It takes a mother of two to remind future leaders of business and industry as they go out to change the world and improve human life: don't forget your parents. And do call up your mother at least once a day from wherever your work might take them.
It takes a mother of two to remind future leaders of business and industry as they go out to change the world and improve human life: don't forget your parents. And do call up your mother at least once a day from wherever your work might take them.
"Call and visit them regularly. Don't tell them you are too busy. You are not too busy. I run a Fortune 50 company and I still call my mother 2 or 3 times every day. So, all of you can make the time," Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive Officer of PepsiCo told the graduating students of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. .
One of the few Indian management professionals to head a global corporation, Nooyi, off late, has been sermonising on the need for the corporate world to pay heed to the finer aspects of life and work-life balance. Her comments last year, rather an admission, that career women can't have it both but can only pretend had ticked off quite a storm triggering widespread reactions across the globe.
This time, Nooyi chose to highlight the plight of the elderly, neglected, lonely parents, an issue which is not yet fashionable to discuss.
"Your parents and loved ones are your biggest advocates and best advisors. Don't ever take them for granted," she told the gathering.
Nooyi wished the young pass-out a successful career but reminded them that "successful career is not enough".
"You must make a lasting impact. You can change the way the world looks at business and the way business looks at the world," Nooyi, an IIMC alumni, said perhaps reminding herself how she had to fight the perception of consumers and society about Pepsi across the world as the conglomerate was increasingly being seen largely as maker of junk goods and destroyer of ground water.
"We still face complex challenges like inequality, climate change, and resource scarcity, that demand solutions and leadership. Making these challenges even more complex is the fact that they are all interconnected. You cannot dive into one issue without touching another. At the same time, no issue can be contained within a particular country. Most issues you will deal with are global. You will have to learn how to take off your blinders, think expansively, and realize that you are part of a global ecosystem," she said.
Nooyi also called upon the graduates to help unleashing the economic potential of India and help it become a world leader.
"At this pivotal moment in the history of your country, you must give back to India. You are graduating with the skills and insights India needs to unleash its massive economic potential. You have the knowledge and the vision to identify new and unconventional solutions to old policy problems that stifle development. You can be the force that moves India to capitalize on centuries of potential and take its rightful place as a leader among nations."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}