Indra Nooyi was in Dubai 4 months back (Feb 2022), for the Emirates Literature Festival , and we went to watch her speak about her book. We thought of it as an excellent opportunity to inspire our 12-year-old daughter. After all, Indra graduated from the MCC in Chennai, did her post-grad from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and Yale School of Management, and worked in storied companies like Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Motorola, ABB, and Pepsico.
Now, if you have not already done so, please read her book: "My Life in full", a personal and powerful memoir of her life. The book starts in Madras when she was a little girl and goes on to when she retired from PepsiCo as the first woman of color to be the CEO of a Fortune 50 company. Surprising facts that I did not know about her: She was in a band (the LogRhythms), was an avid debater and played cricket (opening batswoman in the MCC woman's team).
Here are the 10 key lessons that I drew from her candid and well-written book:
1. Don't follow traditional wisdom always. Be bold enough to forge your path.
2. Take risks in your career early and often.
3. You survive when your family is thriving- make sure that their needs are met.
4. Get into the details and do the hard work necessary to understand the full impact of the decisions that you are making.
5. Build and lean on mentors but take decisions that make sense to your life at the right time
6. Hard work always gets you ahead.
7. When you get to a foreign setting, try to fit in but don't lose your individuality.
8. Let feelings churn inside, but take decisions with a calm, rational mind.
9. When you have hit upon the right strategy for the business, over-communicate and get all stakeholders on board. Don't be afraid to take on difficult conversations.
10. Work for institutions and not just an individual.
Bonus: Profits need to be balanced with a purpose, and a company needs to do more to meet the needs of all its stakeholders (employees, customers, society, and shareholders)
We went with the ostensible aim to inspire our daughter and came back brimming with inspiration ourselves.
The video below gives you some insights on Indra's decision making process that led up to her adopting the Profits with Purpose strategy for Pepsico.
#business #opportunity #inspirationalleader #career #inspiration
