How am I any less? - Naina Lal Kidwai

HSBC boss Naina Lal Kidwai talks to Venkatesan Vembu about her life and work, her passions and peeves -- and that woman thing.

Power sits lightly on Naina Lal Kidwai's sari-draped shoulders. HSBC India's country head, who ranks among Fortune magazine's recent listing of the world's 50 most powerful women in business, may walk with the kings of the investment world, but hasn't lost her endearing common touch. "What is power?"Kidwai asks rhetorically, during a recent interaction in Hong Kong. "To me, power is about making a difference. Each one of us is powerful in what we can do in terms of using our skill sets -- whatever they might be -- to make a difference."

Kidwai has certainly made a sterling difference in every sphere of her endeavours, right from the time she prevailed upon her conservative parents to let her study at Harvard Business School, from where she was the first Indian woman to graduate.

"I come from a family where women don't work, so I had to fight -- really fight! -- to go to Harvard," says Kidwai. Her parents had their concerns: her father, for instance, felt she should wait a few more years to decide what she wanted to do, "but I decided I had to go then". Sometimes, she notes wryly, it helps to have a mind of your own.

It was a time when corporate India didn't have many role models for careerwomen. So where did she draw her inspiration from? "One person who influenced me was [filmmaker] Mira Nair; we'd been to school together, we were close friends, and she'd gone to Harvard for her undergraduate studies," says Kidwai. "But there were few other role models, so I looked at every guy around me and asked myself, 'How am I any less?' I was smarter and better at studies, so why couldn't I have what they did?"

Then she adds, a tad philosophically: "I guess the more one is discriminated against, the stronger one becomes. I've asked my parents this question: if I had a brother, would I have still been allowed to go to Harvard? I don't know if I would have, honestly."

When Kidwai started work at Pricewaterhouse, she was the only woman employee, and they didn't know what to do with her, literally. "To be fair, I can see where they were coming from," she says. "If they had to send an audit team out into the boondocks, would they send this single woman with four guys for a month or two? I don't see this as an issue, but it was obviously a concern for them." Today, having spectacularly shattered the glass ceiling, Kidwai allows herself to be a lot more charitable. In fact, she says being a woman isn't a consideration in the workplace anymore, and top-rung careerpersons like her aren't even conscious of their gender in the boardroom. "I don't think it's a gender issue," she says. "You can have good bosses or bad bosses, and they can be either men or women."

So what kind of a management style does she abide by? "If I were to talk about the traits that I respect most, it is to always be fair and to respect every person's point of view -- from the most junior to the most senior employee, man or woman," Kidwai explains. "It is this diversity of ideas and opinions that enriches our decisions."

Indicatively, under Kidwai's watch, HSBC India has undertaken an initiative to enhance diversity in the workplace. According to Kidwai, "When I was deputy CEO, I was appointed to head the diversity initiative. We set up task forces across the country -- with groups of 10 or 15 people, and with both men and women -- who met over three months and came up with ideas on how to make the workplace more diverse." That effort threw up "wonderful ideas", says Kidwai -- five-day weeks, flexi-hours, sabbaticals, paternity leave, extended maternity leave, after-hours classes on yoga, parenting and even salsa.

One such initiative has enhanced HSBC's image as a particularly gender-friendly organisation. "We have a very young workforce, and at any given point, we had some young mothers who would not come to work because they were breastfeeding their babies," she says. "No one had thought of it before, but they needed an additional facility at work. It was just a token -- these restrooms aren't even used a whole lot -- but it was a good 'hygiene factor'. These are among the reasons why HSBC is one of the most preferred employers in India today, apart from the fact that we provide global careers. We're giving women plenty of space and time."

Do these ideas get reflected in the gender profile of HSBC's workforce in India? "I would like to believe so," says Kidwai. "This year, 40 per cent of those hired at the IIMs were women. When you consider that the pool we were fishing in was only 17-20 per cent female, that's a pretty good showing."

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1060702

Management by Heart, not by Mind: Shehnaz Husain

The legendary professor Samuel L Hayes at Harvard Business School is nonplussed. The finance guru’s jaw drops every time he’s confronted with the Shahnaz Husain line of products and services. That the 63-year-old nature ‘Princess’, a title bestowed on her by her mother, who transformed the beauty landscape with the science of life (ayurveda), is an enigma in her own right, is unquestionable .

But Hayes questions how Husain manages to launch new products without ever resorting to publicity. Shahnaz Husain never advertises, and that, she says, has become a talking point at Harvard, where Hayes has now invited her to teach. “Professor Hayes says that since I defied all norms, he wanted me to teach the students my style of operation. I think I’ll go next year.”
Husain commands a chain of 400 global franchisees and 570 distributors Rs 650 crore revenues. In her flowing black-striped gown, burgundy hair, the princess, at first, seems to evoke fear. As gofers move around what looks like a Charles Perrault-meets-Ekta Kapoor set, the cloud seems to clear a bit. “Fear does not work, love does, and so I rule the company with my heart, not my head,” says Husain. Her loyal retinue (most of them have been with Husain for more than 25 years) diligently rearrange the furniture and organise food as the conversation courses along.

