5 Lessons a 19-Year-Old Programmer Learned at Google

As a naive, enthusiastic 19-year-old, I walked into Google—a tech company that then had 3,000 employees—ready to learn as much as I could. Over the next six years, I discovered that Google style meant more than hotel-style laundry and free food. Even though I was one of the youngest employees, no one was there to promote me. Within weeks, deadlines, responsibilities, and complex projects were being dumped on me. I had to develop a strategy for entering Africa and Eastern Europe in two weeks without even taking a finance training course. I had to be resourceful and adaptable.

Now as a tech entrepreneur, and as an entrepreneur who has experienced all kinds of ups and downs, I want to share with you the five most valuable lessons I took away from Google.

1. If you don’t worry about yourself, no one else will.

Soon after I joined Google, I learned to do everything on my own. At first, I naively thought that promotion would be a natural process - the best talents would slowly rise to the top. However, I did not consider the "political" factors involved. Google is not a six-person startup. If I want to stand out, then I need to stand out and be noticed within the organizational structure, and no one else will tell me how to do it. I have to do it completely on my own.

From there, I began to work my way up the ladder, tapping into internal resources, learning about different aspects of the company—from the treasury to the philanthropy team, and finding people who were part of an amazing team. I charted a new course for myself, and then wasted no time in making it happen.

2. "Death" in comfort - comfort will lead to complacency.

Google is successful because it works at a speed few companies can match. Employees think fast and then execute even faster—always making great strides forward.

As a young person, Google taught me to never get complacent. From the beginning of recruiting, Google pushes its employees out of their comfort zones. If I want to succeed, then I must constantly grow and innovate and think like an entrepreneur.

Uber has adopted a similar strategy. When you walk into Uber's headquarters, it feels like the Uber team is in a state of war, and the company has a literal war room. This fighting spirit is reflected and applied at every level of the company. When Uber faces major challenges - whether it is fierce competition with Lyft or resistance from local governments - the team unites and is more actively engaged in the battle.

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3. Free creation gives birth to great ideas.

Technology leaders need to create an environment that allows innovative thinking to flourish. Google has carefully designed ways to encourage innovation at almost every point. It even has lounges, cafes, and public corners that encourage debate and conversation, so that even colleagues who don’t work together can interact and stimulate each other’s ideas.

Google’s TGIF meetings are another great example of this spirit, which I’ve adopted at my own company. Every week, the team gathers for a rambling, creative conversation about the company.

Google also launched the "20% Project" to promote innovation, in which all employees are able to spend 20% of their working time on things they think will benefit Google the most.

Unfortunately, as a company grows, this culture becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. Google has scaled back its so-called "20% Project" program in practice, but the idea has persisted and defined Google as an open-minded, ideas-based company.

4.Data is the lifeline of an enterprise.

Google is not short-sighted when it comes to data. Its data-driven approach to strategy is what sets it apart from other businesses. This great company knows that the best ideas come from user trends and behaviors. That’s why it tests and validates every hypothesis, pilots new features, and adjusts processes based on real-time information from its users.

Even if your customer base is growing rapidly, you can’t ignore the details. Google’s approach to data works because the company closely monitors trends in the data to keep an eye on what’s going to happen next — in other words, predicting future needs, not just understanding what’s happening now. The question then becomes: What can we do now to think ahead of our users?

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5. Great leaders invest in talent rather than waiting for it to happen.

Google has built a strong and cohesive team, hired talented people, and given employees plenty of mentoring opportunities. I don't hire people who don't look good, but I also don't underestimate people. I give people mentors who can teach them how to figure things out, and I challenge them to improve. Most importantly, I give every task and job a clear purpose, so that employees know exactly how their power drives the company's growth. I try to make sure the purpose of all this is transparent.

I even borrowed some of Google's job definitions to help achieve this goal. For example, Google describes PMs as "mini CEOs" of products. This practice gives project managers more trust and responsibility. The same goes for teams. If team members have a certain amount of space, they will be more motivated to meet challenges.

But what has influenced me most about Google is its set of values. It’s truly remarkable — and something I’m working hard to replicate — that team members at every level have the power to influence change across the company. It’s a standard every leader should strive to live up to.

-About the Author

Falon Fatemi is the founder and CEO of Node. She has spent the past five years as a business development executive doing strategic consulting for startups and venture capitalists, and has advised a wide range of companies on how to invest in infrastructure and even build drones.