‘Grow thick skin’: 6 leadership lessons from Google manager who spent 20 years building the company

Shankar Murali, who has spent 20 years at Google, shared six key leadership lessons from his journey with the tech giant. He began his career at Google India when the company was still in its early stages, with a small office lacking a cafeteria. Shankar worked on Checkout, an early payments pilot, and participated in TGIF meetings where he and other leads openly discussed ideas.

He later worked on a major licensing expansion effort, establishing Google Payments in all 50 US states and later joining a team in Dublin, Ireland, to handle UK payment licenses and FSA reporting. Shankar learned the importance of releasing built systems to create space for growth, a lesson that prepared him for his next challenge in Ad policy enforcement.

He worked with early SVM models, extended engineering hours, and led counterfeit operations, laying the groundwork for broader enforcement efforts. Throughout his career, Shankar emphasized the importance of listening rather than immediately solving problems, staying curious and sharing knowledge continuously, leading by example while pushing teams toward growth, and showing deep care for people and their struggles.

He stressed the importance of growing thick skin, as perspectives differ and disagreements are inevitable, but respect and love for change are essential. Shankar concluded by wishing happiness and continued success for himself and others, highlighting his dedication to fighting for the good and bringing joy to those around him.