COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH-15CP01E UNIT-4: Rendezvous with Indra Nooyi NOTES

COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH-15CP01E

UNIT-4: Rendezvous with Indra Nooyi

COMPREHENSION

I Answers:

1. According to Nooyi, in the 50s and 60s, when parents got together they only compared the report cards of their kids. Anybody who got together would say, ‘So how is your child doing?’ ‘What Rank?’

2. Nooyi’s mother always wished that she were the Prime Minister of this country. Eventually she passed on this ambition to her daughter. Hence the ambition that Nooyi’s mother had for her daughter was to be the prime minister of this country.

3. Nooyi’s mother always threatened Nooyi with the intension, ‘I want to get you married when you are 18’. But Nooyi’s father and grandfather said, ‘Our grand-daughters are going to be whatever they want to be’. So her mother really did not have this get-them-married-by-18 option, yet she kept on threatening them with that.

4. The ‘good news’ that Nooyi wanted to share with her mother was that she became the president of Pepsico - the fourth largest food and beverage company in the world.

5. When Nooyi became the president, at 10 o’clock in the night she went home and said, ‘Mom I have some very important news.’ To which her mother replied, ‘Forget that important news, just go buy some milk.’

6. When Nooyi questioned her mother, ‘Tell me, why I have to buy the milk and not somebody else?’ The mother just looked at Nooyi and said, ‘Look, when you pull into the garage, leave the crown there. Don’t walk in with it, because you are first a wife and a mother. And if the family needs milk, you go get the milk. That is your primary role in life….’ By this Nooyi learnt a powerful lesson from her mother that no matter what position one holds in the professional life, family must be the priority.

7. Nooyi’s mother said, ‘…. Everything is what you acquired or what you got because I pray for four to five hours a day’. ‘What did you accomplish? You sit in a meeting on a chair all the time, and I pray for 4-5 hours.’ In this way Nooyi’s mother takes full credit for Nooyi’s success.

8. In terms of balancing her family, Nooyi rates herself as an okay mother. She is not available to her kids all the time. She has been watching television here and she watched the stereotypical Indian mother, running after the kids, snacks for the evening… really wonderful images of her mother and said to herself, ‘Oh my God, my kids have never seen that side of a mother. I am sure they miss one kind of mother some time, but I hope they are proud of this other mother.’

9. The secret of Indira Nooyi’s success is her involvement in her work. She says, ‘To be a CEO is a calling. You should not do it because it is a job. It is a calling and you have got to be involved in it with your head, heart and hands. Your heart has got to be in the job, you got to love what you do, and it should consume you. And if you are not willing to get into the CEO job that way, there is no point getting into it. And I love the job, I love the company, I love the people. I loved it when I was president and love it as much now when I am CEO.’

10. Nooyi manages her time by sleeping four hours a day. If she slept six, she feels like a basket case. She prioritizes her work. She has to decide every moment in time whether she is going to be a mother or a wife or an executive. It’s day-to-day thing. Everything is a balancing act.

11. Indra Nooyi said, ‘I have this passion for this company and you can’t take that away from me. I am going to have this passion, I want to make something even bigger of this company than it was and what I have to do is decided every moment in time whether I am going to be a mother or a wife or an executive. It’s a day-to-day thing.’ In this way Nooyi describes her passion.

II. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of not more

than 80 to 100 words each:

1. Write a paragraph putting together all the information you have gathered about Indra Nooyi from the interview.

Indra Nooyi was born on 8th Oct 1955. She is one of the highest ranking CEOs in corporate America; she presently serves as a CEO of PEPSICO; the fourth largest food and beverage company in the world. She is its first female CEO. Nooyi had a huge influence from her mother. She prompted Nooyi to get 100% marks in Math. She used to threaten Nooyi, saying I want to get you

married when you are 18 and make sure you aspire to be the Prime Minister. Nooyi’s mother thought a powerful lesson, saying your first priority should be your family. That is your primary role in life. Nooyi doesn’t want to hide her Indianness or flaunt her Indianness by wearing saree to work. She used to say “When in Rome do as Romans do”.

Nooyi proudly says all her success is because of her family support, especially her husband Raj. He is more than a husband and a sounding board or friend. Looking at her mother, she says I am an okay mother, she would not say great, because she was not available to her kids all the time. She managed her time by sleeping only 4 hours a day. She has a passion for her company and want to make something even bigger of this company. Every moment she asks herself a question whether she is goig to be a mother or a wife or an executive. Finally she says everything is a balancing act.

2. How did Nooyi’s mother try to teach Nooyi the role of a woman in the family? Do you agree with the mother’s views?

Nooyi’s mother was a typical Indian mother, who gave much importance to her family. She taught a powerful lesson to Nooyi emphasizing the role of woman in a family. When Nooyi brought the good news, her mother said, forget that important news, and just go buy some milk. Further she said, “Look, when you pull into the garage, leave the crown there. Don’t walk in with it, because you are first a wife and mother. And if the family needs milk, you go get the milk. That is your primary role in life. Everything else is what you acquired or what you got because I pray for 4 to 5 hours a day”.

