On the third day of Jaipur Literature Festival, Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, revealed how she navigated her way to the top in the ruthless corporate world. Nooyi, who was born in Tamil Nadu, was named its CEO in 2006.
While in conversation with Aparna Piramal Raje, she discussed her memoir My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future and the trappings of the modern world. Nooyi said it is important for people to understand that what makes a family is all its members and not just the woman.
“People have to understand that family is not female. Family is family. People assume that family is female and it is her problem to figure out that to do. Family is all of us. There has got to be a recognition among men that women represent a potent talent pool. Women are hungry, they want the power of the purse, they want economic freedom,” she said, adding “Therefore, draw from the entire talent pool and not just half of the talent pool. They should look at women as just another talent as opposed to female talent. It is of course non-threatening, but many still feel threatened.”
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The 66-year-old left for the US in 1968 after she was admitted to Yale. She said her upbringing ensured that no time was wasted in pursuing what she wanted to achieve. “I think from the time we were kids, it was drilled into us. We were told satan has work for idle hands. You only have a finite amount of time. Use it wisely. These were the messages my grandfather conveyed to us non-stop,” she said.
This, she added, is a philosophy she follows even today. “It has come to a point that when I sit quietly, I go, ‘God! I have wasted five minutes’. I am always thinking of helping somebody or trying to enrich my brain. My childhood experiences have wired my head and brain differently. I have trouble sitting idle. That’s why meditation was never part of my life,” she said.
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But even after reaching the top, Nooyi revealed there were times when she was at odious crossroads. “If I said everything was a smooth sailing for me, I’d be lying,” said Nooyi.
“There were times, even when I was CEO, when people will talk over me in the boardroom. They would give me that look which said ‘What the hell is she talking about’ or they’d just roll their eyes. Sometimes, when things like these happen, I have seen men utter the four letter word, and throw things around. I couldn’t vent my frustration that way. So, I’d excuse myself, leave the room, go to my bathroom, let out a few tears of rage and then I’d put some make up on and come out. Unfortunately, society does not accept women behaving like men. The last thing I want to do was to push that boundary. I would come back, say that I appreciated everybody’s input, but this is how we will go,” she revealed.
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