How Productivity Saved My Career at Google

When I joined Google in July 2016, I did something no one else had done before:

• I became the first person in the history of Google's Global Business Organization (GBO) team to fail the sales case study three times in a row.

Trust me when I tell you it fucking sucked. I almost quit in the first 3 months.

My manager told me no-one had failed twice in a row before, let alone three times. And he even had to reach out to the People Operations (HR) team to see whether this would affect my probation.

I was objectively the worst salesperson on the team.

But then something weird happened: For the next two years, I was ranked consistently in the top 5% of sales people in the APAC region and there was even a quarter (2019 Q4) where I ranked as the number one salesperson in Google globally.

What the hell happened?

The Power of Systems

After almost handing in my resignation letter, I realized something: The system I rely on at work is just as vital as my technical skills. In fact, I quickly found that most professionals are held back by their systems, not by their abilities.

After my first training quarter at Google (where every new salesperson gets an automatic pass), I created a system in Google Sheets to track every single call I made to my clients, what products I pitched, and how much they ended up spending 2 weeks after our conversation.

This system (well, spreadsheet really) helped me double-down on talking points and solutions that resonated with my customers and allowed me to hit my sales targets even though I was still objectively a bad salesperson.

How Is This Related to Productivity?

We all define “productivity” a little bit differently.

At work, this might mean something complex like building out an entire system to track your customer calls, or something simple like using the “Data Validation” feature in Excel when collaborating with colleagues, making it physically impossible for them to input information in an incorrect format.

In life, this might mean coming up with systems and processes that reduce the friction of building healthy habits (using a pretty Notion Agenda Template to start the day for example).

And with the advent of tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, this also means staying up-to-date on the practical applications of AI in our lives.

I've seen firsthand how the right systems can transform a struggling employee into a top performer, and how simple tweaks can make healthy habits feel effortless. In today's fast-paced world, productivity isn't just about working harder—it's about working smarter.

Whether you're using AI to automate tasks, building systems to streamline your workflow, or simply finding ways to reduce friction in your daily life, remember: the most productive people aren't always the most talented, but they're almost always the ones with the best systems.