The Power of Looking Back: 13 Lessons for 13 Years working at Google
- Sara Scurfield
- Jul 22
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 5
This one is inspired by someone I deeply admired as a leader at Google, Shankar Desai. I recently reposted his top 5 things he’d do differently if he was still an executive at Google. It reminded me that I made a deck (yes- habits die hard!) with 13 lessons from 13 years at Google just after I left. I am challenging myself to post 1 per week for the next 13 weeks on Linkedin- but here is the full download for those that like to move quicker.
🔥Recommended TEAM Activity:🔥
Share this summary deck or create a version of your own for your team.
Have them choose their favourite lesson and explain WHY
Have them create a lesson of their own to share with the team
This is a great way to build team culture and harness the wisdom that we often don't share in group settings. STEAL WITH PRIDE!
13 Lessons for 13 Years working at Google
LISTEN TO YOUR OWN ADVICE
“Stay in this role and wait for the promotion”
“Show less emotion on your face”
“Wait until you are where you want to be in your career before you have kids” (offered by a leader when I was 6 weeks pregnant)
We're drowning in advice—most of it well-intentioned. But here's what I've learned: You are the only expert on your life. Only you know your values, your circumstances, your dreams. That inner wisdom? It's more powerful than anything else.
Next time you face a big decision:
✓ Listen to the advice
✓ Then go inward
✓ Trust what YOU know is right
✨Your gut has access to data no one else does. Use it.✨
RUN YOUR OWN RACE
I remember distinctly coming back from my second maternity leave to a pretty challenging situation at work. My back was in spasms from a tough postpartum and I kept looking around me at all these other humans that were “thriving”. I felt like I was failing at everything until my wise physio friend from childhood reminded me that comparison is the killer of joy. I was missing out on all the beautiful scenery if I was focused on someone else’s path. It’s a good reminder that we’re all on our own journey (and everyone struggles friend!!). There is no right way to do things. Focus on your own race and make sure you take breaks and change up your pace as it’s not a sprint- and everyone struggles.
YOU CAN’T SIT ON A TWO LEGGED STOOL
True balance is struggletown for most of us. Most of my coaching clients focus on career for fulfilment but in reality if other aspects of life are out of whack, your dream position could land in your lap and you wouldn’t value it. There are many exercises that can help clarify this for you, but I like to think about a stool. Personally my stool has been consistently career, family and ME. I used to worry that if I added things to my plate, I would be maxed- but I’ve found the opposite to be true in small amounts. Whether it was charity work, playing hockey or taking a course - adding something for me gave me more balance and energy for my other legs. I’m well aware I’m mixing analogies here- but I used to really struggle with feeling overwhelmed and one of my mentor’s comments now sticks in my head: You might just find that instead of your cup overflowing, it gets slightly bigger when you add things you love.
STORYTELLING STICKS
Facts make you look smart, telling good stories makes you memorable. To this day, I still meet the odd ex sales client only for them to say “oh you’re the garbage truck person!” To be clear, this was an ads keynote I delivered years ago. Do you think they remember what Black Friday ad types I referenced? No, but they remember me and my experience buying a Christmas gift. Language is powerful and it can also unlock feelings that go way past logic. Here's another example. I once worked with a client who was feeling stuck in her career. She said that her job was "like eating spinach." We spent the rest of the session talking about what spinach meant to her. Big unlock. Think about how you can incorporate more metaphor and storytelling into your presentations- especially when you are explaining complex ideas. It’s also fun!
KNOW YOUR SUPERPOWERS
In career and in life, if you don’t tell your own story, others will do it for you. For years, I always thought that if I put my head down and did good work, I would be recognized. That’s not true and it’s actually not very fair to your management team or you. Modesty is a fine line to tread here. We spend so much time focusing on areas of improvement, but it’s also important to lean into and develop our strengths. It’s a LOT OF WORK to get someone promoted, especially at somewhere like Google. By understanding your unique, specific skills (stakeholder management isn’t a super power people!), you are actually making it easier for leaders to help you chart a path that is custom to you. Ask your trusted circle, fill out assessments and come up with 2-3 really specific superpowers that make you brilliant- and practice saying them out loud!
SET BOUNDARIES LIKE THE BOSS THAT YOU ARE
Do you know the difference between sneaking out at 5PM or striding out confidently to do that yoga class or school pick-up? Attitude. Setting a boundary in your calendar and with your co-workers gives you control of your time vs guilt. I hated coming into the office when I had client meeting commutes. Instead, I implemented this thing called “Walmart Wednesdays”. Everyone on my team knew not to expect me in on Wednesdays (and I was able to fit in a cheeky Costco run on the way home from the burbs!)
