Busted: Debunking Management Myths with Logic, Experience and Curiosity-Ashok Soota, Peter De Jager and Sandhya Mendonca

Book: Busted: Debunking Management Myths with Logic, Experience and Curiosity
Author: Ashok Soota, Peter De Jager and Sandhya Mendonca
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Have you heard various jargons and statements being talked around as if they are cast in stone?

Management gurus like Michael Porter, Peter Drucker and other worthy practitioners have attained cult status. Their pithy phrases are repeated across the globe from Business Schools to board rooms as universal truths. But do these management truisms always hold good everywhere? Or are they myths that need to be examined for relevance in today's rapidly changing world? In Busted, industry leader Ashok Soota and management consultant Peter de Jager cast fresh light and prompt a rethinking of received wisdom. They focus on seventeen commonly accepted management principles and crisply examine the reasons why these can't be accepted as universal truths. Backed by the authors' wealth of experience in building, scaling, and consulting with organisations across sectors, cultures, and continents, Busted incorporates real-life examples and first-person interviews with industry leaders and practitioners, inspiring readers to question, test, and validate all advice regardless of the source.

The book is an interesting read as they authors explore seventeen commonly used phrases that are being used in today’s corporate world and discuss the reasons why these cannot be accepted as universally applicable. Divided into 3 sections-strategy, process and people & organisations, various phrases are deeply analysed and then a view is presented why the specific jargon might not hold water in the present times. What I liked about the book was that it is not preachy and does not present a polarizing opinion without reasoning and discussions. Another thing that stands out is that the authors have presented specific examples that lead to these reasonings and as a reader you can then make your own inferences about these “myths”. The key takeaways section at the end of each chapter is a nice way to help the reader keep stock and manage the learnings, which is a key part of reading a non-fiction book.

The authors have also incorporated the inputs from the industry leaders in various sections to reinforce the point they are putting forth and that adds interest as well as perspectives to the concept being discussed. The tone of the writing is conversational and keeps you engaged as you move ahead in the book. The detailed analysis that the authors have done helps you understand and assess the statements so that when required, you are able to make a better and much informed decision.

Overall, Busted is an interesting book that I would recommend for everyone who is either into management or aspires to become a part of one. The book scores a 4.63/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book at your nearest bookstore or on Amazon.in

i-spy: Aadya Aggarwal

Book: i-spy
Author: Aadya Aggarwal
Publisher: Satya Prakashan

Do you think that the technology we use can tell a different side of us?

Enter a world where humanity has long vanished, But its legacy remains alive in the form of a mysterious artifact known as the ' Tech Conscious' Begin a thought - providing trip with the ' X' species, being who have risen to greatness beyond our imagination, in their investigation about humans called " Project: Conscious". You Play the essential role of the researcher in this interactive short story collection.

The book compiles 11 stories that explore various human emotions. The book is written in an interactive manner where each story is linked to a technology that the humans use and through that tech, the story is woven to show how we interact with each other. The book goes on to show how the technology can either improve our lives, or have a negative impact on ourselves as well as on those we interact with. The book is written with an easy to understand language and the stories are quite well written. The questions at the end of each story do keep you engaged as you are deeply involved and it becomes a collaborative experience. Keeping the stories in the past as well as the future is an interesting way to incorporate various technologies into the concept which adds a nice flavour to the book. The idea to bind all the stories through a common thread of “tech conscious” as a chip that leaked all the data is quite impressive.

Overall, this is a good read that scores a 4/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.

All the Love You Deserve-Preeti Shenoy

Book: All the Love You Deserve
Author: Preeti Shenoy
Publisher: Westland Books

What would you give up to get what you want?

Puja and Arush, separated by five thousand miles are steadfastly committed to each other. They believe they can make it work —until time zones and life get in the way. Meanwhile Sujit, trapped between his troubled past and turbulent present, desperately wants to break free, but does not know how to. He hopes to make things right with Puja --- but will she ever forgive him? Even as the three of them grapple with life in the post-pandemic world, each must discover their calling, manage family, relationships and their own unruly emotions. But then, no one said adulting was easy. This is the story of three young people from starkly different backgrounds with intertwined fates, fighting for what they value most. What will they have to give up to get what they want?

The pandemic was a point in time which changed a lot of our lives also impacted our way of looking at the world. Bringing the characters from When Love Came Calling back into the story, but post-pandemic was an interesting aspect of the story because when we met them in the first book, they were young, living in a world which was unstoppable, until it stopped and forced us to relook at our life. Preeti tells us the story of what happens after the grand gestures and life moves ahead. She explores the idea of perceptions and how their actions make a place in our minds. Each of our three protagonists challenge the perceptions they have of each other. Taking people from three distinct backgrounds, she also explores the cultural, financial and ideological divide and weaves a wonderful story through it. The interactions between Puja and Sujith were interesting, especially the way it is written and presented from both their perspectives. The very first moment they meet was perfectly presented. Another interesting moment was when Puja starts her job. I think that was an important message that the author presents in the book about the difference between perception and reality, and how it can hit hard when we are not ready for it. Sujit’s perseverance in pursuing what he wants was another interesting aspect that excited me as a reader. Arush’s story this time took an interesting turn and his story presents a question to the reader which he himself ponders, which points to a cultural shift in times that Preeti explores and as we see the chapter where the paths of Arush, Puja, Naomi & Jenna cross, the question almost stands out like a milestone on that crossroad.

Moving from the messaging to the storytelling, I have always admired Preeti’s storytelling and it is almost like a comfort read which tells you story of its people (not just characters, mind you!) with simplicity yet complexity and each page lets you have fun with the book. The story moves organically and you become involved with the plot and each moment in the story becomes your own. The climax of the story was well written, and I might differ from the other readers, but that scene where the all come together was something out of a movie and really was a turning moment in the plot.

ATLYD is primarily a character driven story and the actions of our characters drive the plot forward. Right from Puja, Arush and Sujit to Benny and Sashi, the characters are an integral part of the storytelling. Each character gets time to develop and while we have met the trio before, this time there is a visible change in their emotions and the way they react to life. Another interesting was that Preeti uses the Pandemic as a character and how it changed the lives of the people in the story.

Overall, All the Love You Deserve is a wonderful story of love, life and second chances that deserves all the love it can get. For anyone looking to read a story that inspires, this is a definite recommendation. The book scores a 4.94/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!

P.S. Check out my review of "When Love Came Calling".

The book also has some wonderful songs included in the plot. Check them out here!