Girls Who Code Summer Speaker Series ft. Indra Nooyi
“Always put your hand up for the most difficult assignment.”
Our Summer Speaker Series brings leaders and activists together with our CEO and Founder Reshma Saujani to have conversations about bravery, activism, and tech, broadcasted exclusively to our girls.
We’re so grateful to Indra Nooyi for joining this Summer Speaker Series. Check out more of what we learned from her conversation with Reshma.
“THE ONLY TIME I WOULD SEE WOMEN IS WHEN I WENT TO THE RESTROOM”
When Reshma asked what sisterhood meant to her, Indra immediately began reflecting on what it was like being the only woman in the room at many of her jobs. She said, at one point, that the only time she would see women was when she was going to the restroom! It was in those moments (which we can relate to!) that it became clear just how important sisterhood is — for lifting each other up, for camaraderie, for having someone else understand your experience.
“FOCUS ON DOING THE JOB THAT YOU ARE GIVEN EXCEEDINGLY WELL”
We’re so happy we got this question from one of our students, “What is your advice to girls who are afraid to speak their opinion?”
It takes developing confidence, and Indra spoke from experience. She said that anytime she was going into a meeting, she made sure she was more prepared than anyone else. When she got a pre-read, she read every page no matter how long it was. She put in the time to think of the two questions she was going to ask, or the two comments she was going to make.
All of this, she said, was a way to develop confidence. You want to “make people sit up and say, ‘wow I didn’t think of that.’” And how do you get that skill? Watch people two levels higher than you — observe how they prepare, what they ask, and how they ask. And then practice!
THREE PIECES OF ADVICE FROM INDRA THAT WE’LL DEFINITELY BE FOLLOWING!
Indra left us with three amazing pieces of advice. First, put your hand up for the most difficult assignment. Second, make sure you are known for something — make sure people know you have a unique skill or perspective to contribute. Third, focus on the job at hand and not on the next promotion — do the job that you are doing exceedingly well and the rest will follow.
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Huge thanks to Indra, and of course, to Reshma for having this conversation!
The Girls Who Code Summer Speaker Series is a set of conversations between Girls Who Code Founder and CEO Reshma Saujani and leaders and activists broadcasted exclusively to girls enrolled in our Virtual Summer Immersion Program. Girls have the opportunity to listen in to a fireside chat and then to ask their own questions about bravery, leadership, and tech. To find out more, read our press release here.
