Ian Bruce
Life at Zoho
Describe your current role in the organization.
I joined Zoho in July, 2002. I head the business sales department for Canada. Prior to that, I started and managed our Partner Program for a decade.
What role does Zoho’s company culture play in your identity and the work that you do?
Zoho changed my life and became a part of me—like a family or a curse (just kidding). It became a huge part of my identity. It is like an extended family, and culturally, I have absorbed both company values and perspectives as well as Indian values and perspectives. The two seem inseparable to me.
From a work perspective, the freedom I feel as a Zoho employee has shaped my work ethic and the way I think about work. Before Zoho, ‘work’ was something I did to make money or advance my career. I never expected to enjoy and come to love the company I worked for. Now, I can see how to balance making a living and enjoying the other parts of my life. Zoho’s culture is geared towards respecting people from all backgrounds and nurturing them to grow as individuals and thrive professionally. Looking back, I am forever grateful I chose to stay.
At Work
Tell us about a time you overcame a challenge you didn’t think was possible.
My biggest challenge has been on the personal side. Impatience and an inflated sense of entitlement to get the job done forced me to complain and confront colleagues. In sales, being aggressive is often rewarded or at least tolerated. Initially, I focused on results, sometimes at the expense of building relationships. I didn’t trust the long-term horizons that Sridhar often spoke about. This has now completely shifted to a more expansive view of what ‘work’ means, how I can help others, and what it means to be a good manager.
Your most embarrassing blunder?
While doing a formal presentation in front of all my colleagues, including Tony Thomas and Sridhar Vembu, I froze for more than a minute! That was probably the most embarrassing moment I can remember.
Is there a project or an accomplishment at Zoho you're proud of?
There are several:
Starting and implementing the global Partner Program with just myself and Gary, with little direction or resources, is one proud moment. As Zoho's partner ambassador, I was particularly proud to lead a group of 35+ partners and their spouses on a trip to Kerala and another to Pichavaram Mangrove Forest for an immersive experience with regard to culture as well as nature. Here is where my work and passions merge.
A trip to Germany with Sridhar to an internet service provider (ISP) is memorable, too. We closed the deal and generated a few million in revenue over five years.
I also recall setting up a meeting with the CTO of a major credit card company by sending him an engraved food tray with some pride.
Getting Personal
Any memorable moments of your journey captured?
Many are just simple, intimate conversations with cherished colleagues:
Trips with my colleague and friend, Raju Vegesna, to various global cities.
Meeting Tejas Gadhia for breakfast at Park Hyatt before going to the office each morning.
Attending the weddings of colleagues in India (inspiring and deeply moving experiences).
A simple ride on the Chennai local train is one of the finest things I know when visiting the office.
Adventures in Chennai and other parts of India and the globe.
What are some of your favorite activities outside of work?
I have always loved travel and have been fascinated with India ever since I could travel on my own. These two passions come together so beautifully for me at Zoho. I have been privileged to see the world while doing the work I love.
Before Zoho, I worked temporarily as a freelance writer and spent nearly a year traveling to India and doing stories for a Canadian magazine. I love cooking (spicy food, especially). I play music on a handpan, which is a percussion and melodic instrument with notes and scales. I stay active and try to keep fit by going to the gym, eating healthy foods (I’m a vegetarian), and getting out in nature a lot. I also love dancing and belong to a dance class called Five Rhythms which meets weekly.
What are the top three books that you recommend?
I take inspiration from literature and novels. I love a good sci-fi or fantasy novel and have read many inspirational books about travel and nature. These tend to have a spiritual, humanistic focus, and a fine story. I rarely listen to podcasts and use YouTube primarily for music. I watch a lot of documentaries.
Here are some of my favorites:
Sci-Fi/Fantasy - The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings by Tolkein; The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin; Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Nature - The Silent Spring by Rachel Carson; Walden by Henry David Thoreau; and The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.
Novels - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCuller; The Shipping News by Annie Proulx; The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
A recent documentary film that blew me away is My Octopus Teacher.
Words of Wisdom
Advice is cheap and easy to dole out. We each have our path ahead of us and need to figure out what is meaningful and how we can contribute to life at this time.
Patience and long-term thinking have probably been my most profound lessons learned at Zoho.
Sridhar once told me that getting rich is not a worthy goal. Being able to improve one’s standing in life and helping others succeed is.
If you are starting out at Zoho, or are relatively new, trust yourselves. Set goals. Be prepared to invest what you can to learn what is needed to achieve your goals.
Have a plan (write it down). Build strong connections with colleagues. Be liked. That is the most important thing—be likable. It will help you go far, whatever path you take.
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