Books and Me: Doing What Is Right: The CRISIL Story

Book Title:  Doing What is right: The CRISIL Story

Authors: Hemanth Gorur and Sumit Chowdhury 

The services component of India’s economy is on the rise. What seemed primarily as IT and IT enabled services, is now truly spreading to a wider and healthy representation. While most of the success stories in services have been from information technology, the CRISIL story stands as an useful example to aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs in the services space.  The CRISIL story is also inspiring for people who look to build service businesses with a domestic focus as against the predominant export focused IT examples.

Being in the services business myself,  I wished to learn how a pure play services start-up orchaestrated its early years, how it created service offerings, how it marketed and sold its efforts and how it has sustained its success for over a quarter of a century.  While I could have wished the book to be longer and more detailed about each of these aspects, I was definitely not disappointed.

The CRISIL story is more of a case for intrapreneurship than entrepreneurship. At the same time it is also an example to highlight why the process of starting and growing an enterprise is almost the same in both cases.  The opportunity identification by the founding members of CRISIL their creative thought process of introducing a very new solution to the target market, quickly figuring out the make or break parameter/factor for their economic success as ‘TRUST’ speaks volumes about the importance of having focus, clear goals, well designed products, a good guiding policy and coherent actions.

The aspect of communicating value to the identified target market through fair cost but highly effective methods is worth noting. The business design of distributing these services during the early years by signing up partners is also an useful lesson for scaling services organization.  CRISIL Story is also about values and character. It has interesting and powerful metaphors for why sticking to values and principles and living them makes immense business sense.  It has not only enabled CRISIL attract great talent but also allow for the creation of systems that enable the growth of talent. One of the biggest take-aways of the CRISIL story is that of a talent enabling ecosystem. Every transition of leadership even at the top of the institution seems to have been smooth and natural. Core teams have worked with each other on various engagements over time. Retention of good talent through non-monetary incentives such as giving freedom, powers of decision making, people friendly policies and a culture of transparency provides interesting thoughts.

The company has also managed to retain the entrepreneurial spirit which is enabling it to identify and adapt itself for the next round of growth .  This reaffirms how important culture is not only for the sustenance but also the growth of the enterprise. Every service businesses in India can take a page or two from the CRISIL story to re-look at their own set-up!

Books and Me: The Little Black Book Of Innovation

Book Title:  The Little Black Book Of Innovation

Author: Scott D. Anthony

Innovation is a buzzword today. The term jugaad being associated with it has only catalyzed its usage in our geography. Almost anything that is slightly different is categorized under this subject. Innovation is also touted to be the game changing tool for emerging enterprises. While there are hundreds of books on innovation, the little black book of innovation is more like an introductory book for practitioners.  It brings  a good blend, of theoretical references and their practical adaptations. It demystifies numerous illusions that so many of us carry on the field with regards to the subject.  A very interesting chapter on the author’s selected ten innovation masters, also introduces the reader to more worlds and bodies of literature. While some aspects of the book tend to have American references, I believe it will not come in the way of grasping the essence of the book’s intention by a non-american reader.

The second part of the book contains a suggested 28 days innovation program. This four week program is structured around four broad groups or stages namely , discovering opportunities, blue printing ideas, assessing and testing ideas and moving forward.  The overall themes are then broken down into short day wise suggestions on behaviors and practices.  Each of those chapters contain interesting anecdotes, cases, how to tips, exercises and references for further reading.

The interesting trend that I am beginning to see in recent books including this, is the references to blogs and websites rather than papers and books. This in my opinion is bound to increase. There is also a list of interesting books put together by the author relating to the various topics discussed in the book.

Overall the book is an easy and interesting read.  It is written with practitioner in  mind and contains number of triggers which may make you put the book down and start doing something about innovation.  I am sure the author will be delighted if this happens!

Books and Me: The Holy CEO

Book Title: The Holy CEO

Author: Christian Fabre a.k.a Swami Pranavananda Brahmendra Avadhuta

I remember picking this book and dropping it back in the store without even reading the back cover on number of occasions. I am somehow averse to books that attempt to link spirituality to business directly.  The other reason probably could have been the fact that it was sub-titled ‘an autobiography’. After having read a few biographies and autobiographies, I began to sense a stereotyped approach to telling the story of one’s life. There was something inherently missing in most of them.

