Is There Stress at Work? This is How Google CEO Sundar Pichai Handles it

In Short: Google CEO Sundar Pichai manages workplace stress by following two key principles: make decisions to break through challenges and remember that most decisions are not as critical as they seem.....

Sundar Pichai’s Two Mantras for Managing Stress        

Leading one of the world's biggest tech companies is far from a stress-free job. For Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, each day brings big decisions and constant pressure. But over the years, he has learned to stay calm no matter what. Pichai says he follows two mantras to stay steady in his decisions and lead with clarity.

Speaking at Stanford Business School a few years ago, Pichai shared how this mindset has shaped his leadership. One of the key principles he follows is: “Making a decision is the most important thing you can do. You are breaking a knot.” He believes that this is what helps move the organization forward.

Second, he pointed out that most of the decisions we make are actually trivial. A decision may seem very important at first, but later you realize it didn’t have as much impact as you expected. Pichai believes only a few decisions truly have major consequence, and that thoughtful decision-making is a big part of leadership.

Pichai credits this practical mindset to his mentor, Bill Campbell, the former CEO of Intuit. Campbell mentored him while Pichai was at Stanford, meeting with him every week. Each time, Campbell would ask, “What control did you break this week?” This helped Pichai build confidence in making tough decisions and guided him through difficult times. He says Campbell’s lessons have stayed with him ever since.

Pichai joined Google in 2004 as a product manager and steadily rose through the ranks, becoming CEO in 2015. Since then, he has led the company through many highs and lows. He admits that making decisions at the top is never easy, but his approach has helped him stand firm.

From the outside, the work may look overwhelming. But Pichai says that when you know your skills are helping the company move forward, the job becomes more fulfilling, and even a little fun.