‘Management and Life Lessons from Ground Zero’ is the second book by Harrish M. Bhatia. I have known Harrish since 2004, and I am a recipient of a signed copy of the book from him.
Harrish promises and shares 50 learnings from his life. The book is divided into four sections, ‘In the Beginning’, ‘The Middle’, ‘Leadership’ and ‘Personal growth’. The first three relate to the three phases of Early-Mid-later years of professional life. And the last one- things that could be relevant to everyone- anywhere- everywhere.
Each of the learning is captured in a small sub 300 words chapter. The book is free of any Jargon, and it has a straightforward, easy to read and enjoyable format. You don’t feel like you were being introduced to the learning for the first time? ‘Execution is Greater Than The Idea’, ‘Build a Network and sustain it’, ‘Be an Authentic leader’, ‘There is no Escalator to Success- Only Stairs’ and many more. But that’s okay and completely acceptable. The management and life learnings are anyway limited, and it’s just the perspective- way of sharing that makes them so different.
So, when you read a book like this, you expect the author to be transparent and naked to the audience in sharing examples that could add to the learning. The content could start coming to life- find a new dimension and make that learning more vivid and relatable.
Unfortunately, it lacks examples from life. And in the absence of it, the book lacks the bite. And the learnings though completely relevant, start reading like a sermon. As if someone was dictating it from a pedestal.
There is a sense of strong belief in what Harrish shares. And he sees them wholly Black and White with no scope for greys. It’s good! However, I would have expected and appreciated some sense of uncertainty with the learning.
Fifty is a nice number- but it is tough for anyone to follow and act upon. I would have appreciated it if Harrish had picked the top three in each section and pushed them hard. Asking the reader to evaluate them and decide
Pick the book if you are in the early part of your career. Do not try to finish it in one go If you are already 45 plus and a lot more hardened with your view to personal and professional life- the pages may not interest you.
Read one learning a day. Check that on the net and read a few more perspectives on it. See what it means to your life- past, present, and future. Find 5-10 minutes of solitude to reflect on the learning and sleep over it. If this interest you, I would like you to read the book ‘Getting Better at getting better‘ , ‘Catalyst‘ and ‘Sponge leadership lessons‘.
Management and Life Lessons from Ground Zero by Harrish M. Bhatia. Pages 159. Price INR 349. Published with SIA Books
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