Anusha Muralidharan

Describe your current role in the organization.

I’m currently a Content/Public Relations (PR) Specialist, working with the Zoho Media Relations team. I primarily drive efforts in building a thought leadership program that is aligned with Zoho’s core business values and objectives, and then integrating it with our PR activities for India. Additionally, I help the entire team with content development and review for PR activities across India and Africa.

What role does Zoho’s company culture play in your identity and the work that you do?

There’s a saying that goes, ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’. Likewise, Zoho has a simple and straightforward culture that’s actually its greatest strength—stay focused on being people-first and engineering-led. This cultural umbrella guides the numerous micro-cultures across different teams within Zoho. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with different teams where the managers and peers embody these values. The people-first approach, for instance, is evident in the way the company gives space for greenhorns (I was one of them!) to learn, make mistakes, and grow; which is truly how I’m a PR specialist for a technology company today (neither of which I have formal training in).

What were the highest and lowest points of your journey with Zoho?

Before joining Zoho, I did my bachelor’s in Commerce and then my master’s in business administration, specializing in Human Resources, which essentially puts me in the non-IT crowd. Both my highest and lowest points at Zoho are due to this, in a personal sense. In the last 10 years, I’ve worked on numerous content projects for which I have had to familiarize myself with deeply technical concepts. Every time before starting a project, having to learn them would seem daunting, and I would beat myself up over not having specialized in IT. Even so, I would somehow comprehend the concepts, finish the work, and finally give myself a pat on the back. I go from one extreme to another with every project. “It always seems impossible until it's done.”

Your most embarrassing blunder?

Before becoming a PR specialist, I was leading marketing efforts for a product suite within the company. At that time, our team had to take on a time-sensitive and critical task of creating a landing page. I was working on another task when this one also came up, and I simply assumed that my teammate would handle the critical task.

A few days later, all of a sudden, people were following up, and I realized that none of us were working on the landing page! My teammate had also not taken it on, assuming that I was handling it since I hadn't spoken to her about it. The incident taught me the importance of always staying in sync with your team, especially when you're the one leading it.

What are your hobbies or favorite activities outside of work?

I have many, some of them being reading novels, playing carrom, trekking, taking breezy walks, and watching/rewatching movies and shows.

Words of Wisdom

Things are rarely as bad as they seem. More often than not, our wrong assumptions lead us to imagine that situations are worse than they actually are. Never assume—both at work and in your personal life. Instead, learn to process emotions without brewing in them. Look at how you can gain clarity about what's bothering you.

Train yourself not to take anything personally. Use every experience to make yourself better and move on. It’s crucial to evolve!