As a passionate banker who takes complete ownership and pride in whatever she has done through her thirty-seven-year career, Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairperson of the State Bank of India, believes that ‘creativity, communication, and compassion’ are the three Cs that must remain on a winner’s checklist.
In today’s world, leaders have a much bigger role to play. They must go beyond what is asked of them while simultaneously being prepared for the unknown. How do you ready yourself for what you cannot know?
Taken from her convocation address at IIM Kolkata in April 2015, Prepare for the Unknown is every bit as illuminating and encouraging as Arundhati Bhattacharya herself.
The world is getting smaller and more interdependent, which makes leadership and developing a sense of globality more important than ever.’
When Ajay Banga, president and CEO of MasterCard, makes such a statement, you perk up and listen to everything he has to say. According to him, the leaders of today need to understand the value of their time and develop the need for urgency, but not at the cost of listening—to clients and employees. Taking thoughtful risks and being competitively paranoid are qualities that should be ingrained in today’s leaders. Listening is the first step to true knowledge, and a good leader knows that knowledge is invaluable.
In this inspiring convocation address delivered at IIM Ahmedabad in March 2015, Banga demonstrates the key responsibilities of being a good leader in today’s world. Read on.
When asked about change, IT innovator and visionary Subroto Bagchi had the simplest advice: There will never be a time when we won’t be confronted with change, so we might as well embrace it. It’s scary. It feels dangerous. You can’t predict what will come next. But if you embrace it, it can be an opportunity rather than a hindrance.
Change may be the only constant in the universe but it is one of the most fundamental issues we struggle with. Whether it is changing a travel route or a career or our own lives for the better, there are very few people in the world who don’t fear at least some kind of change.
Constant Change is the transcript of Bagchi’s convocation address at the University of Florida in May 2014. Witty, entertaining and insightful, it hits home for everyone.
What does it take to crack India’s toughest exam-the UPSC? Students all across the country spend months, sometimes years, prepping for this one test and one interview that opens the gateway to the most prestigious career one can hope for, that of an IAS officer. So how should you do it?
Making a Difference is not another UPSC guidebook. It does not have practice tests or multiple-choice questions. But it does offer something rather unique: guidance from an insider; someone who not only aced this exam but went on to have one of the most successful careers in the IAS. A career that most only dream of.
Alok Ranjan, the former Chief Secretary of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, brings together sections full of information that every aspiring officer should know. While sharing his own experiences, he provides a deep understanding of the IAS as an institution, valuable tips and insight for cracking the daunting UPSC exam, the best resources to prepare for it, how to ace the interview, and how to build a successful career in the services. Consider this book as your first step towards the power and prestige that comes with serving the nation as an IAS officer.
Saba Gul grew up living a life of privilege, studying in Karachi and going on to a degree in computer science at the coveted MIT. Now she runs a business dedicated to empowering adolescent girls and lifting their families out of poverty through education and empowerment.
Business and Life Skills School, or BLISS, is the result of an idea that refused to let go once it took hold of Gul. Seeing young girls drop out of school to become another source of income for their families even as she led a comfortable life didn’t quite seem right to her. By starting BLISS, Gul not only managed to get hundreds of young girls—and their mothers—back into classrooms, but also figured out a way to compensate them.
Read on to discover the inspiring story of Saba Gul, a StartingBloc Fellow, 2011, as well as an Unreasonable Institute Fellow, 2011, who managed to empower and create a community of artisans from the remote villages of Pakistan.
You cannot dream of becoming extraordinary unless you stop following the ordinary.’
Success comes with originality of thought, which is only possible when negativity and ignorance are eliminated. But that is easier said than done, although not impossible.
Being Extraordinary is Atul Magoon’s enlightening guide about the importance of listening to yourself and taking decisions without being influenced by the negativity that’s always prevalent around successful people. Replete with handy tips and genuine advice, read on to find out how you can imbibe the qualities of a successful person.
Genius is crafted through focused effort and continuous improvement.’
There are two kinds of genius in the world: one that is inherent, a quality you are born with, while the other is carefully crafted and honed to such a degree that it sometimes even surpasses the first kind. Most people only believe in the existence of the former, and therein lies the obstacle that blocks the path of most unsuccessful people.
Atul Magoon’s Crafting Genius guides you in moulding and giving shape to your genius and also tells you how to hone it further so you keep improving.
Success breeds where you trust your team, can accept failure and never ridicule an idea There is a special word for those who understand this simple truth: leaders.
Leadership is the most exciting and confounding product of success. Good leadership doesn’t have to be innate; it can be learned. But to reach that coveted position, there are a few simple things to understand and internalize.
People Come First, Atul Magoon’s useful guide, has some insightful advice on how to effectively inspire and manage your teams to be the best leader you can be. Read on to find out whether you have what it takes.
Enthusiasm comes before success.’
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But you’d be surprised how hard it is to maintain the level of enthusiasm one has at the beginning of a project until the very end. And that is the key difference between successful people and everyone else.
Never losing sight of the target not only keeps successful people going but also becomes a driving force for those around them. Soon enough, it results in a healthy ecosystem of people who believe in lifting each other up.
In The Driving Force, Atul Magoon highlights the importance of sustained enthusiasm and encouragement, and how it is possible to deliver quality every time. A practical and useful guide, this short read is for the entrepreneur of today.
The one thing that usually holds most of us back from achieving our goals is fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of mockery. We’re so fearful of change and what it might mean for our lives that often we don’t even consider new opportunities.
Can we reach for success if our fear of failure stops us from ever trying? And how do we overcome these deep-rooted fears?
Luckily, Atul Magoon has the answers we need. Conquering Fear is a simple and effective guide that breaks down the concept of fear and provides real advice on how to tackle it.