On this occasion, one of the many times when I went looking for answers to my dilemmas of running a small company – something in the book attracted me to read the back cover. I was instantaneously hooked, as the story seemed real and irrational at the same time.

How could a business man especially a foreign national turn to become a Swami? Even if this seemed plausible, how could a Swami straddle spiritual activities while running a for-profit company? Are you as surprised as me on hearing this? Yes! The author Christian Fabre, is the founder-director of the garment company and brand of his own name, while also being Swami Pranavananda Brahmendra Avadhuta.

The story seems to be an unusually honest retelling of a French man’s saga.  As he stumbled his way to India, to business, to spirituality, to becoming a Sadhu and accepting his guru’s dictum to continue his career in fashionable garments and use that as his spiritual practice (‘Sadhana’). His attempts to carry out his guru’s orders to try bringing spirituality into the material world seemed like a Bollywood flick.

The story is not linear – one that of a simple straight forward rags to riches but is a heart touching story of trying to be an entrepreneur, failing at it a number of times, struggling to keep an expat family, losing everything en-route  gaining the mother’s support and a great friendship to rise like a phoenix.

A very interesting feature of the book is the titled summary at the end which gives a short two to three line summary of every chapter contained in the book . It reminded me of the executive summary feature in Harvard Business Review which I admire and use extensively . But unlike any HBR issue I can assure you – you may not want to read the summary to figure out what to read in the book – it is an absolute page turner not only in pace but in wisdom!

His life is an inspiration to all those who believe that spirituality can be practiced while living and transacting in the material world. His current life style of balancing his ashram activities and his organizational business responsibilities make it seem like a dream come true. It encourages one to consider that values and business are probably not two separate threads but an enmeshed entity.

Apart from being an interesting read, the book is sprinkled with the highest wisdom from advaita philosophy based on the author’s experience.  Read the book at your own risk, for it will at the minimum leave you philosophical if not anything more!

Books and Me: Khushwantnama

Title: Khushwantnama

Author :  Khuswant Singh

In recent times we hear  constant complaints from people about life and living. Very few truly remain healthy post retirement. Even the one’s who do, have very little to give back, since they feel unfulfilled in some way or the other. All these have reduced the average lifespan of people from what it could actually be. So when somebody who is close to 100 years of age has something to say it is worth listening. Even if you don’t learn something that you will want to imbibe, you will definitely learn a few things that you wouldn’t want to do.

When I saw (about a month or so ago) the pre-order listing on flipkart, display Khushwant Singh’s upcoming book  titled ‘Khushwantnama’, I decided to read what this nonagenarian had to write as the lessons of his life.

I have not read any of Khushwant Singh’s novel or titles that actually made him popular. A chance reading of his non-fiction work led me to believe that here is a man who is being honest with what he has to say about anything that he ends up seeing.  So it was natural for me to wait for this book to be delivered by flipkart. I devoured the book in full, the very next day of receiving it.

Apart from his reflection over his long lived life, he also shares in this book his opinions on subjects such as religion, journalism, politics and society,   His interest for literature and poetry especially Urdu poetry comes out strongly. Galib seems to be his favourite.

Four chapters particularly caught my attention. They are

1. What it takes to be a writer
2. Watching nature
3. Dealing with death
4. Humor is a lethal weapon

Though I do not fully endorse the views in the chapter titled ’12 tips to live long and be happy’, everyone will find something to take-away from them as tips to increase the chances of leading a healthy life.

His thoughts on Gandhi increased my interest in the Mahatma and hopefully I will take some time off to know more about him and his philosophy of life.  The chapter titled ‘What religion means to me’ was contrarian and interesting. But being a keen student of the advaita philosophy, I beg to differ with some of the points made. However I must agree to his declaration that, truth is the essence of religion!

At 98, Khushwant Singh has delivered yet another honest, entertaining and amusing account. Though he declares this could be his last, I like many others look forward to the next one.

Though the book is a hard-cover, penguin has created a great physical look, making the book readable while keeping it light on the hands.

