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5 new business books for your February reading list
Summary
Here are five books, which range from the inspirational to the practical, to put on your reading list in February
A good book can make the hours fly by and are the perfect antidote to hours of staring at a laptop or the exhaustion of a long-haul flight. From Bill Gates’ memories of his early years to notes about mindful living to advice on HR and people management, here is a list of books to put on your list this month.
SOURCE CODE, BY BILL GATES
We all know the myth of Bill Gates dropping out of college to code in a garage, of pouring millions into healthcare, of the messy divorce, and of the allegations of sexual harassment, but his memoir is all about his life before he became a software mogul and a philanthropist. Gates, who has written about climate change and technology in the past, now reflects on his almost idyllic childhood in upper middle-class America of the 1960s and 70s and the people who influenced his life in those early years. Within these anecdotes and memories are the seeds of the man he would grow into, his competitiveness and his enterprising attitude. (Penguin Random House India, ₹1,399)
Also read: Looking for a new Kindle? You're out of luck (for now)
MASTERING DISRUPTION, BY K. GANESH
Serial entrepreneur K. Ganesh has had a ringside view of India’s startup story as promoter of companies as varied as BigBasket, Bluestone, Portea Medical and HomeLane, which disrupted traditional models of grocery delivery, healthcare and jewellery retail. It’s the lessons from these experiences that he distils in his book Mastering Disruption: A Practical Guide to Understanding New-Age Business Models. Ganesh offers a practical framework for understanding the disruptive business models as well as scaling them, and is a good read for entrepreneurs, investors and professionals looking to start up on their own or join a new venture. (Penguin Random House India, ₹399).
TESTED, BY PAT CUMMINS
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins—no stranger to challenge having taken over the team at the age of 28 and leading them through a time of change—has decided to explore the intersection of crisis and opportunity to better understand what it is that makes people perform. “I decided to… explore some of the challenges, pitfalls and positives of leadership and decision-making," he has said of his book. In Tested: Big Decisions. Small Decisions. The Remarkable Power of Resolve, he chats with 11 people—including sportspersons, politicians, authors and podcasters—whose stories of navigating moments of crisis, seizing opportunities and overcoming obstacles have inspired him. The book, which released globally late last year, is now available in India. (Harper Collins India, ₹499)
THE MINDFULNESS SURVIVAL KIT, BY THICH NHAT HANH
One of the world’s best known Zen Buddhist teachers and peace activists, Thich Nhat Hanh, who died in 2022, is the author of numerous bestselling books about mindfulness, slow living and compassionate thinking. Re-reading his teachings, given across the world, continues to reveal insights into living mindfully. In this book, he discusses the relevance of principles, or precepts, that form the basis of a caring society that believes in mutual respect. He describes these precepts as “a diet for a mindful society", and explains how to embrace mindfulness and train oneself to live in a way that is both healthy and compassionate. An easy-to-read guide to mindfulness, it also compares different models of ethics. (Aleph Book Company, ₹399)
PEOPLE-POWERED STARTUPS, BY SAURABH NIGAM
In the hustle of building a startup or growing a legacy business, work culture is often a casualty as is evident from the social media posts about callous managers and announcements by corporate leaders about longer working hours. In People-Powered Startups, Saurabh Nigam discusses the centrality of employee wellbeing, equity and inclusion in a modern workplace. Nigam, who has spent more than 15 years creating HR systems in companies of various sizes, explains how human resource management is central to building a sustainable and profitable business. He draws on case studies from large brands, both Indian and global, including Netflix, Nykaa, Zomato and Airbnb, to explain how to address and adapt to HR challenges in busy, high-growth environments. Remote work and gig work, which are central to the Indian workplace, also get attention. (Penguin Random House India, ₹499)