Yes, I agree with the mother’s views because….. or No, I don’t agree with the mother’s views because…..(justify in your own sentences)

3. Do you think Nooyi’s mother has contributed to her success? Why?

Yes, I think that Nooyi’s mother has contributed a lot to her success. Nooyi’s father worked for State Bank and it was a touring job. So in his absence, the responsibility of bringing up the children was completely borne by Nooyi’s mother. She left no stone unturned in making Nooyi a self-motivated person. She put all efforts for Nooyi’s overall personality development. Hence, Nooyi’s mother had a huge influence on her. She prompted Nooyi to get 100% marks in Math. She used to threaten Nooyi, saying ‘I want to get you married when you are 18 and make sure you aspire to be the Prime Minister’. Though she was an

interesting study in contrast, she laid a good and strong educational foundation. This made Nooyi competent enough to plan her career. She graduated from IIM Calcutta, worked in India from 1971 to 1978, later moved to Yale, took summer job in the US, and over the years became the President of PEPSICO and finally the CEO of the company.

Moreover, Nooyi’s mother spent 4-5 hours a day praying for Nooyi’s welfare and achievement. This created positive atmosphere for her success. Nooyi herself gives full credit of her success to her mother. She is glad that her mother takes full credit, Nooyi justifies,‘….because I tell you Nandan, that where I was born, the way I was brought up, the last thing I expected was to be where I am. So you can’t just be…’ She further says, ‘And you know it is a dream at this point. Sometimes I pinch myself. So there must have been forces other than just me…’ this makes it clear that Nooyi’s mother has contributed a lot to Nooyi’s success.

4. How did Nooyi’s husband contribute to her success?

Indra Nooyi considers family support as an important requisite for success. She stresses that picking the right husband (spouse) is the most important attribute. She picked the right husband. Her husband Raj is a great guy and has been a great support. Without him, she can’t imagine herself at this esteemed position. She acclaims him to be more than a husband. He has been a sounding board or friend.

People, who are at considerably higher positions, get very lonely because they can’t share too much with other people. Nooyi is a CEO a highest ranking professional. But when she comes home, her husband is there. She can discuss anything with him and he gives sound advice. Not telling her what to do, he will help her think through all sides of the issue, so that she can make informed decisions. In this way he has been a great support and indeed has contributed a lot to her success.

5. What does Nooyi mean when she says, ‘I have to decide every moment in time whether I am going to be a mother or a wife or an executive’?

During her interview with Nandan Nilekani, Nooyi makes an importnat statement. She says, ‘I have to decide every moment in time whether I am going to be a mother or a wife or an executive’. By this she means that while playing

the multiple roles of being a mother, a wife and an executive she faces challenges every moment. She can’t neglect any of them. Everything is a balancing act.

Nooyi considers both her family and her profession as equally important aspects of her life. She has to love her kids and husband, but she also has this passion for the PEPSICO for which she works as the CEO. And none can take the passion away from her. She is going to have that passion; she wants to make something even bigger of this company than it was. Hence she has to decide every moment in time whether she is going to be a mother or a wife or an executive. It’s a day-to-day thing. Although, there are days when she has to go to the school, she does it, but she won’t do it every month as they expect mothers to do. I would like to go to see her daughter playing a basketball game, she won’t go to every game, but she would to some of them. Hence, everything is a balancing act.

6. This interview presents a struggle between traditional and modern views about the role of woman in society. Discuss.

The interview ‘Rendequous with Indira Nooyi’ presents a struggle between traditional and modern views about the role of woman in society. Like a traditional Indian woman Nooyi wore saree to her work place. During the initial years of her career, when she joined summer job, she didn’t have money to buy business suits. All that she had was sarees and she wore it. It did just fine. Perhaps she is also comfortable in western outfits as well. She believes ‘to be a Roman while in Rome. She is comfortable with both (Indian & Western) cultures.

A woman has to play multiple roles in her life. In Nooyi’s case, she is a working woman. She is the first lady CEO of the 4th Largest Food & Beverage Company in the world – PEPSICO. She is the highest ranking official in Corporate America. Yet, at home, her mother taught her to prioritize her role as a daughter, a wife and a mother. If her family needs milk she buys milk. No matter what the degree of achievement Nooyi has attained, she still plays traditional roles of an Indian Woman. With this it is clear that the role of a woman in the society is no more stereotypical confining her to the four walls of her home. Now women are successfully bearing the dual responsibilities of home as well as workplace. Nooyi has attained competency of balancing all spheres of her life with traditional capabilities and modern techniques.