Winning in Life and Business: Books by Indian Business Leaders
Winning in life and business to become a great leader takes time, experience and constant learning. Soon after the startup boom, there arose several success stories of entrepreneurs in India showcasing their brilliance in life and business strategies that continue to bear the fruits of success. Tales of stardom have been well captured in some of the top Indian business leaders’ books. These Indian business success stories speak about their personal experience on everything from management and leadership to the keys to attaining unmatched success. Here are some of them.
You Can Win - By Shiv Khera, Founder of Country First Foundation
Khera shares his handy tips, an optimistic outlook, and his stories that will carry you to the fields of success through your personal and professional life. To attain success is to have the right mindset as Khera denotes. He believes that nurturing positivity will not only guide the mind to deal with stumble blocks, but also lend a hand in the actions you take and the efforts you put in. In the book, the leader advises one to have a clear mind to navigate toward goals. He stresses on the need to take accountability for one’s actions and outcomes. Like most leaders, Khera also believes that there is value when one is committed to lifelong learning. He encourages you to put yourself out there to learn new things, gain new abilities and remain adaptable through this book. By that, the leader says it is of utmost significance to communicate effectively, be it with family, friends or coworkers. He talks about keenly listening and speaking with clarity and confidence, especially when you are expressing yourself. He also mentions that one should always strive to be helpful to those in need, as it is also a stepping stone to reach success. Lastly, the leader shares the integrity of giving back, which can be through any volunteer efforts or natural opportunities. He believes that this habit will not only help one feel content but will leave a lasting mark when it positively impacts people's lives.
Hit Refresh - Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft
Nadella takes the reader on the road toward not only taking the reins of Microsoft, but also becoming a leader at the center of the most innovative and disruptive technological wave in human history. He says how individuals, groups, and civilizations can and should look for change. That is what the leader means when he says how one needs to "hit refresh" in their never-ending search for fresh inspiration, new concepts, and ongoing relevance and rejuvenation. But when you get down to it, it's about people and how empathy, one of our most important traits, will become increasingly useful in a future where technological growth will change the status quo like never before.
Taking his insights and the amazing technological disruptions, the business magnate gives a glimpse into his growth—setting foot in the US and his method of forging leadership skills. He shares how the business found its calling again, changing everything from its commercial relationships to its culture to the highly competitive industry environment. According to Nadella, one must restore digital trust, ethical design principles, and economic progress for all.
The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time
Authored by Subhash Chandra (with Pranjal Sharma), this book takes us into the ups and downs of his inspirational journey. He talks about what drives him, their stewardship expertise and his entrepreneurial spirit. The book keeps the reader’s attention gripped until they finish taking them for a spin into the life of this leader.
Hailing from a small Haryana village in the four walls of his family-owned grain mills, this business tycoon has been exploring through and through, locking targets and visiting places beyond his boundaries.
Since his childhood, he was made to hold onto gumption and always put in hard work to make everything he envisioned a reality.
It’s said in his book that he scored a lump sum by exporting rice to the former USSR thanks to a little bit of luck and political connections.
To him, it has always been about taking leaps of faith. He made it into the broadcasting industry early on, while being aware that established media companies did not see its potential. His Zee TV, the country's first private Indian television network, changed the game and won the Indian audience through the plethora of entertainment he guided the corporation into doing. In his story, he says he has taken many risks, some seeing light while others fading into darkness. Examples of this he shared in the book are his attempts to start a cricket league and satellite phone service, which went down the drain. He shared that these incidents only opened him up to reinvent himself in the book. The book tells the reader that he is indeed a fully self-made businessman who arrived in Delhi at the age of twenty with just seventeen rupees in his pocket and is remarkably unvarnished.
Dream With Your Eyes Open - Ronnie Screwvala, Chairperson & Co-Founder, upGrad.com
This corporate titan shows readers perspectives on a rapidly evolving business environment while sharing food for thought on the importance of entrepreneurship in India's future in Dream With Your Eyes Open. He also lends his extensive experiences and the countless lessons he learned from more than 20 years of creating both successful and unsuccessful companies. This book could serve as an inspiration for those with a game-changing, innovative product or business concept, or with an interest in starting their own company, or who have already started down the path of entrepreneurship.
The leader makes the reader understand why failures and how achievement work, while sparking a sense of aspiration and to think boldly. He speaks straightforwardly in the book to help you better understand entrepreneurship and make you feel the urge to achieve your goals in a world where David vs. Goliath is a genuine possibility. He has captured his thoughts, experiences, mistakes and successes. He believes that those with the most enthusiastic and driven mindset, full of new ideas, hope, and optimism, will be able to successfully tap the nation's vast entrepreneurial potential. He says that all you need to do is dream, and when you do, keep your eyes open.
How I Almost Blew It - Sidharth Rao, Co-Founder, Punt_Partners
For this leader, being an entrepreneur has never been more rewarding, he shares in his book. He says that the internet and new technology have reduced prices and almost leveled the playing field, and the market is booming with cash. The Indian digital ecosystem is primed to burst. Media columns are filled with the startup story's romanticism. However, he says that for every new business that succeeded, many others failed. He reveals that the untold tale of the triumphs is that none of them came close to succeeding. He says that each one gets to the point of nearly shutting it all down, selling it all off, or, to put it another way, nearly "blew it."
This particular delves into some of India’s largest entrepreneurs, sharing stories that startle, disclose and inspire. It was quick thinking, wise choices, and sometimes just plain bad luck that kept them from falling into the abyss, the leader denotes. He says that, while valuing life lessons, some heartbreaking tales of near-failure also serve as industrial knowledge.