5 essential skills for future leaders from PepsiCo's CEO

Indra Nooyi - PEPSICO's Global Chief Executive Officer

PepsiCo is the 2nd largest Food & Beverages company of the world and overall ranks 137 in the fortune 500 list 2014. The CEO of this giant company is Indra Nooyi an India born American. She herself ranks 13 in Fortune 100 list of most powerful women on 2014.
Born to a Tamil family in India, after graduating in India she later moved to USA to get her Master's degree from Yale, where she also worked part time as a receptionist to make ends meet.
We can all take a page out of her book. Being a powerful leader herself, when asked what skills or experiences are essential for future leaders, she shared the 5C's of leadership. They are as follows:

1- Competency

You must have a specific set of skills at which you're great. You must be the go to person for something. Unless you're not really known for something and just as a generalist, you don't stand out from the pack. And in order to be really good at something, you've got to be a life long student as you have to constantly refine your knowledge, so that you remain ahead of everything that goes on in that field.

2- Courage & Confidence

You can be very, very competent, but unless you're not willing to speak out, to have the confidence based on your knowledge, what's the point. So courage and confidence are very important.

3- Communication skills 

You cannot over invest in communication skills. Written and oral communication skills, because as a leader you constantly have to mobilize people. She shared that when she came to USA, while studying at Yale, she took active part in debates. But she used to speak quite fast, as was her culture back in India being from a Tamil family. She failed a course in communication due to this. So in the summer break, she worked her, improved her communication, slowed down her pace and she passed. She urges everyone to invest in communication skills, it is critically important. 

4- Consistency 

It is important that you are consistent. You can change your mind, but change your mind against a consistent framework, because if you're not consistent people will always second guess what you're doing. So be consistent.

5- Compass

Integrity is critical. You can be competent, courageous, have confidence, be a great communicator, be consistent but if you don't have integrity that compass doesn't point true north, everything comes crashing down as we have seen in recent times. 

8 TIPS ON HOW TO BE CONFIDENT IN INTERVIEWS

In job interviews you, the candidate obviously have a very short time to impress a number of people, who are naturally in a position of higher power and the candidate is in a weaker power position since we need something from them, sometimes very desperately. Hence even if we usually are a confident person, we may not be fully confident during the interview.

But a very important thing to keep in mind is that we're not the only ones who need something from the interviewers, they also need a suitable candidate, that's why they are spending so much time, effort and financial resources in advertising, shortlisting, interviewing the candidate. They want you to succeed and to be good. But you have to sell your skills and show your best side to them. To do so, off course natural confidence and being calm is very important. Here are a few basic tips to get you more confident and calm during this process:

1.Get 8 hours sleep the night before

Sleeping decreases stress, helps improve memory and not getting enough sleep can not only cause more stress during the interview but also you may forget certain important answers during the interview. Not to mention, you will not look fresh!

2.A healthy and balanced meal

Did you know that your brain consumer up to 20% of your energy. So to keep in functioning well, you need energy. That's why it is important to have a healthy yet balanced breakfast/lunch before the interview. Plan your time well, and don't skip your meal.

3.Good personal hygiene & a decent hair style

Have a shower, brushing your teeth, not wearing too much perfume. You don't want to smell or look odd. Also have a decent hairstyle. You don't want to appear immature.

4.Always wear a suit with tie & polished shoes

Since you are presenting your best self to the interviewers, that's why it is important that you dress as best as possible. That's why regardless of the season it is recommended to wear a suit and a tie for the interview, with polished shoes off course. Jeans, t shirts, cuffs folded up, not wearing joggers, shiny color watches etc is off course a big NO!

5.Arrive 15 minutes before time

Running towards your interview can definitely increase your stress and anxiety levels. That's why you need to come in at least 15 minutes early, and take some time to settle down, familiarize yourself with the environment and calm yourself. Traffic may be a factor, that's why plan to arrive 30 minutes before the interview time so you can reach 15-30 minutes before even if there is unusual traffic on the roads. 