Books and Me: If you Want to Write

Title:  If you Want to Write

Author: Brenda Ueland

I am not sure if I would have ever landed upon this book had it not been for Guy Kawasaki’s  recommendation on his blog.  I am a fan of Guy’s work and since he said that this book inspired him , I immediately got myself a copy.

The author makes an earnest pitch for everyone of us to write.  I think the book is very aptly titled with the most important word ‘WANT’ in it.  Who doesn’t?

During the course of my work I meet atleast 50 new people every month. Some of them are very senior, very experienced, holding powerful positions with great influence. Somewhere when they realise that I have written couple of books, the discussion immediately shifts to how much they have to say, share and publish. So I used to wonder why they actually haven’t? The book provides many more answers to the question than what I have heard from those who have not written.

Though the book begins with writing as the focus, as you reach the end of the book you will realise, that it moves slowly into the realm of philosophy, and it cannot be otherwise. A lot of the messages from the book are applicable in every form of art and not just writing. The author also makes references to numerous other artistes and artiste turned philosophers. I especially found the reference to William Blake, Leo Tolstoy and Van Gogh extremely inspiring.

I am sure I will be reading some of their writings soon.  A definitely inspirational read but not in the way we understand inspiration!

Books and Me: Spiritual Initiation – What it is?

Title: Spiritual Initiation – What it is?

Author: Swami Bhuteshananda    

Most of us stay away from spirituality because of the fear of the ocher robe. To most of us spirituality means giving up on life.  Where has this assumption come from?

As it is popularly said – a lie told hundred times becomes the truth. When majority of people especially the influencers, in a society give this color to spirituality, most of us end up accepting this as the truth. If you take a small step towards searching the answer yourself, you will realize that nothing inspires living life to its fullest as the tenets of spirituality. And one’s journey in this path starts with initiation.

In the vast arena of spiritual knowledge, the aspect of initiation itself is subject to myths, opinions, colors and methods. This little booklet from Sri Ramakrishna Math, not only demystifies what Diksha or initiation, but it also describes with stories and examples what initiation means, what responsibility it places on the spiritual aspirant and how it can lead to a peaceful and fulfilled life.

I am a big fan of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature and the amazing  service that the publication arm of the math takes up, in bringing beautifully produced books containing the messages of wisdom at accessible prices.  It amazes me every time I visit the store and pick a book.  It is the same with this book too!

This book at the minimum will remove the various apprehensions we have towards spiritual initiation. It will prove a good start point for all of us who are starting on our spiritual quest!

Books and Me: The Referral Of A Lifetime

Title: The referral of a Lifetime

Author: Tim Templeton

Tim Templeton’s book is the first in the Blanchard’s Series with Berrett-Koehler. Having read a number of Ken Blanchard’s books, I am a fan like many others to his style of writing and the messages embedded in them.  Using fables to convey important messages is probably not new. But the titles with Ken Blanchard’s name on the cover have a signature style of their own.

Many entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals will relate to the protagonist of the story Susie McCumber.  All of them would have the same query. How some people seem to have things going their way all the time, and that too without the kind of effort that they put into the game?

The answer is fairly straight forward. And most of us may have been told that in the field of business like in many others – ‘Who you know is more important than what you know’.

In an effort to know a lot of people most of us  spend large amounts of time attending events, conferences, seminars etc with a hope of making  those magical relationships that can catalyze business growth.  Though we may have seen, some success in spurts the very fact of turning it into a repeatable process seems irrational and daunting. As you go through the book, this is taught through the wonderful character of “Mr. Highground” on how to unlock the gift of building and sustaining relationships. The book gives tactical steps on how to implement the four principles that fortifies the proposed networking system. The book also provides a number of simple templates and suggestions to make the system practical and usable.

In my view, the system though simple would work equally well for both one-man offices to  large corporate houses.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book which definitely did make me share the book and the thought with my colleagues to see how quickly we can apply the tips in our business. I hope it will excite you too!

