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‘ byĀ Dorie Clark. He came across Clarkās research on how leaders develop breakthrough ideas and become recognised in their field.Ā
“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 āstanding out of the crowdā, useful for my teaching work as well as for my own personal positioning.”Ā
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‘ byĀ Michael E. PorterĀ 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‘ byĀ Bharat AnandĀ 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‘ byĀ RM LalaĀ 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‘ byĀ Ethan RasielĀ 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”
FAQ SECTION
1. What are Srinivasa Addepalli’s top 5 recommended business books?
“How Will You Measure Your Life” by Clayton Christensen et al., “Competitive Advantage” by Michael E. Porter, “The Content Trap” by Bharat Anand, “The Creation of Wealth” by RM Lala, and “The McKinsey Mind” by Ethan Rasiel and Paul Friga.
2. Which book influenced Addepalli’s decision to leave his corporate career and start his own business?
“How Will You Measure Your Life,” which applies management concepts to personal life decisions ā a connection Addepalli says played a major role in his move into entrepreneurship.
3. Why does Addepalli recommend “Competitive Advantage” by Michael Porter as a timeless strategy text?
He describes it as the definitive book in strategy that he refers to regularly to test his own ideas against ā noting that while Porter’s later articles have refined the concepts, the core principles remain relevant.
4. What problem does “The Content Trap” by Bharat Anand address for digital businesses?
It explores how to build valuable business models in a world where content is freely available, focusing on the connections around content rather than the content itself as the real source of value.
5. Why did Addepalli recommend “The Creation of Wealth” by RM Lala, a book about the Tata Group?
He was asked to read it when he joined Tata, and it shaped his understanding of how wealth creation and community-building can coexist ā crediting the Tata Group with pioneering corporate sustainability and responsibility long before those became mainstream business terms.
Srinivasa is the Founder and CEO of GlobalGyan Leadership Academy and a business strategy and leadership development expert with over two decades of experience across telecommunications, consulting, and management education. He spent close to a decade at Tata Communications as Chief Strategy Officer, leading corporate strategy, M&A and investments, and was earlier with Tata Strategic Management Group and the Tata Group's telecom entities, where he executed acquisitions including Tyco Global Network and Teleglobe. An engineering graduate from SVNIT Surat with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Srinivasa is visiting faculty at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Nagpur, IIT Hyderabad, NMIMS, and TAPMI, and an award-winning case author whose case on business ethics was the overall winner at the ISB-Ivey Global Case Competition 2014. He brings deep expertise in strategy, business acumen, innovation, and leadership communication.
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