Srinivasa Addepalli shares his Top 5 Business Books
Edited version of a Nov 2019 interview that appeared in ET Panache
Srinivasa Addepalli, CEO – GlobalGyan Academy, is currently reading ‘Stand Out‘ by Dorie Clark. He came across Clark’s research on how leaders develop breakthrough ideas and become recognised in their field.
“I have always believed that just like businesses use strategy and marketing to win in their competitive markets, even individuals need to build their personal strategy. This book is helping me learn some of the best practices in the area of ‘standing out of the crowd’, useful for my teaching work as well as for my own personal positioning.”
Sharing his must-read list, Addepalli has ‘How Will You Measure Your Life‘ by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth, Karen Dillon among the top five.
“Applying management concepts to one’s personal life may sound strange, but the connections created by Christensen and his co-authors are delightful. This book played a huge role in my decision to leave my corporate job and embark on a journey in entrepreneurship”
‘Competitive Advantage‘ by Michael E. Porter is also on the list for him.
“The definitive book in strategy; it is not just an academic text. I find myself referring to it regularly to bounce off my ideas with the concepts shared by Prof. Porter. While his recent articles have updated and refined the ideas contained in this book, the core principles of competitive advantage are timeless”
‘The Content Trap‘ by Bharat Anand is another book that the education business head uses as a personal strategy guide.
“In a world where content is easily and freely available, how do you build valuable digital business models around content? Bharat Anand shows us not to fall into the content trap but to focus on the connections that add value to content”
Also on the list is ‘The Creation of Wealth‘ by RM Lala which he was asked to read when he joined the Tata group. He worked with the company before he started his own business.
“Not only is it fascinating to read about the journey of the Tatas over 150 years, it is a huge learning on how the creation of wealth and the building of communities can go hand in hand. Undoubtedly, the Tata group pioneered the idea of sustainability and responsibility much before they entered corporate jargon”
‘The McKinsey Mind‘ by Ethan Rasiel and Paul N. Frigga rounds up the list.
“A practical guide that probably every consultant has read to learn the methods and tools that have been shaped by the foremost consulting firm in the world. But, it is not just for consultants. Every manager who has to solve complex problems would benefit from the structured, yet expansive approach to problem solving that this book teaches”
