Virtue Hiding in the Hustle: How I Saw Virtue in the Corporate World

Dr. Condoleeza Rice interviewed former PepsiCo CEO, Indra Nooyi, on behalf of the Hoover Institution. 

Spirituality was not mentioned in the interview, but I do recommend it.

I watched it by accident—clearly Divine Providence!

What could I possibly get out of this?

I began watching the interview thinking: What could I possibly get out of this?

Nooyi was the CEO of a billion-dollar company.

That’s cool. But it sounds so worldly, so ambitious, so hustle-bustle, so…

Not reminiscent of St. Terese’s Little Way?

I like to stay home with my cats in a cozy corner. What would a corporate powerhouse say that would apply to me?

A business icon is just not the kind of person I would think to go to for inspiration for myself…Opposed to someone like Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life, or the retiree who has made Eucharistic adoration their post-retirement job, etc.

As usual, the Lord humbled me and showed me that He will teach me in unexpected ways!

The right focus

Dr. Rice began the interview saying that her students often say to her, “I want to be a leader,” and she tells them, “That’s not a job description or a destination.”

Nooyi explained that in her career she would not target promotions, but she would embrace the work that was right in front of her. When promoted she'd ask, "Do you really want me to be promoted now? I'm happy doing what I'm doing."

We might pursue positions that may not be right for us individually, because in our pride we want the prestige or the title. Ecclesiastes 1:2 reads, “All is vanity.”

Nooyi liked her work. She followed her God-given interests.

Modesty

Nooyi said that she and her family lived modestly “on one income,” so she was not afraid of taking risks.

Surely, that sort of sensibility contributed to Nooyi's excellence. 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…” Matthew 6:19 NRSVCE

I am reminded of the late Pope Francis’s emphasis on modesty, “Modesty is a virtue that is essential for anyone who wants to be like Jesus, who is meek and humble of heart." (X/Twitter)

Legacy

Ultimately, Nooyi said that she did not want to be known as having been CEO.

She wanted to be known as having “always contributed.” Wherever she was.

It was a fantastic reminder that we can see the Lord’s work before us wherever the Lord has us.

Whether we’re in a high-rise boardroom, or living a quiet, simple life.

Source

Hoover Institution. n.d. "Indra Nooyi: Leadership and Innovation at PepsiCo." Hoover Institution. https://www.hoover.org/research/indra-nooyi-leadership-and-innovation-pepsico.