6.While waiting, sit/stand in high Power Postures

Research tells us that effect and powerful leaders have high levels of testosterone i.e. the dominance hormone and low levels of cortisone i.e. the stress hormone. By just sitting or standing in power positions for 2 minutes, one can increase and decrease the levels of these hormones up to 20%, which will make us relaxed an confident. Power postures are those in which you are expanding your body rather than squeezing it. Like after winning a race all atheletes have their hands up in the air, their body stretched widely, on the other hand when we are ashamed or something or hiding from someone we squeeze our body, fold our arms etc, which is a pose of less power and it further increases cortisone levels in the body. To know more about power postures and body language, view the TED talk by Amy Cuddy.

7.During the interview imitate the posture of the interviewer

During the interview, instead of being confused on how to sit, you can simply imitate the sitting posture of the interviewer. This will remove confusion and increase your confidence.

8.Smile! It decreases stress, you’ll look more competent

Research states, one smile can cause the same level of stimulation in the brain as 24,000 bars of Chocolate, or receiving 16,500 GB Pounds in cash. Unbelieveable isn't it? But it is true. Smiling, even if forcefully, decreases cortisone levels in your body and makes you relaxed and thus more confident.

Smile + Power Pose

Research has also shown the people who smile seem more competent to others. So if you want to look more competent in your interview, and feel relaxed, SMILE before and during the interview.

Try out the above tips for your next interview, and share your thoughts with us.

Salman Shaukat - Project Engineer at Almarai, Saudi Arabia

Salman Shaukat
Project Engineer at Almarai, Saudi Arabia
B.Sc. Industrial Manufacturing Engineering, UET Lahore (2004-08)
MBA Finance & Marketing, Lahore School of Economics (2010-13)
MS Mechanical Design Engineering, UET Lahore (2010-14)

 Q) How did you join Almarai, what was the process?

• I saw opportunity on Almarai web site plus on LinkedIn and applied online.
• The job was matching my skills set.
• After the interview I asked former colleagues, who had already joined Almarai, to follow-up application and if needed and put up some recommendation on the application if they feel necessary.

Q) In your opinion, which key qualities did you have which enabled you to join Almarai?

• Project Management skills and Technical knowledge of FMCG projects is my Major strength.
• My Profile and Almarai requirements were matching about 95% or more.
• Parents, wife, kids and God’s blessings and support played a great role as well.

Q) What have been some of the key achievements of your professional life & student life so far?           

Professional life >

• I was and still am crazy about project management field and I got the track that I wanted.
• I got promotion in Nestle at very young age and at the initial stage of my career.
• My networking with internal as well as external stake holders and influence on them was a key achievement.

Student Life >

• I stood 1st continuously 40 times; four exams / year (grade 1 to 10) explored 4 schools including private and govt. institutes.
• Later getting admission on open merit in UET Lahore was a good achievement that I feel in student life.

 Q) Did you work at some other company before Almarai? If so, then which was it? What about internships?

Former companies I worked with.

• Nestle, Pakistan
• Descon, Pakistan
• Honda Atlas Cars, Pakistan  

Internships >

• Honda Atlas cars Pvt. ltd. Pakistan
• Packages Pvt.Ltd , Pakistan

Q) What are the best parts & not to good parts that you have experienced in your job?

Best Parts >

• I explored the application of real engineering and pure sciences.
• Experienced working different with nationalities and learning their cultures.
• I got a chance to groom my thoughts, personality and attitude.
• Got international trainings which led to boost up of confidence and strong grip over work.

Not Good Parts >

• Not much bad parts, overall it was quite good working experience and comfortable.

Q) What advice can you give to others who want to join Almarai?

• If you have relevant engineering experience it is easy to get yourself inducted, provided vacancy is available.
• Get yourself referred by someone, if possible by someone from Almarai
• Sell yourself but do not compromise on your Minimum acceptable standards and requirements.
• Being an engineer, do not accept positions below Managerial level.
• Think 10 times about how you would manage your dependents, if such situation is relevant to your situation.
• Do not switch your company just for peanuts, have a handsome jump at least 3 times from current financial status.(It is conditional some times to get a good experience switching can be done but calculated moves should be done)
• While moving to Middle East do not compromise on visa category other than engineer visa. Do not accept technician’s visas etc…category.

Contact Information

Email ID: salmanshaukat@hotmail.com