How Indra Nooyi learned to be a CEO
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 11 May 2011, 23:39 IST   |    18 Comments
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How Indra Nooyi learned to be a CEO
Bangalore: "Success is not money, prestige or power because net worth can never define self-worth," said Pepsico's Chairman and CEO, Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi. In a candid conversation with Gary Burnison, CEO of Korn International, Indra Nooyi opens up and speaks about her crucial, critical and career defining moments in his book, 'No fear of failure'. She has been regarded as the one of the world's top leaders in business. Forbes ranked her at No.3 in its list of 'Most powerful woman 2008'. Indra has been at the top of Fortune's 'Most powerful woman in business in 2009 and 2010' and in 2009, she was named as one of the 'Top Gun CEOs' in U.S. She also stands 4th in the list of world's topmost influential women by Forbes Magazine. Nooyi came from conservative Chennai to pursue higher studies in the U.S. with little money and no safety net.While studying in Connecticut,she worked as a receptionist from midnight to sunrise to earn money and struggled to put together $50 to buy herself a western suit for her first job interview out of Yale, where she had just completed her masters. For Indra this has been both a tough and an exciting experience. "Being a woman, immigrant and having a colour bias, made it thrice difficult to reach to this destination", she said, but her only mantra during the course of time was working hard twice as her male counterpart. Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the company where Nooyi kicked off her career, has been a strong abettor in shaping her leadership style. BCG taught her to think strategically and inductively. Asserting that inductive thinking became the foundation for her career, she said, "With a strategy consultant background, I was able to think a problem in its micro terms and then zoom out to see the problem in a broader view and then zoom back in to solve the problem." In 1994, Nooyi joined Pepsico and since then, there has been no turning back for her. In 2001, she became the President and Chief Financial Officer of the company which deepened her knowledge and tested her leadership skills. "The one thing I have learned as a CEO is that leadership at various levels is vastly different. As you move up the organization, the requirements for leading that organization do not grow vertically; they grow exponentially," she said. A rabid sports fan, Nooyi spent hours studying videotapes of the final championship games that the basketball great Michael Jordan played with the Chicago Bulls; she reviewed the tapes for lessons on teamwork. Nooyi is the only Indian woman to become the Chief Executive Officer of the more than $ 25 billion worth Multinational, and perhaps the first Indian to reach to this level. She emphasizes that in order to succeed, CEOs need to follow the mantra of self improvement. The more the leader is willing to expand and grow, the more vibrant the organization will be. "I have a five Cs model: competence; confidence to have the courage to make the tough calls; communication skills, to convey your vision and direction; compass pointed north to your true values; compassion, empathy and not sympathy" said Nooyi. Furthermore, 'No fear of failure' explores Nooyi's vision, compassion, resilience, competitiveness, purpose, humility, team-building skills, entrepreneurial spirit, perseverance, self-awareness, and empowerment.

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