A highly readable book with some fine stories and lots of leadership wisdom packed in. Prakash Iyer's stories come from age old parables, cricket fields, office environment, drivers and many other unconventional sources (which I believe is the best kind of learning one can have). An MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Prakash packs over 25 years of experience in the corporate sector and is presently MD of Kimberly Clark Lever. He has previously written another book titled 'The Habit of Winning'.
Divided into four sections - The Leader Within, The Leader's Mindset, The Leader's way and Leading Teams - the book is a rollicking roller coaster of entertaining, simple stories that have messages, direct and indirect.
In the Leader Within the lessons start from the humble tea bag and the many lessons one can learn from it. Then there is the PHD acronym - passion, hunger and discipline - which all leaders must possess. And then the wisdom from baby giraffes who get a unique start to their life and to survival by a concerned Mama Giraffe who kicks them around like a football - the best form of love really.
In the Leader's Mindset the lessons start with Adkins, the one man band (an interesting story about how powerful beliefs can be). Running with your mind is something most people are realizing now (most coaches believe that the mind is 80% of performance at top level). The story of the deaf frog (single minded focus), of the evil monster and the boy who tamed him (change your approach and you get changed results), the dog fight (see where your thoughts lie). Ricky Ponting and his gaps are all about changing the perspective or the frame - look for solutions instead of obstacles. When one door shuts - is all about awareness. The elephant and the peg (childhood beliefs that do not hold good anymore), the world's best ballerina (discovering where one's true talent lies) and confronting your fears (don't run away).
In The Leader's Way - he talks of the one great habit of great leaders (being early), the power of hope (the amazing story of W. Mitchell), the boy's marbles (belief and trust issues begin with you), elevator dilemma (there's more than coming first), the 500 rupee note stories (action and value), aligning for long term good through forgiveness (Mandela), Lincoln's lessons, not getting angry (watch your words), goal setting (importance of clarity for the leader), getting off the bus (not wasting your time doing things you don't want to do), hold the door open for others (giving selflessly), HDFC's 40% advantage (process orientation and efficiency), giving yourself an A (appreciating and supporting oneself and others beforehand), Edison (perseverance), acting selfish (helping others, Hoover and Paderewski), Dead sea (flowing and giving), friendship medal (sharing), Sachin reading the whole book (preparation), do it (action).
In Leading Teams he talks of betting on unripe fruit (youngsters), RTC buses in Andhra (making the job interesting and creative to increase ownership), two footed footballers (staying ahead of the game), umpire's autograph (giving), porcupine lesson, elephants trunk and stick (responsibility, disaster at Angers Bridge, tappers and listeners (communication), Laxman (growing resources by believing and trusting in them), people with no tail lights, going for the jugular (take easier targets) and the pencil and eraser.
I liked almost all stories and especially enjoyed reading the one on giving oneself an A. The act of giving before receiving is such a wonderful act of trust and can change the way we live in this world. Also the act of giving an A before the exam - so just express yourself. The ones on Sachin and Laxman were two very interesting attributes of traits in successful leaders and have been nicely identified and presented. The wonderful story of the Japanese sportsmen and their friendship medal, of the pianist who later became Poland's Prime Minister, holding the door open are all fine stories that will stay. It is obvious that the author is a keen cricketer and sportsperson too from his observations.
Lovely piece of work and deeper than most. It will appeal to many readers through its many layers. The young ones can just read the stories and learn, the professionals can take a stock check and see if they are applying the hidden wisdom in these stories at their workplace. Though the book can be read in one sitting or during the length of a flight journey, it certainly invites a second read. As I mentioned before, all the layers may not be apparent immediately (especially for people like me who get it slowly). One that must stay in the shelf for the odd reference. I like these kind of books and recommend it not just for leaders, but for anyone looking for a common sense approach to life.
In the Leader Within the lessons start from the humble tea bag and the many lessons one can learn from it. Then there is the PHD acronym - passion, hunger and discipline - which all leaders must possess. And then the wisdom from baby giraffes who get a unique start to their life and to survival by a concerned Mama Giraffe who kicks them around like a football - the best form of love really.
In the Leader's Mindset the lessons start with Adkins, the one man band (an interesting story about how powerful beliefs can be). Running with your mind is something most people are realizing now (most coaches believe that the mind is 80% of performance at top level). The story of the deaf frog (single minded focus), of the evil monster and the boy who tamed him (change your approach and you get changed results), the dog fight (see where your thoughts lie). Ricky Ponting and his gaps are all about changing the perspective or the frame - look for solutions instead of obstacles. When one door shuts - is all about awareness. The elephant and the peg (childhood beliefs that do not hold good anymore), the world's best ballerina (discovering where one's true talent lies) and confronting your fears (don't run away).
In The Leader's Way - he talks of the one great habit of great leaders (being early), the power of hope (the amazing story of W. Mitchell), the boy's marbles (belief and trust issues begin with you), elevator dilemma (there's more than coming first), the 500 rupee note stories (action and value), aligning for long term good through forgiveness (Mandela), Lincoln's lessons, not getting angry (watch your words), goal setting (importance of clarity for the leader), getting off the bus (not wasting your time doing things you don't want to do), hold the door open for others (giving selflessly), HDFC's 40% advantage (process orientation and efficiency), giving yourself an A (appreciating and supporting oneself and others beforehand), Edison (perseverance), acting selfish (helping others, Hoover and Paderewski), Dead sea (flowing and giving), friendship medal (sharing), Sachin reading the whole book (preparation), do it (action).
In Leading Teams he talks of betting on unripe fruit (youngsters), RTC buses in Andhra (making the job interesting and creative to increase ownership), two footed footballers (staying ahead of the game), umpire's autograph (giving), porcupine lesson, elephants trunk and stick (responsibility, disaster at Angers Bridge, tappers and listeners (communication), Laxman (growing resources by believing and trusting in them), people with no tail lights, going for the jugular (take easier targets) and the pencil and eraser.
I liked almost all stories and especially enjoyed reading the one on giving oneself an A. The act of giving before receiving is such a wonderful act of trust and can change the way we live in this world. Also the act of giving an A before the exam - so just express yourself. The ones on Sachin and Laxman were two very interesting attributes of traits in successful leaders and have been nicely identified and presented. The wonderful story of the Japanese sportsmen and their friendship medal, of the pianist who later became Poland's Prime Minister, holding the door open are all fine stories that will stay. It is obvious that the author is a keen cricketer and sportsperson too from his observations.
Lovely piece of work and deeper than most. It will appeal to many readers through its many layers. The young ones can just read the stories and learn, the professionals can take a stock check and see if they are applying the hidden wisdom in these stories at their workplace. Though the book can be read in one sitting or during the length of a flight journey, it certainly invites a second read. As I mentioned before, all the layers may not be apparent immediately (especially for people like me who get it slowly). One that must stay in the shelf for the odd reference. I like these kind of books and recommend it not just for leaders, but for anyone looking for a common sense approach to life.
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