How do you shortlist books to read?
The books that interest me are those on travel, business transformation, leadership and spiritualty. There are a few thought leaders that I regularly follow, these include:
- Ram Charan, who cuts through the complexities of running a business and gets to the core business problem
- Prof. Vijay Govindrajan, coxe distinguished professor, for his deep insights into managing change / future
- Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft, the two lines of strong businesses that got built in the recent past – Azure Cloud and Microsoft teams and his observations on how digital is changing the way we do business – the sheer ability to vision and articulate with simplicity
- Nandan Nilekani, non-executive chairman Infosys, for his ability to keep transitioning and contributing his skills across various government, private and charitable initiatives. The sheer ability to pack so much in a day, be ready to take on more and give oneself, fully is just worth emulating
The last book you read (which left a deep impact on you)
The Barefoot Coach by Paddy Upton
Tell us something about the book
It’s a book about the transformation of the Indian cricket team from 2008 to 2011, when we won the World Cup. His own journey, leading up to an Indian team full of super stars, a broken past with the previous manager and his teaming up with Gary Kirsten to provide millions of Indians, the joy of god being hoisted on the shoulders of men who after Kapil’s Devils gave us the greatest euphoria that victory brings!
Three key takeaways from the book:
- Working with people bigger than you
- Managing failure while staying mentally strong
- Continuing to be relevant to folks much younger to you – he not only worked with the Indian cricket team but also Rajasthan Royals and 5 more teams over 13 seasons
Why would you recommend the book to other finance professionals?
- This is not just for finance professionals but for most of us at work in any enterprise
- The book simply tells you that one can contribute from whatever role one is assigned, doesn’t matter if it’s the core or the periphery of the business. And what was once periphery can become the core of business. Just look at the emphasis on mental strength in our teams now over say, 20 years back
- Every success can make one brash or want more. Taking fresh guards and building on victories are critical, instead of one long party
- You are as good as your last game (read it as sale)
- Relevance is not about pecking orders or preference but about contribution
When you move on, everybody in the team recognizes your contribution. The fact that one could glue folks together within a mosaic tile and get the best output would be a remarkable journey. Everyone in the World Cup winning team profusely recognizes the contributions of Paddy Upton and Gary Kirsten
