Indra Nooyi, Ursula Burns, Marc Benioff, Salesforce. Inspiration from their Leaderships Sergio Cerbone Which personal values do they embody? In which ways do these values impact their leadership work? Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo High-performance standards and expectation of excellence. This is how people describe the type of environment that Indra Nooyi brought into PepsiCo. She pushes people even with negative feedback (but with humor) to strive to become better at work. Nooyi is well liked and respected because she listens to people around her, even when they disagree with her.
She eeks out and genuinely enjoys diversity at work. Is sensitive to differences in culture and appreciates the value they add. Nooyi notes that expecting people to have good intentions helps her prevent misunderstandings and show empathy for them. Her good values and leadership made her a role model to other business leaders around the world. Ursula Burns, Xerox Ms. Burns had multiple mentors on her rise to the top, but she started having her Mom as a role model for her career. From her she learned a lot, for example, the value of managing people with respect and in different ways.
Not intimidating hem but making them feel comfortable. The key is to listen to their needs. Giving credit to people for ideas and giving them ownership get people more engaged and passionate at work. Developing polish, patience and perspective is the key for success working with other people. Marc Benioff, Salesforce Benioff strongly believes in the 1-1-1 model of philanthropy in which tech companies donate their product, time and money to charity. He’s also created SF Gives to try and push companies working in the Silicon Valley to give more to local charities.
He is driven by giving to others. That is why those free concerts that Benioff throws as part Salesforce’s huge annual customer conference in San Francisco are actually fundraisers for causes he cares about. Benioff is not obsessed with money and doesn’t usually likes showing-off how rich he is. That is why when he travels, he mostly stays in Airbnb rentals. This, even though he can afford the most luxurious hotels. What is it that makes them effective as a leader? What – in your opinion – are their top leadership competencies?
Indra Nooyi, Pepsico • Maintains good relationships with employees (writes letters o their parents to thank them for their children) • In-tune with customers needs for healthier snacks and drinks options (led to transformation of Pepsi’s product line) • High-task orientation (tough on herself and raises the standard for everybody) • Listens to opinions and takes them into consideration (still she makes important and final decisions)
• Tries to satisfy employees’ needs Ursula Burns, Xerox Communication: being honest, straightforward, and clear is an excellent way to communicate thoughts and ideas successfully. Culture: work to create and maintain diversity as ell as a vibrant culture surrounding what you are passionate about. • Vision: have a plan for the future, and make sure everyone involved knows and contributes towards your success. Trust: believe in other people, and put them to work on assignments they will succeed in. Marc Benioff, Salesforce • Inclusive: Benioff clearly wants Salesforce. com to be a community, not just a company because a community is much harder to stop. • Confrontational: Benioff is not afraid to pick a fight.
In fact, he seems to enjoy it. You can’t listen to him give a presentation without hearing a swipe at Oracle and a jab at Bill Gates. Making friends and avoid enemies is good, but according to Benioff playing nice to a fault doesn’t make headlines. And, more important, it doesn’t inspire people-whether they are employees or customers. • Evolving. The term pivot has become almost cliche in the startup world. But while changing directions is impressive and imperative, it’s relatively easy for five people in a garage and much harder for big enterprises.
Benioff saw the arrival of cloud computing, and software-as-a-service was suddenly a thing of the past. Then, just as cloud computing ecame hot, he perceived the next trend in social media, and shifted his focus to redefining the “social enterprise. ” Each time he pivots, he makes the previous phase (for instance, cloud computing) seem obvious and de facto, further cementing his company’s position. And none of his competitors can keep up. How do their top skills and competencies relate to the HULT DNA? Indra Nooyi is all about cooperative relationships, building rapport and productive relationships with others. Listening is very important to Indra and that’s the key for establishing warm, trusting and a helpful work environment. Ursula Burns’ effective and open communication has been a key in her leadership style. People can do just about anything when they are aligned around a common goal and objective. • Marc Benioff is great in persuasively selling a vision or idea. His ability to evolve Salesforce and keep all its employees motivated, focused and result oriented is very inspiring.
Which one is your favorite and why? Ursula Burns, is the first African-American woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Her story is touching and inspiring. She refused to be held back by what society wanted her to become. How she did it is just a fine example of how we should not let poverty stop us from succeeding in life. She had a dream, and she dared achieve it through hard work and determination. Here are some of the lessons I have learned from her experience: • You are who you think you are, not what people think of you. Being an African-American woman isn’t something that should stop you from realizing your ambition. Make it your strength. • When you work harder, you’ll be able to climb up much faster. What would you like to learn from these leaders – which behavior would you like to acquire? Please weigh the opportunities and risks of such an adoption. Michael Jordan inspired a new generation of basketball players such as Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and LeBron James, and is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
He has inspired me a lot since I was young and let me fal in love with the sport of Basketball (before I was a soccer player) which I currently practice and follow every day. There are many players who have great basketball skills, what he makes Jordan special is his determination and strive to be the best. This is only ossible if you spend more hours than the others in practicing and crafting yourself. There are many aspects of Michael Jordan that inspired me as individual and professional: • Learn all aspects of the game – Jordan’s commitment to learning all aspects of the game is something every leader should emulate.
His arsenal of skills gave him the confidence to execute no matter what game circumstances he found himself in, and his versatility as a player made him a tough opponent. What are you doing to learn all aspects of your business or work? What can you improve on in order to better lead your team? Having a oolkit of expansive knowledge and skills will make you a more effective leader. • Trust – Jordan’s trust in his teammates was exemplified in how other players were given the responsibility of big shots in key games.
One example was Game 6 of the 1993 Finals, where the Bulls were down 2 points to the Phoenix Suns in the last few minutes. Instead of the expected Jordan clutch shot, the ball was passed to John Paxson who nailed a 3-point shot to win the game. As a leader, resist the temptation to run a one-man show. You cannot achieve greatness on your own! Instead surround yourself with talented, capable people who hare your vision, and trust them to help your organization succeed. Thrive under pressure – One of Jordan’s greatest strengths was his ability to deliver when under pressure. In tight situations when his team needed results, Jordan was always willing to step up and make the deciding play. This compilation of Jordan’s best clutch performances is a great illustration of how he rose to the occasion when it was just him against the clock. Jordan did not let the weight of the moment drag him down; instead his fierce need to win and competitive nature drove him to deliver when it mattered the most.
His ability to thrive under pressure was anchored by his belief in his skills (honed by years upon years of practice) and his control of his emotions. Whether it’s sports, business, or whatever your sphere of influence is, you will face stressful situations as a leader. Be confident of your decision-making skills, use your experience to guide you, and don’t let emotions rule the day. Develop the skills and mental strength to thrive under pressure. It’s during these moments that your team needs you the most, so don’t shy away from the responsibility of making tough decisions.