My Life In Full

Book Review 4 (2021): My Life In Full: Work, Family and our Future by Indra Nooyi.

I saw Indra Nooyi for the first time in a famous YouTube video - The "Keep your crown in the garage" video which continues to be circulated even today. What stood out in that video for me was her honesty. She was not ashamed to say that her mother did not treat her as the "President of PepsiCo" at home! As an Indian career woman, this was so relatable for me! I instantly became a fan. I saw all her videos, I followed her on LinkedIn. I read her articles, I listened to her podcasts. She was one woman who was inspirational and showed the world, what true success is.

When she announced the release of her book - I did not hesitate even for a moment to pre-book it. I wanted to read it as soon as it was out.

?The book - well, as I write this review, I am still searching for words to describe my feeling. The book is so full of life, so full of her, and so full of optimism. You cannot keep it down.

?It starts off with her early childhood days in Madras. A conservative home, and yet liberal towards educating their daughters. It's very typical of South Indian Brahmin families. We are encouraged to excel in our studies, we are encouraged to pursue one or more art forms, we are encouraged to read, we are encouraged to debate on world matters and YET meal times are fixed, night time curfews are enforced, respecting elders and their opinions is the norm and extravagance is not appreciated! Now when I look back, this contrast in our early lives, probably helps us appreciate diversity of thought and actions later on.

?The book is such a candid expression of her life - her success, her struggles, her failures, her doubts, her confidence, her love - you name it. It's all there, and so real and relatable.

?While there is a learning/take-away in almost every page of the book, a few things really stands out.

1. ?She is successful for a reason - Hard-work :?She worked in diverse industries, from paint to sanitary pads, to power systems to finally CPG. She did a lot of "studying" and understood the domain to be able to add value. No short cuts. She dug deep and understood the customer needs and that helped her come up with successful solutions.
2. She believed in Performance with Purpose :?This struck me the most. Any job (not necessarily as a CEO) if done with purpose, adds meaning to our lives and those we serve. She believed and executed this in all the roles that she performed in.
3. The importance of - Family : The early life lessons that she got from her grandfather, the continuous encouragement she got from her father, the strong support system that her mother provided, the advantage of an extended family - all contributed towards her success in one way or the other. She acknowledges and is thankful for that. This reinforces my belief in investing towards family. It acts like a backbone for our children's social and emotional wellbeing.
4. Success is never a cake-walk : She, like most working women, struggled to keep it all going. We all do that. But "quitting" was never an option that she considered. She was resilient and she made things work for her.
5. The importance of - Support System : This is a huge lesson for all of us working women. It's very important to invest in a support system that works for you. She did it in her own way, we need to do it in our own way. But we need to do that to be able to give ourselves a successful career. Never make it somebody else's responsibility to make it happen for you.
6. Commitment towards larger purpose : Her book speaks volumes of her commitment towards making professional environments more conducive for women. Its very important for we, women leaders to come together and contribute towards this purpose.

?I strongly recommend to read this book to know more and learn more.

On one hand, I am in awe on her innovative and strategic thinking . She comes up with such innovative solutions for every challenge that she faces. Be it technology, finances or people matters - she has an idea to address them!?

On the other hand I am so impressed by her humility. She attributes a lot of her success to people around her and even luck in the end :)! But it's not very difficult to imagine the hard work behind her success, the struggles (both internal and external) behind all those accolades and the sacrifices behind that smile!

?@Indra Nooyi mam - Thank you! For this book. I am sure it will inspire a lot of men and women to perform with a purpose in whatever they do!?