Comments

You know my positive feelings about this sort of thing. My only qualm--not so small--is that she was CFO. You may also know "Tom's Rule": Never promote a CFO to CEO.

(I've been meaning to Post on this topic for weeks--thanks for beating me to the punch.)

Posted by tom peters at September 26, 2006 9:35 AM

"For old white men to think they have all the answers is absurd."

Perfect Darci - ageist - racist - and sexist!

"... global market where women have almost all of the purchasing power ..." Dream on.

1.5 Billion Muslims & their women have ANY power - let alone purchasing? AND Chindia women - NOT.

Hilarious - keep drinking the TP Kool-Aid!

Posted by sean at September 26, 2006 11:05 AM

Dear Darci:

Very interesting note. Congratulations.

All days I get more and more impressed how this world is changing the way people live.

Womens are becoming more and more related with business I believe, because they have on their nature some things that for men is hard to do:

-They are great listeners.
-They always like to work as a team.
-They have an incredible way to balance results with emotional intelligence.

I believe that there will be in the next years more womens in business.

With best regards

Juan Miguel Robles Vargas
General Manager
Deisa
Guadalajara, Mexico

Posted by Juan Miguel Robles Vargas at September 26, 2006 12:24 PM

Dear Sean:

I have read your comments for several days.

I believe that your points of view are sometimes with partial information and also sometimes radical.

That is your point of view and I respect it.

But I believe that a comment should be in a positive way. We all are here to learn because nobody have the absolut truth.

With best regards

Juan Miguel Robles Vargas
General Manager
Deisa
Guadalajara, Mexico

Posted by Juan Miguel Robles Vargas at September 26, 2006 12:42 PM

Is it an absolute truth that no one has the absolute truth?

Posted by MarkJF at September 26, 2006 1:29 PM

Hi Darci,

We've blogged at length about Indra. Her comments about America giving the finger to the world demonstrated a lack of cultural sensitivity. And should have disqualified her from further consideration for any "public" position running this iconic American brand. While some may agree with Indra's views her outspokeness will alienate many of Pepsico's core customers and potentially damage the brand.

Further, as an older white man, I can say that most of us do not assume that we have all the answers. Your comment demonstrates a serious level of ignorance and alienates a sizeable portion of the Tom Peters audience. I'm surprised Tom sanctions this.

Posted by Mike Smock at September 26, 2006 1:48 PM

Sean,
I like to play devil's advocate as well, but sometimes it important to pick your battles. You bring up good points about cultures that oppress their women, making it difficult for them to clearly show the influence they have over purchasing decisions. However, ignoring the fact that women, especially middle aged women, are constituting an extremely significant portion of the purchasing population is financially irresponsible (from a business perspective). It is, and will become ever more, extremely important. I am personally interested to see how this shapes up, and which companies will adapt.

(I like the Kool Aid here, its tasty. And not to cast stones, but having read many blogs here, it is kind of funny to see you call someone out for being "ageist - racist - and sexist!" :) )

Posted by Nick Adams at September 26, 2006 1:54 PM

Kudos indeed to Steve Reinemund and the Pepsi Culture. Pepsi has been good at leadership development for a long time and one of the first really international companies. But let's not forget Roger Enrico. He revamped PepsiCo's leadership development in the mid-nineties in ways that improved the teaching components, but vastly improved the development and identification components.

It was Enrico who brought Nooyi to PepsiCo after time at Boston Consulting Group and other places where her strengths were the understanding of emerging markets (both geographic and demographic) and strategic planning. This is not, in many ways, the typical CFO.

Posted by Wally Bock at September 26, 2006 3:20 PM

Hey partner...first, just how old do you have to be to be an old white guy? :)

I do so look forward to a world where results matter. Promote the best using blind resumes...And I do agree that the covert entitlement system of promotion in a lot of companies leaves a lot of women out of the game. Do I think women make better bosses? I haven't bought into the whole chromosone and socialization thing. I have had some remarkable women bosses, and some that were lousy. but denying there is still a glass ceiling is pure nonsense. I do agree with Tom that the scary thing is that she was a CFO...look forward to a more efficient and operationally excellent pepsi that tastes "almost as good as the old pepsi"

Posted by Mike Neiss at September 26, 2006 4:18 PM

As follow-on to Tom's rule...I wish to remind that Rick Wagoner of GM was promoted to CEO from CFO....Do I need to say more???

Anyways, if you're in finance, you probably know from personal experience that finance executives are an ambitious group. According to a recent survey by the CFO Executive Board, more than 25 percent of CFOs want to become president or chief operating officer, and another 25 percent have their sights set on the CEO or chairman title. But not just anyone is qualified to make the move: The same CFO Executive Board survey demonstrated that only 12 percent of CFOs actually become CEOs, and even fewer assume the chairmanship!!!

I believe that for CFOs to become CEOs, the following are EXTREMELY ESSENTIAL:-

a) Focus on performance - Today, the most exceptional CFOs are leading their industries by narrowing the focus of their finance activities to those that directly impact performance, such as strategic planning, operations planning and M&A. They are reorganizing and centralizing their finance structures to reduce their involvement in administrative areas such as procurement and real estate in order to focus more time and resources on strategic issues such as corporate governance, strategy and planning, outsourcing, and profitable growth.

b) Expand your influence - Most CFOs already know that an important part of their job performance is based on their ability to act as a strategic partner to the CEO, providing sound advice on how to drive performance, enable compliance, and remediate risk. Exceptional CFOs ALSO work hard to expand their influence with corporate boards, general managers, customers, and external stakeholders. Gaining credibility with these constituencies is key to becoming a trusted advisor to your CEO and taking your career to the next.

c) Have an integrated view of the business - To make the leap to CEO or chairman, it's not enough to deliver strong performance or become a trusted advisor. You need to have an integrated view into your business, one that combines the financial view, the operating view, and the market view. Achieving an integrated view into the business means gaining deep operational knowledge by meeting often with IT, your business units, your overseas subsidiaries, and even with competitors.

