This mantra helps Google CEO Sundar Pichai stay calm under pressure: 'The higher up you...'

Running one of the biggest tech giants is not easy, and who understands this better than Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet? Sundar Pichai faces constant pressure and big decision-making almost every day, but with time, he has mastered staying calm and composed in every situation, and the credit goes to his two-step mantras that help him stay grounded and lead with clarity.
 
In 2022, speaking at Stanford Business School, Pichai shared how these two mantras have shaped his approach to leadership over the years. 

"One thing is that making this decision is the most important thing you can do. You're breaking a bond, and it propels the organisation forward," Pichai said.

"The other thing is that over time, you realise that most of these decisions are insignificant," he added.

According to Pichai, a decision that may feel difficult at first often turns out not to be that important when thought about later.  

"There are very few consequential decisions, and decision-making is a big part of leadership," he said.

Pichai credits his mentor Bill Campbell, the former CEO of Intuit, whom he used to meet regularly while studying at Stanford, for his practical approach in life.

"Every week Campbell met with me, he would ask me, 'What relationships did you break this week?'' Pichai recalled. This taught him the confidence to make tough decisions, especially when the team is stuck and needs direction. "That's always stuck with me," he said.

Pichai joined Google in 2004 as a product manager and rose steadily. He became CEO in 2015 and has since led the company through several turning points.

"The higher up you are in an organisation, the less easy decisions come your way," Pichai said. Still, this mantra helps him stay grounded. "It's just another normal day at the office, and so you just keep going through it," he said.

Also read: Meet Charulata beautiful wife of Rajasthan Royals star, who works as...; know their love story