Hearing about Indra Nooyi
stepping down from Pepsi as CEO, has gotten me thinking about woman in
industry, more specifically woman in top management and Ceo positions
industry.
Woman in top positions have become a hot topic as of late, and one I am happy is happening. Woman empowering other woman is not only a good thing on a personal level but also a business one as well. When I look at different companies online; more specifically
their management staff and CEOS, I am not surprised when I see this as a
more male dominated area (again yes, depending on the industry). Do not
get me wrong, the "right person for the job" needs to happen,
regardless of sex. However that said, I do see at the top in a lot of companies, that
it tends to stick with the traditional "boys club". I have received
questions from employers that I am sure they do not ask any male employee, such as "how well are you going to handle the work load with
the kids?". I tend to take a breath here and use it as a teaching experience for the person that just posed the question. My answer has always been "I just do". As woman that wants a career, we learn early to delegate and
work out systems that allow us to do so. Woman in top powerful positions have a
lot of systems in place to help them (Indra mentions this as well).
I think as woman with careers, we have to plan more, be
able to be more detailed and multi tasked in our thinking. I know I do;
we do a lot and can get burnt out easily - so we learn to be more
efficient. We can do it all, but not all of it well; so everyday has to
be a choice, like Indra says, usually several times a day. I remember
watching her interview and was blown away with the honesty in which she
spoke. "Bilogical clock and career clock are always in conflict...". As well as how much the things she said resonated deep in my soul. If you want to watch the interview here is the link, it is pretty amazing, and you will see why I am saddened to see her step down. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzLpryLUYsk )
I
grew up in a family of strong woman, a grandmother that was a nurse and
a mom that became one of the first ER doctors (when she was in school
she was one of the few woman in medicine as well wanting to become a
doctor!). She was always working, but when she was home, she was home.
She always pushed us to be more, to be what we wanted and I do not
remember there ever being a difference with that expectation between me
and my brother. She wanted us both to be what ever we wanted and made sure we had the tools available. Because of her and other strong woman I have met and
continue to meet, I strive to be the same.
Be the best at what you love
to do, grow, change, evolve, push forward to what ever that maybe. The world is changing slowly on how they look at woman in power positions - but change is slow, but the conversation is always a good place to start. And seeing woman like Indra is always inspiring!
Let me know what are your thoughts on this?
What do you think about the current press about Indra Nooyi stepping down as Pepsi CEO?
What do you think are the challenges woman face in industry and the corporate ladder? are there any? or are there too many?