Posted by K.Sriram at September 27, 2006 4:59 AM

Pepsi "Culture" is corn syrup sugar water and junk food AND hiring based on anti free-enterprise Gender Targets - so it is easy to totally AVOID their brands. Darci reads like she seems cool with the Obesity Epidemic and Bigotry - c'est la vie!

Juan - please buff up grammar, stop using a long 4 name 5-line boring signature block, realize that Peters and Drucker are "Dr's" in salutation - AND get out of corrupt - Mexico while you still can - maybe the EU for you ... educate yourself on free speech critique so it reads like you're not kissing TP site backside every time. :>]!

Posted by sean at September 27, 2006 8:42 AM

Its pretty cool for Indra Nooyi to be heading Pepsi Co. Despite all the labels: "female", "ethnicity", "whatever" we have more similarities than differences as human beings, thats pretty cool too.
Sean's comments amuse me. If I was not in the U.S, it would have been so easy to label you a "stupid american" . Because I study and interact with people here, I know that this is just a stereotype. Maybe you aren't one.

Posted by Meera at September 27, 2006 12:27 PM

Am I the only one to think that Darci's reference to "old white men" was not intended to be ageist, racist, or sexist? I thought that it was to conjure up images of the "good ole days" when panels of old white men made strategic business decisions based on their perceptions on the way things should be. In fact, to me it appeared to be tounge in cheek at the very least.

Darci - I just want you to know that this old white man did not take offence to your reference and noticed the point that you were making. I think we may need to lighten up a little, folks.

Posted by Al at September 27, 2006 12:56 PM

Sean--lighten up, man. Point One: I'll wager Juan's English is a heck of a lot better than your Spanish. Point Two: It's a free internet and Juan can post any way that floats his boat. He's not here to make you happy. Point Three: I'm in "corrupt Mexico" right this minute trying to help some good people be successful. That's how you change corrupt systems, not by running away. Climb down off your high horse already.

As to the topic--the only thing that will matter is when we no longer care or even notice that the new CEO of a big-name outfit like Pepsi-Co is a woman, an African-American, or a three-legged moonbat. It isn't and never should be about how many women or minorities are CEOs or head coaches or whatever. It is and should always be ONLY about the best person for the job. Period.

Posted by Mike at September 27, 2006 4:21 PM

Wow, Sean...it seems I've really lit you up! I, too, find your responses quite amusing. Particularly "Pepsi "Culture" is corn syrup sugar water and junk food...Darci reads like she seems cool with the Obesity Epidemic and Bigotry..." I'm sorry...is it Pepsi's fault people are fat? Do we really need to get into that debate??? And, to take personal attacks at my character...hmmmm? I'll let it slide in the spirit of a good debate. Thank you, Al, for getting it :) And, Mike, I absolutely agree, hiring the best person for the job is absolutely the point! And, if it happens to be a three-legged moonbat....Ha Ha. As far as Nooyi's leadership capabilities, if she's smart, and we'll assume she is, she'll recognize that it takes a visionary, a talent developer, a technology enthusiast and profit maker (right, Tom?) to sustain/grow the business...if she doesn't embody all those skills, hopefully she'll leverage the talent around her. It "takes a village...". So, if she is successful will it be because she is a woman? If she fails will it be because she is a woman? (And, before you bust my chops...I know the fact that she is a woman doesn't matter....or does it?)

Posted by Darci at September 27, 2006 11:38 PM

As an expert in the art of generalisation I say generalisations are not always helpful. Some CFO’s I’ve known would make excellent CEO’s. Some of them would not. But hey … That rule applies to all professions. Time was when Nurses were considered not good managers but nowadays some of the best managers in healthcare are nurses. It is the quality of the PERSON and not the LABEL that is important.

Posted by Trevor Gay at September 28, 2006 8:45 AM

PS ... sorry forgot ....

Come on folks we all know Sean is 'tongue in cheek' 90% of the time. WYSIWYG from Sean - he 'gives it out' but the good thing is he is also prepared to 'take it.' I have often been the butt of Sean's remarks and in the words of the great Eagles track I had to 'Get Over It' :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at September 28, 2006 8:50 AM

Darci - just the "old white men" and "absurd" in this case is skewed to me - am not concerned about your "character" or Mel Gibson's.

"Old black women" - how does that read for a blame group AKA old white men? Old fat women? :>]

Pepsi legacy is a major contribution to the obesity epidemic ... propose sin taxing them like cigarettes / liquor.

RE-Imagine that they design food products that speed up metabolism AND make us healthful AND have us eating more of it [more Pepsi profit]. It isn't really a "lighten up" matter if Darci or someone gets passed over 5 times for promotion because someone DECREES/Quotas that she/he is a lessor "old white man".

Mike - please put Vincente Fox on your High Horse [not heading north] to mitigate corruption ... Juan is a big boy - he can use free edit advice ... and "Sean" is free on the 'Net too to critique. Mexicans in the USA for the most part don't speak English OR Spanish [Spain] - it is a pidgeon/slang dialect that works on the "street" but usually limits free enterprise success.

Trevor - surf is up - Maui :>]

Posted by sean at September 28, 2006 11:24 AM