My father was an absolutely wonderful human being. From him I learned to always assume positive intent. Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent.

I think innovation as a discipline needs to go back and get rethought and revived. There are so many models to talk about innovation, there are so many typologies of innovation, and you have to find a good innovation metric that truly captures the innovation performance of a company.

Blogging and the Internet allow us to engage in a lot more real time conversations as opposed to a one-way dump of information or a message.

My guilty pleasures are the websites where you can look at the fashions and see how different outfits will look. You can even take a picture of yourself and download it and play with the fashions! I love playing with these websites to see what I can learn.

I asked my parents for permission to study in America and they were so sure that I wouldn't get in and get a scholarship that they encouraged me to try. So I applied to Yale and got an excellent scholarship. I then worked for the Boston Consulting Group for six and half years.

Lots are written about how 'she shows up at board meetings in the saree.' My God, I have never worn a saree to board meetings; people play it out in different ways. I think I have never shied away from the fact that I am an Indian, and I don't intend to, but you can be at home with both cultures.

But the good news was that my elder sister refused to get married straight away and I couldn't get married until she did so I had the licence to go off and dream

What i would not do is flaunt my Indianess by wearing a saree to work everyday, because it distracts from the Job. So, i would not do that. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Social events are different. If i feel comfortable in a saree for a social event, I wear it.

I grew up in a Hindu household but went to a Roman Catholic school. I grew up with a mother who said, 'I'll arrange a marriage for you at 18,' but she also said that we could achieve anything we put our minds to an encourage us to dream of becoming prime minister or president

Anything that's done to address unemployment in terms of massive stimulus spending is going to exacerbate deficits. And anything that's done to address deficits in the short-term is going to exacerbate unemployment.

PepsiCo did not have a woman in the senior ranks, nor a foreign-born person who was willing to think differently

The first thing I'd say to women is put aside the guilt. I think we're all genetically programmed to feel guilty for not giving total effort at the job.

I'm very honest - brutally honest. I always look at things from their point of view as well as mine. And I know when to walk away.

I pick up the details that drive the organization insane. But sweating the details is more important than anything else

The biological clock and the career clock are in total conflict with each other.

Most importantly, we want to create a company where every employee can bring their whole selves to work.

The glass ceiling will go away when women help other women break through that ceiling.

Every year in consulting is like three years in the corporate world because you have multiple clients, multiple issues - you grow so much.

Women helping each other - coaching, mentoring, and providing tips - is a great way for us to be our own force.