Reading list for Jan'09

New year, new beginning. I'm now booked atleast till Jun'09 w.r.t reading. I plan to read 3 books as a part of my PMBA (Strategy & Innovation, Economics, Productivity & Effectiveness) and one book on special interest (Physics, Zen, Philosophy and Parenting). Here is the list of books I plan to read this month:

Tribes: We need you to lead us
Seth Godin has been one of my heroes and his blog and books provide some great ideas. I use the word "remarkable" far more than what it used to be sometime ago. This particular book was named the best business book of 2008 by the folks at 800-CEO-READ and I thought I should read this book first. In this book Seth Godin argues that today everyone has an opportunity to bring together a tribe of like minded people and do amazing things. The book is for those who don't want to be a sheep and instead have a desire to do fresh and exciting work.



Seeing Whats Next: Using Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change
In this book the authors present a framework for predicting outcomes in the evolution of any industry. The authors develop a three-part process of predicting industry change: (1) identifying signals of change; (2) analyzing competitive battles; and (3) understanding strategic choices.






Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics
With stories on tariffs, minimum wage, rent controls, taxes. unions, wages, profits, savings, credit, unemployment, and so much more, Hazlitt takes some of the most difficult economic concepts and makes these easily accessible to the lay person who has no economic training, background, or even inclination.






Know How: The 8 Skills That Separate People That Perform from Those Who Don't
I've been a big fan of Ram Charan after reading his book "Execution" and applying those principles in almost everything I do. Ram Charan has identified, eight skills - he calls them "know-hows" - essential for leadership success:

1. Positioning and Repositioning. The ability to find an idea for the organization that meets customers' demands and makes money.
2. Pinpointing External Change. The ability to identify patterns that place the organization on the offensive.
3. Leading the Social System. The ability to get the right people with the right behaviors and the right information to make better decisions and business results.
4. Judging People. The ability to calibrate people based on their actions, decisions and behaviors and matches them to the job's non-negotiables.
5. Molding a Team. The ability to coordinate competent, high-ego leaders.
6. Setting Goals. The ability to balance goals that give equal weighting to what the business can become and what it can achieve.
7. Setting Priorities. The ability to define a path and direct resources, actions, and energy to accomplish goals.
8. Dealing with Forces beyond the Market. The ability to deal with pressures you cannot control but affect your business.

The Tao of Physics
I have a rather unusual interest in diverse subjects like Physics and Zen. This book was suggested to me by a friend of mine which relates both and naturally I wanted to read and understand it. I've no idea what to expect, but looking forward to read this as my friend who suggested this book also has been reading and has invited to exchange ideas - no better way to understand a book.