Reading List for Nov-09

Aha! What a relief. The last 4-6 weeks were extremely hectic. Couple of major releases, ISO certification, Global management team meeting and BoD meetings (both in Bangalore) generated enough amount of work, even on weekends, that I just could not read anything last month. I'm reading the "branding" as a part of my PMBA journey. Here are the books for this month:

The 22 Immutable laws of Branding
This book by Al Ries and Laura Ries is considered bible for any student of branding. They start out with the importance of marketing and branding and drives home the point that "The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope". The writing is crisp, provocative and utterly delectable.







One Land, One Billion Minds: Insights on Branding in India
I was particularly interested in a book that covers these topics w.r.t the Indian context as India will soon be among the top 5 global economies. Am I glad I found this book by Sridhar Ramanujam. Sridhar is a visiting professor in several IIMs and is the CEO of brand-comm. This book appear to provide key insights on branding in a multi-layered and a multi-faceted land, apart from delving deep into the minds and behaviour of the Indian Consumer. Sridhar's blog Third Umpire on Branding too, makes a very interesting read on the same subject.




Brand You 50: Fifty ways to transform yourself
This is a re-read and happens to be one of my favourite. This book is about personal-branding. This is a manifesto for today's knowledge workers and the title says everything "50 ways to transform yourself from an Employee to a brand that shouts distinction, commitment and passion!". I came to believe, as a resulting of reading this book, I learnt that surviving means not blending-in, but standing-out, and Tom offers 50 strategies for the same. Each chapter has things to do section, that makes it easier to put theory into practice. This book too is written in trademark Tom Peters style - high energy, optimistic, utterly brilliant and in-your-face. He relentlessly lifts your hopes and revives your dreams, big dreams that is.


Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship At a Time
Building long term relationships is one of my "ongoing" goal. This book goes beyond the common "networking" and helps one to actually build true relationships. The premise of the book is that our relationships must be built on generosity, trust and integrity. There are several practical approaches that are discussed in this book that can be of help to anybody. This book offers a fresh look at networking so that we are successful in business and our personal life.