In this edition of #InFocus, X-PM India Partner, Sanjay Banerjee shares his recommendations on books that has influenced his development as an individual and a leader.

His recommendations include:

1. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: It has probably been the book that influenced me the most in my development as an individual and managing myself in both work and personal spheres. The book provides a simple and easily relatable framework to organise oneself. To me, the book’s message on focusing upon important but not urgent issues/tasks was the most important takeaway.

2. Every Business is a Growth Business by Ram Charan & Noel M. Tichy: While product and customer lifecycle frameworks, Ansoff Matrix etc. were great tools in analysing business situations, Ram Charan’s approach in asking the basic question about “the pond” in which the business or the organisation exists is a profound tool to orient leadership thinking in evolving organization and business strategies focused on sustainable growth.

3. The 100 Year Life - Living and Working in an age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton & Andrew Scott: Especially contextual for today’s world where longevity, globalisation and technology are reshaping it, the book offers a framework - drawing upon the authors’ experience from the field of Psychology and Economics - as to how to rethink your approach to finances, careers and skilling as opposed to the traditional approach to leading a life of education -> work -> retirement.

4. The Ventilator Project - How the IIT Kanpur Consortium Built a World Class Product during India’s Covid-19 Lockdown by S Srikant Sastri & Amitabha Bandyopadhyay: The book offers a blueprint for business in the post-Covid era through first-hand lessons learned during the Task Force created for Product Development and bringing it from concept through design to market within 90 days and through 90% of the work happening through Task Force members meeting only virtually. It also provides a framework for replicating virtual Silicon Valley Eco-Systems in today’s world as well as policy prescriptions for Governments in Developing Countries for Innovation.