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

BR 75: Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani

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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 colorful book by a very colorful character. Giuliani is a controversial person and claims credit for many New York city changes like reduction in crime rate, which may not entirely have been down to him (Read Freakonomics, The Tipping Point) for more. All that aside, one thing that can never be taken away from him was his leadership during the 9/11 attacks. And this book is  a great read for that story alone. As one might expect, the team that ensured New York city’s admirable response to the 9/11 attacks was not built overnight. Giuliani delves into his style of leadership and how he built the team. I have written about his insight on ‘Breakfast meetings’ here.

The one aspect that can be a turn off is Giuliani trying to ‘sell’ his political agendas and inclinations. Aside from that, pretty good book.

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

BR 74: Worlds at War by Anthony Pagden

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

Comments: Note – I couldn’t finish this book thanks to some corruption in the audio of the 3rd part. From my experience of 2/3rds of this massive massive book – it starts very well with fascinating insights about the greeks, the romans etc and then fizzles once it enters into the middle ages and become a collection of facts, names and dates.

The first part was excellent. The second part not-so-great. Still, likely a book worth reading if you love history..

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

BR 73: The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni

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

Comments: This was a story of 2  entrepreneurial CEOs who started up post B School and it deals with how and why one of them is more successful than the other. Many good ideas with the concept wrapped in a  good story. I don’t think much of it stuck with me sadly.

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

BR 72: When Fish Fly by John Yokohama

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

Comments: This is a very inspiring book – in a non traditional sense. It is John Yokohama’s tale of how he transformed an ordinary pike fish market in Seattle to ‘World Famous Pike Place Fish’. If a person can transform a fish market (let’s face it, the image that comes to mind isn’t particularly pleasing) to something so amazing, it makes you wonder as to whether any complaints about work are justified.

A true story about being proactive as John Yokohama talks us through his process of growth after a conversation with to a consultant friend who promises to turn his ordinary fish shop around. He shares the various challenges, difficulties and moments of pride.. he does it very sincerely and the book is definitely a nice and often, heartwarming read.

Many takeaways. I have written about one that struck me here

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

BR 71: The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J Stanley and William D Danko

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

Comments: If you haven’t grown up in a business family, I feel this can be a very good ‘awareness’ book as you (like me) probably haven’t grown up listening and understanding how to manage finances. It’s just a great book to debunk some myths about millionaires as we know of them. The book basically illustrates how thrifty self made millionaires really are and how we always tend to hear about the flamboyant lifestyles of those who are most likely not going to stay millionaires (like wealthy football players).

I wasinspired by how good financial habits can pay rich dividends. The most inspiring bit was how a person with an annual income of USD 90K in his 40s accumulated a million with excellent financial habits.

What to expect: I’ve summed up some of my learnings from the book here . A watch out for the book is that the authors are not very concise so they often meander around a point forever and dump a lot of data. The takeaways are good though..

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

BR 70: Extraordinary Leadership by Robin Sharma

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

Comments: Another ‘quick-read’. A simple yet effective book with a collection of story and a bout of inspiration in classic Robin Sharma style.

What to expect: I remember this book as an inspiring audio message from Robin Sharma sharing various stories like the one about Oziola Mccarthy urging us to remember that we all have leaders within us..

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

BR 69: Don’t Take It Personally by Susan Granger

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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 short and crisp walk take on why it’s important not to take feedback personally. Susan Granger focuses on the entertainment industry and takes us through many examples where actors have been written off long before their time. She shares many a success story that faced multiple stumbling blocks.

A simple book with a clear message.

2. BUY it! · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Psychology · Self Improvement

BR 68: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

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

Comments: I can see why this is a classic. It uses a very simple-to-relate story (of 2 rats and 2 little humans and their quest for cheese – where cheese is equated to income/ success) to convey a powerful message. It deals with our natural resistance to change and how we could turn that around to an attitude that welcomes change.

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BR 66: Freakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner

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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 fun read. Very nice for pure entertainment. Levitt is the genius behind aggregating numbers and analyzing them so they make sense while Dubner is the guy who put it all together in a book. They make for  a good combination. Good for discussion purposes, not very high on the learning scale. In the book, Levitt and Dubner analyze numbers to draw very interesting conclusions about the real reasons behind the dramatic decline in crime in New York city, how cheating is rampant in sumo wrestling, in Chicago schools, why the mafia is not great for income etc.