Asra Yousuf

Autobiography by Indra Nooyi

If you grew up in India in the early 2000s, Indra Nooyi was a household name. The day she became the CEO of Pepsico, news media across the country celebrated her appointment as though it was their very own feat as a country. She has broken countless glass ceilings, forged into territories where few Indian born women have at her time and been an inspiration to the generations that have come after her.

Her autobiography, much like her life, is inspiring. It doesn’t mince words to call a spade a spade, points out biases when it sees one, is vulnerable about fears and insecurities and all in all presents her life in full.

But looking back, it is not the career progression and her success that stay with you, but instead it’s the small and big moments that have defined her. Outlined below are some of these moments that have stood out for me.

Connecting the Dots Looking Backwards

One of the questions that came to Nooyi in her early career in India was how can private organization aim for profit while also keeping the interests and needs of the public and the environment in check. Her decision to pursue a second MBA at Yale was to seek answers to this question. But it was only years later after numerous roles in different jobs, was she able to put her mission to action. As the CEO of Pepsico, one of her major contributions was PwP- Performance with Purpose, which led the organization to be conscious of its environment footprint, its health impact on consumers along with ensuring growth and profit.

Balancing Priorities

Throughout her biography, Nooyi speaks of the challenges of maintaining a healthy work life balance and failing to do so most of the time. There is an undertone of regret when she admits to having missed out on significant family moments while being caught up with work. Especially as a woman, she admits to having had the pressure of juggling multiple roles as a mother, daughter, wife and the CEO of Pepsico. Would she have done things differently? Probably not. But she does feel the tinge of having sacrificed being the best mother to her children in exchange for being the best CEO that she could be.

Support Networks

Success can never be achieved in isolation and the support system that surrounds Nooyi is a proof of that. From mentors that watched out for her throughout her career to a family that was always there to step in when needed, Nooyi had an amazing network of people helping her grow, all the way. Her relatives often stayed with the family to share childcare responsibilities. Nooyi’s husband, Raj Nooyi, often made difficult choices- at times prioritizing her career over his when it came to moving cities. Relationships are one of the greatest sources of happiness and strength in our lives and Nooyi’s ability to build strong relationships is definitely of the pillars of her success.

Building a balanced & flexible workplace

One of the stories that stand out in the book is when Nooyi, promoted to the role of President of Pepsico board, returns home excitedly looking forward to break the good news to her family. However, she is met at the door by her mother asking her to go get milk. Nooyi returns with the milk, frustrated at not having received any acknowledgement on her success. To which her mother replies, “Leave the crown in the garage”, harshly reminding her that although she might be the President of Pepsico, she was still a wife, a mother and a daughter in her house.

This incident highlights Nooyi’s constant struggles to fulfill responsibilities and live up to societal expectations as a woman. It also explains the motivation behind her focus post Pepsico. Her experiences have attuned her to the roles we play outside the workplace and how, despite being independent of each other, these roles intersect in our daily lives. It led her to focus her post-Pepsico career on causes that mattered to her- paid leave, flexibility and predictability, and care. She believes that in order to have a well balanced, stress-free career, it is crucial that organizations offer child care options, extended periods of leave to take care of a loved one and flexibility to take a pause without it negatively effecting one’s career.