meet challenges head-on instead of seeing them as threats to your professional life or financial security. This advice comes from a burnout researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kandi Wiens shared with Career Make It in April 2024.
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“When confronted with an uncontrollable source of stress, we often fabricate narratives in our minds to cope with the uncertainty, leading to significant self-blame and worst-case scenario thoughts,” explained Wiens. “However, individuals who are resilient and achieve success tend to question their initial beliefs; they manage to break the cycle of negative thought patterns and inquire within: ‘What facts do I have, and what presumptions am I holding onto regarding this circumstance?’”

Pichai mentioned that his initial experience in assisting teams to efficiently resolve issues was something he acquired early on.
his mentor Bill Campbell
—a former Intuit CEO and Apple board member—while pursuing his studies in materials science and engineering at Stanford University, Pichai mentioned this during a Stanford Graduate School of Business event.

Campbell, who
mentored various well-known technology executives
Like Steve Jobs and the ex-CEO of Google Eric Schmidt, Pichai highlighted that leaders should possess the skill to act as an effective tiebreaker when a team reaches a deadlock.

Pichai mentioned that every week Campbell would meet up with him and inquire, ‘How many connections did you sever this week?’ This experience helped him become at ease with making decisive conclusions. He stated that this lesson has remained with him ever since.


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