A quick peek into the favorite books of 9 business leaders and the impact it had on them
Team Smart CEO
BOSCH POWER TOOLS
Vijay Pandey, Vice President, Bosch Power Tools
Favourite Book & Author
Richard Branson’s ‘Screw It, Let’s Do It’ and ‘Steve Jobs’ by Walter Isaacson.
Impact of the book in professional life
Branson’s book gives us nuggets on doing business using unconventional means.
And ‘Steve Jobs’ is a corporate crowd-pleaser. Jobs is perhaps the most publicised and debated icon of our times, yet the creation of an enterprise with ground-breaking products makes for a fascinating read.
FIRSTCRY.COM
Supam Maheshwari, CEO & Founder, FirstCry.com
Favourite Book & Author
“The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz
Impact of book on professional life
The life of an entrepreneur is filled with lots of surprises and ups/downs. But one has to be firm and put his/her best foot forward to win. This book has left me better prepared for my journey as an entrepreneur.
HOLIDAYIQ
Hari Nair, Founder & CEO, HolidayIQ.com
Favourite Book & Author
‘Travels with Charley’ by John Steinbeck.
Impact of book in professional life
John Steinbeck, the nobel prize winning author, is an extraordinary observer and thinker. In this book he drives around America and understands the nature of changes happening around him. It has not only kindled my love for ruminative travel, but has also given me many ways of understanding changes.
SULEKHA.COM
Satya Prabhakar, Founder & CEO, Sulekha.com
Favourite Book & Author
“Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” by Shrunyu Suzuki
Impact of book on professional life
The book helped me understand that resolve is a superior virtue than ambition, efforts must precede outcomes, and that one must stay a ‘beginner’ at all times, eager to learn, eager to relentlessly undergo transformation and transmutation.
VIZURY
Chetan Kulkarni, CEO, Vizury Interactive
Favourite Book & Author
“Barbarians at the Gate” by Joseph H and Bryan B.
Impact of book in professional life
It unlocks the value of out-of-the-box thinking, helps understand the role of finance in growth companies, and also highlights the funny side of corporate life. A key lesson this book shares is that the entrepreneur should not lose sight of his own and the company’s vision, simultaneously.
MAGICBRICKS.COM
Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks.com
Favourite Book & Author
“The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg
Impact of book on professional life
It helped enhance self-awareness and enhance my listening skills. For example, I started looking for cues that drove involuntary behaviour, the lack of which earlier made me want to jump in, at an instant.
UNIQUE MERCANTILE INDIA PVT. LTD.
Rahul Rai, Executive Director, Unique Mercantile India Pvt. Ltd.
Favourite Book & Author
Walking Home by Sonia Choquette
Impact of book in professional life
Walking home is a journey from humble to healed. The book is about forgiveness and letting go. It is important that we forgive ourselves before forgiving others. We are responsible for our lives; our life is what we make out of it.
EDELWEISS ASSET MANAGEMENT
Vikaas Sachdeva, CEO, Edelweiss Asset Management
Favourite Book & Author
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Impact of book in professional life
One of the biggest hurdles any financially independent person faces is in understanding how to get the best returns on savings. And, we often relegate financial literacy to the background even as we spend much time attempting to better our life situations. These three books bring you up to speed on how to understand and manage one’s personal finances.
LITE BITE FOODS
Sharad Sachdeva, CEO, Lite Bite Foods
Favourite Book & Author
‘Execution’ by Ramcharan and Larry Bossidy
Impact of the book in professional life
This book taught me to emphasise that life is beyond board room discussions. It talks about the power of execution which takes place in the field where the actual action happens. No matter how strong the thought and planning is, if execution is not strong even best initiatives and strategies tend to fail and plans flop.
