Indra Nooyi is in the news for being named CEO of PepsiCo. That was three days ago. Nooyi has had her place in the news before, for reasons very different. On May 15, 2005 Nooyi, as PepsiCo president and CFO, had compared the US to the middle finger on a hand during a speech to Columbia MBA graduates. The analogy was meant to illustrate how America was culturally different from many parts of the world it was doing business with, and how it should sensitise itself to cultural diversities. The speech was misinterpreted and started off a blogstorm. Many condemned what they perceived as the apparent anti-American implications of her remarks. Excerpts from the speech: .This evening, graduates.I’m going to take a look at how the United States is often perceived in global business, what causes this perception, and what we can do about it. To help me, I’m going to make use of a model. To begin, I’d like you to consider your hand. That’s right: your hand. First, let’s consider our little finger. Think of this finger as Africa.because of its place on the world’s stage. From an economic standpoint, Africa has yet to catch up with her sister continents. And yet, when our little finger hurts, it affects the whole hand. Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world’s economic stage. Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business. The ring finger is South America, including Latin America.(it) symbolises love and commitment to another person. Both Latin and South America are hot, passionate, and filled with the sensuous. This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, the United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the US a leg up in global business since the end of World War I. However, if used inappropriately — just like the U.S. itself — the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I’m talking about. .What is most crucial to my analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents, is that each of us in the US — the long middle finger — must be careful that when we extend our arm in either a business or political sense, we take pains to assure we are giving a hand.not the finger. Sometimes this is very difficult. Because the U.S. — the middle finger — sticks out so much, we can send the wrong message unintentionally. .I want you to consider how you will conduct your business careers so that the other continents see you extending a hand.not the finger. Graduates, it’s not that hard. You can change and shape the attitudes and opinions of the other fingers — the other continents and their peoples — by simply ascribing positive intent to all your international business transactions.
