“To be successful you need to go through a lot of collateral damage and have strength to power through all of that,” says Indra Nooyi former CEO of PepsiCo and one of the world’s most powerful women. The Indian-American corporate leader and visionary is credited with transforming the beverage company, and for accelerating its health food segment. Indra Nooyi’s leadership style is said to be transformational as she motivated and empowered those around her.
Nooyi attributes her success to being a lifelong student of learning — not just in doing a course or two, but also in reading people and the market, keeping an eye out for trends, and making connections that don’t seem obvious.
Indra Nooyi: Humble Beginnings
Nooyi was born in Madras, now Chennai, India, and did her bachelors there before moving to the US for an MBA. As an immigrant of colors, she admits feeling like a guest in the country. But even then she acknowledged that she was privileged than most and set about trying to be an effective contributor.
Although she wholeheartedly embraced her new life in the US, she never forgot her Indian roots and credits her upbringing in Chennai to shaping the woman she is today. She also admits that she could have never made it alone and the tremendous support of her family gave her the wings she needed. The businesswoman and mother reveals that when people talk of Indra Nooyi’s success, it is important to remember that she stands on the shoulders of giants.
PepsiCo’s Transformation
In 2016, during a talk with Doug McMillion, CEO and President of Walmart, at Stanford, Indra Nooyi spoke about the importance of watching out for consumer behavior. She revealed that in the mid-2000s she saw a shift in consumer behavior – people were starting to make healthier choices in food and beverages.
Nooyi mentions that one of the greatest mistakes leaders make is in separating the consumer out there from the consumer in us. It is important to take a look at the consumer in us.
Despite facing stiff opposition at every turn, while pushing for a healthier product line, Indra Nooyi’s leadership style helped her turn PepsiCo into one of the most recognized and profitable brands in the world. Her main theme as CEO was that every product must engage the customer and make them fall in love with it.
Indra Nooyi’s leadership style and success
Indra Nooyi served as PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018. Before joining PepsiCo in 1996, she worked at Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri.
While studying Indra Nooyi’s success, it is imperative to note the many facets of her personality. Even as a CEO she was always herself open to change. Nooyi stresses on the importance of being a data collector, data analyzer, and shape creator to be a success story. To rewrite existing rules, leaders must create new shapes for people to grow into.
Indra Nooyi’s leadership style focused on creating a better tomorrow for everyone, which will last long after she leaves the position. Her redirection of PepsiCo was called Performance with a Purpose and created long-term growth for the society and environment. Nooyi hired Mehmood Khan as Chief Scientific Officer, who drove PepsiCo’s sustainable transformation in food, product lines, and technology.
Indra Nooyi also exhorts leaders to read and understand everything that is sent to them. She emphasizes that this will provide them with a better perspective and also help them feel more confident in their decision. When the beverage company was overhauling their IT systems, Nooyi bought books on everything from enterprise systems, process mapping, data warehousing, and data management, to understand the processes before giving the go-ahead.
Nooyi stresses on the importance of managing time. As we play multiple roles at the workplace and in the family, it is important to understand and appreciate the value of time. In her farewell letter to PepsiCo’s employees, she wrote, “Think hard about time. We have so little of it on this earth. Make the most of your days and make the space for the loved ones who matter the most.” She ends with “Be mindful of your choices on the road ahead.”