Here's a tip that can help you change your mindset: Let people know about your plans. Daycare pick-up at 5? Yoga at 6? If you're serious about making this happen, tell your team about it. They'll be more likely to hold you accountable and make sure you don’t miss out on your personal obligation. It’s a brilliant flip that I learned from a brilliant leader.
DON’T BRING YOUR WHOLE SELF TO WORK
Controversial lesson? I believe that vulnerability is a strength- but there is also a time and place for everything. I once worked with a talented analyst who was very open about his emotions. He would often share his frustrations and disappointments with anyone who would listen. Over time, he got a reputation for being negative and his career stalled. He's now flourishing at a new company because he intentionally created a safe space of select work buddies to vent, cry, laugh, and support each other. Outside of this group, he is now more careful about how he presents himself to others. It’s ok not to show everybody every part of your personality. Saving your cries for the bathroom or taking a walk around the block before responding to an email can save you headaches down the line.
YOU ALWAYS HAVE CHOICES
Feeling stuck? You’re actually not if you look at it from a place of empowerment.
You can stay and do nothing
You can stay and change things
You can leave
Getting unstuck doesn’t always have to be drastic- sometimes it is just a matter of changing your perspective. It also helps to surround yourself with a positive support system. Complaining is contagious- and so is a growth mindset.
LEARN HOW TO NETWORK
It is my experience that many people want to be helpful despite their packed calendars. However, in order to be helpful, they need guidelines. Don't hesitate to ask interesting people for coffee chats but come prepared with:
A clear introduction of who you are
What specific help you need
Genuine curiosity about their experience
Always have an ask ready. It can be simple: "Who else do you think I should meet?"
Networking is a great way to progress your career, learn from others and choose your next adventure.
One approach that worked well for me: Ask parents you admire who are 10 years ahead in their parenting journey what advice they'd give their younger selves. Not only useful advice, these personal conversations often lead to the strongest professional relationships.
YOU HAVE TO DREAM IT TO ACHIEVE IT
My friend with a demanding sports management job and family once said he wants to own a vineyard. His wife and I laughed—we both lived in Toronto at the time and he doesn’t even have a box garden. But his response stuck with me: “You’ve got to dream it to achieve it.”
If you want to achieve anything big, you have to dream big first. So take some time to let your mind wander, whether it’s walking your dog, driving, sitting on a patio, or whatever works for you. Some people call this manifesting, intention setting, or vision boarding—whatever you call it, make time for big ideas and dreams on the regular.
KNOW YOUR TRUST BATTERY LEVELS
I’d be remiss to not credit the big brains at Shopify for this- but I’ve loved it as a people manager.
Imagine your trust with a coworker or your team as a battery. When you first start working together, the battery is half-full. As you work together and they consistently meet expectations, deliver solid work, and demonstrate integrity, the battery charges. But if they don't meet expectations, the battery drains.
As a manager, your role is to explain this concept to your team and help members charge their trust batteries. You can do this by setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and being supportive and fair. When the trust battery is full, you must evolve your focus to challenging and guiding your team members without micromanaging them.
A team with full trust batteries is a team that is productive, engaged, and happy. So let's all work together to charge up our trust batteries so we can worry less about formatting and details and more about big ideas and output!
NEVER NIT PICK ON STYLE
This analogy is for all you new or existing parents out there:
What happens when your partner puts a baby diaper on wrong? They experience a massive blow out.
What happens the next time they put on that diaper? They’ve learned to put on a darn good diaper and you never have to offer advice.
The same applies to leading a team (without the bodily fluids of course)
Once the broad strokes are in place never nit pick on style unless you know exactly what the client/stakeholder likes. The audience is just as likely to enjoy the other person’s aesthetic as yours.
To take it a step further, if someone can do something 70% as well as you can, delegate it to them and coach them lightly through the process. If they can do it 90% as well as you can, put them in charge of it and let them run it entirely. They’re likely actually better at it than you and that 10% is a matter of personal taste.
COMPLETE YOUR STRESS CYCLE
Burnout. We’re all experiencing it and we’re all desperate for a way through it. The good news is that stress is not the problem. It’s how we deal with stress that needs a tweak. Stress is a cycle and we need better tools to complete the cycle. Every time we experience stress, we need to process that stress to complete the cycle. That’s daily for most of us! Exercise & movement is the most popular and effective way to process stress however here are 6 evidence-based strategies for completing our body's stress cycle:
Physical Activity
Creativity
Laughing
Crying
Physical Affection
Deep Breathing
If you want the deck version, it's all yours!
I'd love to hear how it goes with your team.
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