Category: 3. SHELF it

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Career · Entrepreneurship · Leadership

BR 31: 100 Great Businesses and the Minds behind them by Emily Ross & Angus Holland

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Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: A great read. Not a business book , just a book that will take you through the lives of 100 incredible businesses and the people who made them tick. These are short bites about 100 businesses and their founders and goes a LONG way in just increasing basic awareness of the world around us. Someone once described this as a – “If they could do it, why not you?” sort of book. I think that’s accurate. I really enjoyed it.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Leadership · Management

BR 30: Winning by Jack Welch

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Comments: Lots of good nuggets in here. It probably requires a bit of background about Welch and his work at GE as he talks about his pet topics like differentiation in detail. Also, I didn’t find the section on mergers and acquisition clear or, in my case, relevant.

What to expect: Jack Welch’s attempt at synthesizing his learnings on management. Many learnings are presented in his direct no-nonsense style that makes the book easy to get through.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Skills

BR 28: Power of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

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Comments: A shortened version of his excellent book – “Influence.” This is only available as an audio or video. Unfortunately, there is no paperback version of this gem of a 1 hour lecture.

What to expect: 7 action steps for you to apply into your day to day life to improve your persuasion skills.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · History

BR 26: To Rule Mankind and Make The World Obey – A History of Rome by Frances Titchener

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Comments: Good book. I learnt a lot from a tale of the Roman empire! A few of the things I remember are why humans began wearing clothes (it was a sign of position in society – i.e. the kind of clothes), how empires ran into ruins the moment appointing heirs was only restricted within the family among many others.

What to expect: A nice lecture series from a good history professor. Fun facts and a good learning experience..

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Entrepreneurship

BR 25: The Art of Profitability by Adrian J Slywotzky

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Comments: More like an academic look into businesses and profitability. Good in terms of the various profitability models discussed, decent in terms of linking it up into a story but I wouldn’t rate it very high on impact. The paperback could offer a better experience though as it was difficult to follow a few of the numbers and calculations on audio.

What to expect: A detailed look at about 20 (if I remember right) profit models weaved into a moderately engaging story. If you are looking to start your own business, this could be a good book to read to get you thinking about profitability.

3. SHELF it · Book Reviews · Novel Concepts and Interesting Research

BR 24: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

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Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Very good book in terms of the concept. I liked the book for the most part and the only reason it is not a ‘BUY it!’ is because while I understood how many ideas made it big, I felt a big part of it was beyond my control and hence, less actionable.

What to expect: Gladwell is the business and self-help lover’s  Dan Brown in my opinion – he puts together a whole lot of data and presents it VERY well. Hence, The Tipping Point is an example of many good facts put together to bring forth some good insights.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Psychology

BR 22: The 48 laws of Power by Robert Greene

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Comments: Take this book with a pinch of salt.  I tried reading the book as a 19 year old and found it a touch too dark. It has interesting insight on games of power.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: I read this book again a few years later and would stick to my original note – take it with a pinch of salt as you can start seeing power games everywhere. Robert Greene is an artful writer, though, and this book was understandably very popular when it came out.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 19: Get Anyone To Do Anything by David J Lieberman

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Comments: Fun book that dives into human psychology and what makes people and relationships tick. It’s an entertaining read for sure.

What to expect: Lots of small tips and tricks to establish rapport that are definitely useful. I always feel the biggest use of books like this that deal with personality shifts is they help us think from the point of view of the other person, to actually listen and pay attention.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Sales

BR 18: Advanced Selling Strategies – Brian Tracy

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Comments: Brian Tracy’s books promise you a clear narrative, lots of tips and tricks and clear structure and clarity. This book rates very high on the impact front with very clear tips that I still use today. For example – he gives a very simple tip when making a cold call – ‘Start by asking for a minute of the other person’s time’.  Other small tips such as starting the day by reading 30 mins a day have all made a difference.

What to expect: A full on sales book whose impact is best felt if it is ‘studied’ rather than read. If you have never read a sales book, it could possibly be a tad boring as the book is full of step by step processes from the beginning to the end of the sale with a focus on personal development at certain points.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: Sales was part of the job at the start-up I worked for during my undergrad years. As a result, you see many a sales book making an appearance. :)

3. SHELF it · Bio/Autobiographies · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Management

BR 16: Iacocca – An autobiography by Lee Iacocca

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Comments: Nice book without being great. Iacocca tells us his life story and keeps us engaged.

What to expect: Iacocca did very well at Ford, rising up the ranks till he had an ego battle with the owner Henry Ford II and that obviously ended only 1 way. Iacocca then joined Chrysler and CEO and turned the company around in remarkable circumstances. Story of a very popular Italian American CEO.