Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi overcame tremendous odds to become head of Pepsico. When she came to United States for her studies, she had no safety net. While at Yale, she had virtually no money of her own. Had she failed, it would have been back on the next flight home.

She eventually got job as a receptionist at a Connecticut company, working the midnight to 5a.m. shift and struggling to put together $50 to buy a western Suit for her first Corporate Job interview.

Having finally scrapped together enough money to buy a suit, she felt uncomfortable in the new and unfamiliar clothes. The interview didn’t result in Job offer. She then turned to her professor for advice. The reply? Be yourself and stick to what makes you comfortable. She then wore traditional sari dress to next interview. She got the job.

It’s impossible to say for sure, but if the clothes probably didn’t make or break the interview, the attitude most likely did. Being comfortable with herself projected the confidence that Nooyi needed. She says she’s taken her professors advice ever since. “I am so comfortable in myself,” she says, “I don’t have to be an American to play in corporate life.”