My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future

by Indra Nooyi

A woman’s evaluation would get a different twist: “She did a great job, delivered on all of her objectives, but . . .” and then some details about some kind of issue or personality problem that might derail her future success.

Despite all the progress we have made, the modern workplace is still replete with damaging customs and behaviors that hold women back.

This is gender bias—and it affects every woman’s success.

Diversity and inclusion are here to stay, and corporate leaders need to get used to the concept as a major business driver.

Along with the obvious goal of fairness, it just makes business sense: talent drives performance, and it takes so much time and money to hire people and train them.

Now we have millennials and Gen Zers, who are far more accustomed to working in diverse groups when they walk in the door. Unconscious bias still needs attention but talking about it must be super relevant and tailored to the audience for us to move forward.

Hillary and I walked alone for a few minutes. “I know you are taking over in a few weeks,” she said. “I am giving you my number. And if you ever need to talk, call me. If you don’t get me, call my staff and they will contact me. I am always available for you. These jobs are tough.”

Despite our advances, women are still breaking into this world.

another critical dimension of our success: how to shift our economies to better integrate work and family and ensure that women get equal pay and share power.

As Professor Rangan describes the course: “Students have to decide whether they want to make just a career or also a contribution.” Our class fills very quickly. It’s usually about 60 percent women.

Sometimes I feel like these people think I have some sort of secret recipe because I managed to pull it off. I don’t. In many ways, I was just lucky—with my close-knit household, great education, and parents who valued their daughters as much as their son.

I married a man who shared my ideals, we supported each other, and we started out carefully and frugally.

The stress surrounding work and family has many millennials, sadly, delaying marriage and childbirth or deciding not to have kids at all.

Not everyone has to want children, let alone the 2.1 babies that are the standard population replacement rate.

Care is a warm and fuzzy word, but they talk about it with so much pain. That has always moved me to somehow want to smooth their path.

our society can leap ahead on the work-family conundrum by focusing on three interconnected areas: paid leave, flexibility and predictability, and care.

flexibility is an integral part of giving families some breathing room.

our economy is fully equipped, across many roles and industries, for people to work remotely.

Early in my career, my lack of work flexibility—and the feeling that I could never simply schedule my time in a way that made sense for me—were among the most stressful aspects of my life.

Workers should be able to pause their careers for the sake of their home lives for longer periods without suffering the social and economic penalties that are still common.

I am very committed to giving back to the state that has given so much to my family over the years.

“You know,” she said, “you are someone who wants to help the world and not many people are like you. I don’t think you should worry about the house so much. You have to give back as much as you can. Keep on.”

I know that I am driven by purpose, and that this comes from a place deep in my heart.

I will also do all I can to help us build the future of care for all the families that don’t have this kind of support. This is my promise.

Thatha, my paternal grandfather, commanded the room just by sitting in a chair. He adored us and imparted a lifelong love of learning. He would say, “I am eighty, and I am still a student.”

My mother, Shantha, who always had one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake. She was both a catalyst for my career and my safety net.

from my thank-you speech: “I hope that any girl, any person of color, any immigrant, any American who looks at Jon’s creation will not only see a portrait. I hope they will see that anything is possible. And I hope they will find their own way of bringing their spirit and talents to bear on the work of lifting up this country and our world.”

Nooyi has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, and the U.S. State Department’s award for Outstanding American by Choice.