3 things I learnt about leadership planning from a Zoom call with Indra Nooyi

Want to be a leader in your workplace? It seems like an automatic ‘Yes’ in today’s world of achievement and progress.

It’s a question, I have also struggled with, being by instinct more of a dyed-in-the-wool hack than an entrepreneur.

But, on a recent Zoom call with the very iconic Indra Nooyi, organized by Leap Club, a 10,000-plus-strong networking community that advocates for more women leaders, I gained some very useful insights on what it means to be a leader. Here is what she had to say

It’s the commitment, people!

Take the time to figure out your level of commitment to being a leader. This is true for both men and women. Leadership is the ‘Ironman’ marathon of the workplace. It does mean preparedness mentally, emotionally, and physically for this many-pronged journey. There are many ways to explore this question, through a mentor, family, friends and a professional coach. Each has its pros and cons but the process of checking in with your commitment quotient is key.

Communication matters!

It may seem obvious, but communication skills are crucial to rallying people to a vision as a leader. During the Zoom call, Indra frequently prefaced her major points with introductory lines such as ‘Here is what I suggest/mean/ would like to say. I consciously tried this in my own meetings and found that this was extremely helpful in keeping the discussion flowing towards a conclusion, getting participants to share any doubts and actually running a productive, shorter, meeting. Indra also recommended being conscious of the clarity of your diction. As an immigrant moving towards leadership, Indra shared that she learned to speak more clearly and smoothly to better connect with her American colleagues.

Dress for success!

Dressing smartly, a good haircut does matter, per Indra Nooyi. On the call, she said she wished someone had taken her aside earlier in her career and given her a makeover on how to dress inexpensively but in keeping with being a business leader. Why does this matter? You may ask? According to Nooyi, the advice she received on this tricky issue is, Get the exterior out of the way

so people can focus on your brain’. Makes sense.

Do drop a comment below about where you are in your leadership journey and whether these insights helped.