In 2004, a batch of her ShaClear Pimple lotion had a problem. The sachets at the company’s third-party supplier were found to be sub-standard. So she personally landed up at the manufacturing facility and destroyed a ton of the lotion. “I walk into my parlours impromptu and take stock of things,” says Husain, who now employs about 20 whistle-blowers in her team for ready feedback.

The hands-on Husain adheres to “very strict norms” in training and maintaining quality across her “cure and care” line. “We maintain that we do not sell cosmetics, but ayurvedic care. Everyone has to be well-versed in ayurveda. Each beauty advisor is a paramedical doctor trained to provide solutions,” she says. That also explains why the thrust of the company is on regime selling — where a range is sold, rather than a single product.

Husain, who lost her only son last year, says, “My company is my family. Like a mother who educates her children, I personally train each and everyone and ensure their mental comfort. I’ve lost the three most powerful men in my life — my chief justice father, first husband and rapper son — and everyday I cry for an hour at the crack of dawn in my tub.” For Husain, it helps to steel herself “in solitude where your shrieks break like thunder” . Uncontrollable grief before sunrise, a control freak by day — the Husain way remains an enigma.

Sporting a Rs 14-lakh diamond-studded Louis Vuitton limited edition cellphone, Husain dissects why she’s averse to advertising. “I’m starting a saffron line that gives the face a golden hue. The ad will not make it go off the shelf, but if you will tell a friend, it will build goodwill,” she says. She’s never felt the need to advertise when the packs, with a picture of hers, do the talking.

So last year, she rejected new packaging for her skincare line as the bottles didn’t have her photo. Confident that the brand is nothing without her picture, Husain is cautious when it comes to getting her pictures taken. At any given point, she’s accompanied by two cameramen who seem to know just what the doctor orders —the right angles and a sharp focus on her glittering pea-sized nose ring.

The control of her luxury empire will one day slip into the hands of her daughter, Nelofar Currimbhoy, who doubles up as a doting mother and the president of the company. Husain’s grandson, Sharik Currimbhoy, is the acting vice-president and COO, while granny jets around the world as an emissary of ayurveda, replacing advertising with direct contact and sheer face value. As a child, whenever lightning struck, little Shahnaz used to run outdoors. “I’d tell everyone that God is taking my picture.”


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Corporate-Dossier/Management-by-heart-not-by-mind-Shehnaz-Husain/articleshow/4321602.cms

Biography of Indra Nooyi

India has a long history where women’s have shown that they are not only the homemaker, however, with their sheer strengths and courage, they have ruled over India from the Medieval History period of India take the example of Razia Sultan, then Rani Laxmi Bai, then Sarojini Naidu, then Indra Gandhi, then Ashiwarya Rai and latest entrant in the block is the Indra Nooyi, a superwomen, who has been placed 4th in the list of worlds topmost influential women’s by the Forbes Magazine.

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is her full name and she belongs to the Southern Indian city of Chennai. She was born in 28 October 1955 in Madras, now Chennai. She has done her graduation from Madras Christian College (MCC) in Chemistry, Physics and Math. On completion of her graduation she went to Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta for doing Masters in Finance and Marketing. Soon after completion of her MBA she joined ABB and then Johnson and Johnson (J&J) in Mumbai. One of her achievement with J&J is her close association with launch of the sanitary napkin “Stayfree”. From there she has been no stopping her life.


However, her career profile was not satiating her wishes to do more in life and she persuaded her parent to let her study at Yale Management School in US. She completed her Master’s in Public and Private Management form Yale. Here in US before landing in the Pepsi in 1994, she had worked with Boston Consulting Group and Motorola. Indra coaxed the CEO Roger Enrico of the Pepsi to follow-up the company’s restaurant division, including brands such KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, as the chief strategy officer.

Nooyi not only shows tenacity for follow-up, but she equally emphasized in the Mergers and Acquisition. This was bolstered by the acquisition of the Tropicana and Quaker fruit juice brands. As a typical tycoon of the business from her acumen she has predicted the slowdown in the popularity of aerated soft drinks in the markets worldwide. That’s how she has enhanced her position in the business world where for a woman it’s very difficult to leave any mark on the corner room office of the big conglomerate. She is the one who has meticulously planned for the foray of Pepsi into the sport drinks market in association with Gatorade.

Her quick decision making ability and sticking to the work until it’s got accomplished has drawn this comment from the Enrico that “If she gets an idea, she goes after it. There’s no stopping her.” No doubt her firmness and go getting attitude has won her laurels in the company and this helped her to build a strong foundation in the career graph to reach the top echelons in the organization where many people just day dreams to reach. As of now she is the only Indian woman to become the Chief Executive Officer of the more $ 25 Billion Multinational, and perhaps the first Indian to reach to this level. “As of now” has been deliberately being used so as to see more and more Indian transcendent to that level in future. For Indira this has been a both tough and exciting experience. As she has said in her own word that being a woman, immigrant and colour made it thrice difficult for her to reach to this destination, but only mantra which she followed during the course of time was working hard twice as the male counterpart

Living up to the moment and enjoying every thrills coming on the way is the best strategy to go unhindered. Indra connection with her India is conspicuous by looking at her attire. In most of the office ceremony she wears sari to show that her heart beats for India and her culture. Most of the woman would be envying her knowing to this fact that she has a great boss both in office and in home. The way she is balancing her office obligation with similar ease she take cares of her household stuff. It’s she an icon to be followed and emulate so that a few things if not all. She has been daughter, a wife, a mother and last but not the least a business woman who has been spearheading in every direction whichever she heads to.


