10 Important lessons in leadership by most powerful women in business

 Women everywhere in the world have broken glass-ceilings and have ventured into fields that had been considered male-turfs for a long time. These women have inspired our generation and are helping girls and women everywhere, to aspire to be in leadership positions. Today, SheThePeople.TV, gives you 10 short lessons in leadership that have made these women the successful leaders they are today.

Indra Nooyi

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Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo

“There is nothing like a concrete life plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up.”

Mallika Srinivasan

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Mallika Srinivasan, CEO of TAFE

“There might be different perspectives, opinions and ways of doing the same thing. But when it comes to ethics, there can be no two ways of looking at it.” She goes on to add, “Profits are important, but only for sustaining a business. You don’t need to love money to run a business. You have to have a dream to build an institution, to build centers of excellence, to create a great team. Business has a larger purpose. And return on capital employed is important to serve that larger purpose.”

Susan Feldman & Alison Pincus

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Susan Feldman & Alison Pincus, Founders, One Kings Lane.

“Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference”

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

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Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, MD , Biocon Limited

I think, in terms of corporate philosophy, I've always believed that you've got to treat people in a very very egalitarian manner in the sense I like to treat people on a one-to-one basis. And I like people to take on a lot of responsibilities because I think with a sense of responsibility also comes a sense of purpose.

Rosalind Brewer

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Rosalind Brewer, President and CEO of Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc

“You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.” 

Angela Braly

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Angela Braly, President and CEO, Wellpoint, Inc.

“The most important factor in determining whether you will succeed isn’t your gender, it’s you. Be open to opportunity and take risks. In fact, take the worst, the messiest, the most challenging assignment you can find, and then take control.”

Marissa Mayer

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Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo     

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”

Denise Morrison

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Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup Company

“Don’t just let your career happen to you. You need to be strategic about how you define your leadership journey and where that takes you.”

Simone Tata

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Simone Tata, Chairperson of the Trent Limited

“I started at the top in a non-existent industry. I had the great privilege to build the organization the way I wanted to. The important thing is to have a vision, clarity and the ability to mould people. It is also important to delegate enough so that people feel they have something worthwhile to do. Last, but most important, you have to encourage the teamwork ethic.”

Wendy Lea

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Wendy Lea, CEO, Get Satisfaction

“Leadership isn’t about demanding control anymore; those days are over. Its about unpacking the personal motivations of individual employees.”

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