Jamsetji Tata pioneered modern Indian industry. He has been a key catalyst in the economic growth and development of the country. From Empress Mills to the Iron and Steel Plant, from the establishment of IISc to the building of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Jamsetji’s vision made India stand tall. In this carefully researched account, R. Gopalakrishnan and Harish Bhat provide insights into the entrepreneurial principles of Jamsetji that helped created such a successful and enduring enterprise. The ...

ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a family whose very name connoted wealth. The Vanderbilts had a vast empire built on freight through steamboats and railroads. Over a few generations, the wealth-worth billions in today's money-had been frittered away and the business itself faded as new options came up in the freight business. Their story remains an enduring example of what happens when business leaders fail to embrace the future and transform.BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION is a live subject, ...

What makes some companies survive the test of time while others short-lived? Corporations do not exist in isolation; they are always part of something else, something bigger-an ecosystem. Inspired by the secrets of Shinise-Japanese companies dating back to the samurai era-Gopalakrishnan and Narayanan take a deep dive into the art of growing and sustaining a business. Over the last forty-eight years of close association with Unilever and Tata, Gopalakrishnan has gathered experience...

There are many books on leadership. What the CEO Really Wants from You is one of the few to address the question that is uppermost in the mind of any manager: What he should be doing to make his or her boss his partner rather than his opponent. We spend most of our lives at work or thinking about it. Starting from a young age, fired by boundless energy and optimism, we launch into our careers sure of our abilities. Yet, things do not always turn out as we expect they would. It is not our a...

Who are Made-in-India managers? What do they do differently?Over the last fifty years, several Indians have occupied top positions in multinationals across the globe. Shantanu Narayen at Adobe, Satya Nadella at Microsoft, Padmasree Warrier at NIO and Sundar Pichai at Google- there are, today, innumerable instances of CEOs born and bred in India, helming S&P’s 500 companies. What accounts for such a prominent presence of Indian professionals across the world today?

There are many books on leadership and how to lead. What the CEO Really Wants from You addresses the one key question that is uppermost in the mind of any manager: What should he or she do to make the boss a partner rather than perceive the boss as an extractor of work or an adversary? As Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, points out in his foreword, partnerships with others, but above all, with your direct boss and organization, are more important than ever before. Few people are so well quali...

Jamsetji Tata pioneered modern Indian industry. He has been a key catalyst in the economic growth and development of the country.From Empress Mills to the Iron and Steel Plant, from the establishment of IISc to the building of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Jamsetji's vision made India stand tall. In this carefully researched account, R. Gopalakrishnan and Harish Bhat provide insights into the entrepreneurial principles of Jamsetji that helped created such a successful and enduring enterprise.The ev...

While many people talk about the path to the top of organizations, very few are honest about how difficult it is to stay at that position. R. Gopalakrishnan analyses the 'software' challenges, which leaders confront every day, and shares the insights he has gained developing, managing, investing in and supervising a variety of companies. The author shows that great leaders continue to excel not just because of their skills and intelligence but also by connecting with others using emotional...

R. Gopalakrishnan, the bestselling author of The Case of the Bonsai Manager, explores how concepts turn into ideas, which then become prototypes, models and products. Defining thought as the ancestor of innovation; as without thought, there could be no innovation, he explores the impending questions such as - What happens next? How can you take on challenges and keep your ideas relevant? The Biography of Innovation is the definitive book on the life cycle of new ideas and transformations.

"Jugaad Innovation is the most comprehensive book yet to appear on the subject [of frugal innovation]."—The EconomistA frugal and flexible approach to innovation for the 21st centuryInnovation is a key directive at companies worldwide. But in these tough times, we can't rely on the old formula that has sustained innovation efforts for decades—expensive R&D projects and highly-structured innovation processes. Jug...

Advance Praise for Appreciative Leadership:"A must-read for leaders at all levels who believe that both common sense and business sense require engaging and encouraging rather than mandating or manipulating. It may become my most-recommended book." -- Frank Rogers-Witte, Ph.D., Director, Executive Staff Effectiveness, Hewlett-Packard IPG"Building on a simple but powerful idea, Appreciative Leadership offers an approach...

A fresh and timely approach to nurturing wise, resilient, and flexible leadership in a world of growing complexityLeaders tend to obstinately stick to the leadership style that brought them most success in the past, usually one of two extreme styles: functional leadership that focuses on operational excellence or smart leadership that focuses on growth. When a leader's focus is too functional, the organization becomes introverted and can focus too much on bottom-li...