Books and Me: Meditation

Title: Meditation

Author: Eknath Easwaran

Over the course of my life, I have always been interested in knowing more about religion, spirituality and the philosophy behind life in general. At various points in time, I have been led to know more about various religion, their practices, faiths and gods.  In the last few years my learning has helped me transcend the differences across faiths and get on the path of advaita or non-duality.  The study of Vedanta, has allowed me to clarify the differences between Yoga, Meditation and the numerous other terms that is present in the philosophical literature. If you have been reading this blog even for a short while, you will realise that my interest in this area is only on the rise. The numerous books on philosophy that I have written about in the Books and Me section and the various life’s lesson that I learn and share under the Vedantic Wednesday section are my small way of making my experiences useful to the rest. Sharing my thoughts about this book is also in lines with this.

Any spiritual practice is personal . In this regards I have been searching for numerous methods, practices, techniques from which I may find what’s most suitable for me. A chance occurrence sent me an invitation to attend the Satsang based on Eknath Easwaran’s philosophy in India. During my first meet up I realised that something about his eight point program touched a chord in me. To figure out deeper I requested the other members at the Satsang a book I could read from his stable of publications.  This was the book that got suggested.

The book titled Meditation, describes the eight point program devised and practiced by Eknath Easwaran in blue mountain centre of meditation, United States.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and liked his approach of making the entire spiritual activity a daily habit.  Even more interesting is his constant reminder to embed the practices into our daily activities of life. Thereby taking the practice of spirituality to where it truly belongs.  Though it is only a few weeks since I have begun to attempt practicing his suggestions I am beginning to feel a sense of positivism in making it work.

I wish to reiterate here that I am still not recommending the methodology but suggesting that we must not stop searching the vast literature of philosophy to find what is best suited for each one of us.  And as we progress along the journey we may also recognise what we have to drop and what next to pick up.

On a more general note,  even if one does not pick up the suggested approach to meditation or any other of the eight point program,  I think the chapter on ‘Slowing Down’ is something we can all take-away. I have always been a fan of this particular approach and I was glad to see this to be included this explicitly in his program.

Books and Me: What’s The Big Idea

Title: What’s The Big Idea

Authors: Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak

From two of the leading thinkers in knowledge management comes a rather different book on one specific aspect of knowledge. Numerous ideas in business and management domain are produced, practiced, hailed and dropped every year. This book provides some insights on why some of them become successful and some become fads. The book broadly speaks about the thinkers behind these ideas, the ideas themselves and the people who put these ideas to practice.  The last group have been given a nice name called ‘idea practitioners’.  As the author’s clearly point out most of us are exposed only to the ideas and the larger than life thinkers behind them. The key element in making the ideas useful thereon bringing the guru status to the thinkers behind them are largely ignored.  These are the idea practitioners, the people who live on the boundary of thriving organizations, who choose and influence the ideas within their enterprises.

While the predominant focus of the book is on idea practitioners the chapter on people behind the ideas – namely the gurus is also very interesting.  Couple of case studies clarify the importance of the three key pieces namely the idea, the guru and the practitioner in any idea becoming a success. The book has useful takeaways for practitioners seeking fast growth and an equal amount of takeaways for thinkers (aspiring ones) too. Anyone interested in knowledge management as an area will also find useful inputs and directions for further reading.

Books and Me: Scenes From A Writer’s Life

Title: Scenes From A Writer’s Life

Author: Ruskin Bond

One does not come across very often a book with subtitle ‘A memoir’, which is less than 200 pages. It becomes even more surprising when the author is a much celebrated personality. Adding spice to this line of thinking is the fact that the author is still active in his profession. Ruskin Bond’s attempt at writing this seems to me as more as an attempt to capture the story of the making of a writer.  His honest and straight forward approach of his early days, his motivations, his challenges, his relationships are indeed touching. The portion where he describes the short but intense relationship with his dad is emotional and moving.

There are many reasons why a person turns to books. Bond’s difficulties, challenges and loses during his early childhood seems to have left him lonely and empty.  To fill this gap, he seems to have turned to books that created a world of his own in which he gained optimism, inspiration and love towards reading. This relationship with books and large amounts of time spent in solitude allowed him the time to discover his calling in life, namely writing.

The story behind an author’s first publication that gives recognition is always inspiring. Bond’s is no exception.  The story of the publication of his first masterpiece ‘The room on the roof’ should be re-read a number of times by every aspiring writer. His love for nature, his love for his extended family, friends and India comes very strongly as you leaf through the book. Anyone who has read this would agree with me in saying that we are left wanting to know more about him.