“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a book” – J.K. Rowling

No matter what stage of your entrepreneurial journey you are at, a little advice is always welcome. And what better way to learn than from the pages of a good book? Books give us a chance to delve into the lives of other people and take life lessons from their success or failure. From inspiring someone to launching a startup to altering the direction of your life, a great book can shape you into what you can become.

We asked some of our members to share books that inspired them and made them what they are today. We got some interesting answers in response. Find out what they are:

1. Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove

CEO of THE GAIN, Poornima Shenoy suggests this book by Andy Grove for every entrepreneur willing to overcome their worst fears. Andy Grove was Intel’s former CEO. His book went on to become the international bestseller. In this book he reveals the strategy for overcoming the nightmarish moment every leader or business owner dreads when their company goes through a massive change and they must adapt to the transformation overnight.

Grove calls these moments ‘Strategic Inflection Point’, which can be set off by almost anything from mega-competition to a change in regulations or a seemingly modest change in technology. When such a situation hits, it can be overwhelming for the people of the organisation to adapt to the changes immediately and many leaders fear failure as the immediate result. But Grove suggests that if these situations are handled with positivity, they can give you greater success and help you emerge stronger than ever.

Also read: Journey of ultimate success: School dropout to CEO

2. One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

The One Minute Manager is a short book where the authors share three effective techniques of an effective manager. Nilesh Desai, Director of Smea Analytics Private Limited suggests every one should read this book at least once in their life. It is about a young man who is in search of a good manager.

During the course of his search he comes across three different kinds of managers. The autocratic manager who was only concerned about the success of the company. As a result, the company grew and employees felt lost and left the company. Next he comes across the democratic manager who thought more about the people than the company and as a result the organisation suffered huge losses and yet employees were happy. At last he stumbled upon the ‘one minute manager’ who taught him three secrets of successful management which are:

• One minute goals- This is about being aware of what is expected from you, as an employee of an organisation, from the beginning. It’s called such because every goal only takes a minute to read.
• One minute praising- This is about praising someone for the great work they are doing. This too hardly takes a minute and leaves the employee feeling more motivated and energized.
• One minute reprimands- this should be given as soon as an employee does something wrong. You can tell the employee what they did wrong and how the nature of their work is affected as a result and in the next half of a minute, you tell them of their capabilities and how much you value them.
  
  

Interesting isn’t it?

3. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Suggested by Ashok Thussu, Executive Director of Lmi India, this book as the name suggests, teaches you to incorporate small change in your life which will help transform your habits and become more efficient.  James in his book defines habit as, “Small decisions you make and actions you perform everyday.” He states that our life is essentially a result of our habits and we can implement better habits and break bad habits with the strong willpower to do so.

Also read: Life lessons from a little one

4. Romancing the Balance Sheet by Anil Lamba

This book, Ravi Thakur, Co-founder of Interiorwalaa suggests, is for anyone who owns, runs or manages a business. Anil Lamba, the author, explains that there is no such thing as a non-finance person. Finance management takes place throughout an organisation and learning the art of good financial management can help you decode the mystifying balance sheet and help you understand the sales and profits of your organisation better.

5. Bhagvad Gita

For the CEO of Beforest Lifestyle Solutions Pvt Ltd, Sunith Reddy, the Bhagvad Gita is an inspiration to overcome every hurdle of his life. The Bhagvad Gita is a Sanskrit scripture that is based on the epic battle of Mahabharata (a religious battle that was fought in between two cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas namely). One of the greatest religious books followed by Hindus, it is a narrative between the mythological characters Prince Arjuna (from the Pandavas) and his charioteer Lord Krishna during the war. This book teaches one to be brave, because life is a battle field, to accept the dualities of life treat every being with equality. Above all this book provides wisdom to all and we can implement these lessons in our lives to emerge stronger and more fearless than ever.

6. Wishes Fulfilled – Mastering the art of Manifesting by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer.

‘Wishes fulfilled’ suggested by Aval Sethi, CEO of Protaiga Business Solutions Pvt Ltd is designed to take you on a path to self-discovery and makes you realise the amazing powers that you have within yourself to create a life you had always imagined. By training your subconscious mind, you can get the specifics of realigning your life to live out your highest calling and fulfill all that you dreamt for yourself.

7. Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

This book was suggested by Dipankar Ghosh who is the Director of Disrupvation Digital Pvt Ltd. Richard Rumelt, the author of the book believes that as a leader of an organisation, your first duty is to design and implement strategies. He explains the difference between a good and a bad strategy. He states that a good strategy can have a great effect in challenges as varied as putting a man on the moon, fighting a war, launching a new product, responding to changing market dynamics, starting a charter school, or setting up a government program. The heart of a good strategy is insight into the true nature of the situation.

How many of these have you read? Share with us in the comments section below the book that you feel has had a great impact on your life.

Also read: What’s the most courageous thing you have done in your business journey?