Somewhere in here is a book that could change your life…
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I didn’t find the audio so appealing. Maybe you’ll have better luck with the paperback. It had many stories/experiences of people who learnt the hard way that saying ‘No’ is a must for the sake of their own happiness. Good book in principle as I remember it having the right concepts. But, I didn’t find it very memorable.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1) Read ASAP! 2) BUY it! 3) SHELF it 4) SOMEDAY it)
Comments: Good book. It clarifies that networking is really caring more than a next person, and that it can go a long way in taking you far in life!
What to expect: The story of a person who made it big thanks (in big part) to fantastic networking ability honed with time. It was an eye opener for me as it clarified what networking really is – making an effort to reach out, connect and care. And most importantly, it made me realize that keeping in touch is, and requires, hard work!!
Do I recommend this book?: Very good book. Almost a great one – not so much on the story line but very high on learnings and impact! :)
Add on Mar 16, 2016: This was one of the first business books I read. Definitely had a positive impact!
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I think it’s a book to read just to broaden horizons and understand how some of the things we tend to take for granted first came into being. It has lots of short bios of many great inventors like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison, The Wright brothers etc and takes us through their struggles as inventors and their eventual success.
Interesting read. There are better biographies out there though.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: One of those acclaimed management books that gives you a different perspective and shows you what can be done with a different approach. However, I found it idealistic and while easy to implement, not compelling.
What to expect: This is a story about a young man trying to learn management and his tryst with a manager who shows him the light..
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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.
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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.
Category: 1 – Read ASAP! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I loved this book! This was fantastic because I had this habit of accumulating lots of clutter purely because I used to never throw away stuff all that easily. As I was listening to this book, I remember I went on this de-cluttering exercise where I threw away half of my existing ‘stuff’. And since then, I have been regular at decluttering and keeping just the essentials!
What to expect: A very practical book that explains the science behind accumulation of clutter through many stories and a book that I personally found VERY inspiring! :)
Add on Mar 16, 2016: A full 8 years or so after reading this book, it continues to inspire a relatively minimalist way of live.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
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.
Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I didn’t find the book to be helpful – maybe because I had gotten most of the insight from other books. Not much on impact bu definitely good on the concept and theme.
What to expect: I don’t remember – And I guess that says a lot.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
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..
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