The faculty members of IIM Calcutta has brought out this facts to the media that she has been a very mediocre student in the campus, however Nooyi has surpassed everybody’s imagination, when it was announced that she was going to replace the Steve Reinemund, CEO of PepsiCo. This has lit up fire every mediocre soul that if she can achieve this insurmountable hierarchy nothing is impossible for the determined and strong willed person, the only thing being required is the perseverance.

Indra Nooyi lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with her husband Raj and their two daughters. Indira Nooyi very chirpy and has a great sense of humour. She has the inclination towards arts which is supported by the fact that she is a member of the Boards of the Lincoln Center for the performing Arts in the New York City. Besides that she has been a member of the Boards of various organization prominent amongst them is the Motorola and Yale University.

Nature wise she has been simple and prefers to avoid controversies. Recently while delivery the speech at the graduating ceremony of Columbia Business School she has stirred a controversy by mesmerizing her childhood days. She said that for remember the name of the five continents was a tough task for her in the geography class, so she remember Africa for the small finger, Asia for the Thumb, Europe as the Index finger, South America for the Ring finger and North America as the Middle finger. She justified the analogy of the five fingers with the continent based on there economic and political standing world forum. However, this has instigated furors and she immoderately apologized for the same.

However, Indra Nooyi is the truly global in her thinking keeping a wide perspective about the world and has great intellect.


http://www.beautywithbrain.com/success/indra-nooyi-one.htm

On Leadership: Sangeeth Varghese

First Rule is to Begin
Leaders have to overcome the fear of starting something new. It is the first step that is important.


All beginnings are difficult. Starting something new is one of the most difficult things a leader can go through. Many times, potential leaders are not able to even convince themselves to take the first step, though all of them desire to drive great changes. There are many excuses: they are busy, they don’t have time, and that the change is irrelevant to them.
But why do potential leaders fear to begin new tasks? Beginnings are difficult because tasks appear difficult from outside. When we look at tasks for the first time, we look at them as outsiders. An outsider’s perspective is coloured by fear — fear of the unknown, fear of risk and fear of unpredictability. We fear the unknown because many things in the new situation are strange and unfamiliar to us. We face new situations, new people, which we have never met in our lives, and hence, we fear making mistakes. We fear risk because we are used to a particular format of doing things. We are familiar with its demands and hence reluctant to leave it. We fear unpredictability because we are not aware of the results, which our decisions on performing this new task might bring about. Because of the irregularities we see, we are not able to ascertain whether the circumstances and outcomes will be favourable to us or not.

Research indicates that there are four ways which leaders resort to while looking toward breaking their initial fears of beginning a task:

Giving yourself permission to begin: Leadership guru Fred Smith says that consciously or unconsciously, people look out for permission before they could begin new tasks. The purpose of this permission is aligning the resources available with the leader, that is, willingness, time, efforts, etc., to the task at hand. This permission could come as an endorsement from an outside entity that they look up to, or from within themselves.

Potential leaders can obtain this permission to begin new tasks broadly in two ways. First, they have to learn to remain positive about the task they intend to perform. For this it is very important that they do not focus on difficulties or failures, but on the positives. They should remind themselves to keep their minds open, trying to discover new aspects of the task. A good example would be constantly trying to work out several ways of carrying out and accomplishing the task. Second, they should try and be in the company of like-minded and optimistic people. This would help in creating a positive rub off and in building enthusiasm. They should take their encouragement positively and their criticism constructively.

Seeing the end in the beginning: The excitement of every task is in the results it produces. A clear vision formed in the mind about the results can be the biggest motivator for a potential leader to begin a task. Sustaining a level of enthusiasm is difficult if leaders have no end in their minds. So, even before beginning, leaders should start thinking about the end results and they should push themselves to be excited about those possibilities.

Giving yourself incentives to begin: Leaders should appeal to their sense of adventure even as they are looking forward to beginning a task. They should motivate themselves by imagining about the new learning and growth opportunities that it would open up and the impact that it would help them produce. They should start viewing the task they are about to start as the greatest growth opportunity in their life.

Using fear to your advantage: Rather than being afraid of losing security, comfort and predictability, leaders should start fearing losing valuable opportunities to drive important changes that can create a positive impact to their organisation or to the world at large. Leaders should start using fear to their advantage. They should use fear to motivate and encourage themselves. They should understand that their fears come with them only till the threshold, beyond that there is no fear, just a clear path towards achieving their objective.


http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/On-Leadership-Sangeeth-Varghese.html