Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi on Developing Leaders

Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi recently told ASTDs Training+Development magazine that she believes that each one of PepsiCo’s 18,000 employees is a leader. She credits that a culture that recognizes hard work and encourages initiative. She names five skills that she believes are the hallmarks of a good leaders:

1. Competence. You must be an expert in your function or area of expertise. You will become known for that.
2. Take a Stand. You must be known for your courage and confidence to act and say what you believe is right.
3. Communication Skills. Communication skills are critical. You can never over-invest in them.
4. Coaching. Surround yourself with good mentors. Listen. Learn. Your mentor is a major force.
5. Your Moral Compass. Have the strength and courage to do what’s morally right, not what’s expedient. Your moral compass must be your true north.

On building leaders she says:

We are building talent with an enterprise mind set. We strategically build sills for key talent through carefully planned developmental assignments.

Succession planning is also critical. Our succession planning process is designed to identify the kinds of experiences our leaders need. Once identified, we put people in assignments that enable them to build those skill sets.