Google Speaks: Secrets of the World's Greatest Billionaire entrepreneurs Sergey Brin and Larry Page
-Janet Lowe
(Wiley, Rs. 395)
There's nothing more fascinating than a success story. Especially when that story happens to be about Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who transformed their vision of a better Internet search engine into a $16 billion business. Lowe models this bio on the lines of her earlier books — ‘Warren Buffet Speaks', ‘Jack Welch Speaks' and ‘Bill Gates Speaks.'
While Lowe talks about the rise of the company and the people behind it, she also gives readers a peek at the guiding force and values that motivate the two men – their role in creating a corporate culture to promote creativity among the employees, the green initiatives, supporting research programmes and much more. Lowe also delves into the several controversies such as copyright infringement that surrounded Google.
As entrepreneur Chris Winfield puts it, Google has ‘become a rage… just like The Beatles during the 1960s.' An amazing and engaging account, ‘Google Speaks' put the entrepreneurs in perspective and shows how their drive and determinations has led to one of the most powerful companies of the world. Aptly put, Google is the prototype of a successful 21st-century company.
The Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work
— Scott D. Anthony, Mark W. Johnson, Joseph V. Sinfield and Elizabeth J. Altman
(Harvard Business Press, Rs.1,250)
More than a decade ago, Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen's masterpiece, ‘The Innovator's Dilemma,' illustrated how disruptive innovations drive industry transformation and market creation. His research demonstrated how growth-seeking incumbents must develop the capability to deflect disruptive attacks and seize disruptive opportunities.
In this book, the writers take the subject to the next level: implementation. They explain how to create this crucial capability for unlocking disruption's transformational power.
With a foreword by Christensen, this book provides a set of market-proven tools and approaches to innovation that have been honed through fieldwork with innovative companies such as Intel, Motorola, SAP and Cisco Systems. This book can help your company take the steps necessary to benefit from disruption -- instead of being eclipsed by it.
iWoz: The Autobiography of the Man Who Started the Computer Revolution
— Steve Wozniak with Gina Smith
(Headline Review, Rs. 395)
Towards the end of this book, the Apple co-founder writes: “Excellence came to me from not having too much money, and also from having good building skills… If you love what you do and are willing to do what it takes, it's within your reach.”
It is that philosophy that must have got him to the position that he has reached today. The youngest ham radio operator at 11, a inventor who revolutionised the way the world communicates when he created the Apple I and Apple II computers in the mid-1970s and a cult icon, Woznaik's story is stuff of legend. Co-founding Apple Computers with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne may not have an easy journey, but it was exciting and fulfilling, alright.
About Jobs, Woz says, “We hit it off' right away. They both enjoyed the same music (Bob Dylan and his profound lyric being on the top of the list), had similar interests and both had a working knowledge of electronics. Even better, “We both had an affinity for pulling pranks…. We were linked forever.” This no-holds barred account is funny at times, insightful at other. But most important, this books offers glimpse into the brilliant and ethical mind that conceived the Apple computer.
1000 CEOs
— Editor-in chief: Andrew Davidson
(DK, Rs. 899)
From moguls to maverick CEOs, learn their secrets, share their success formulae and finhd out how they move their companies forward. From safe hands to young turks, risk takers to innovators – get instant profiles of 1,000 of the worlds' best CEOs. You can pick up tips from the icons such as Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Estee Lauder, Konosuke Marsushita, Walt Disney, Mike Lazaridis, Carol A. Bartz, and Lou Gernster. The Indian business world is represented well with names such as Nandan Nilekeni, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallaya, Mukesh Jagtiani, Naresh Goyal and the Hindujas.
Draw on the experiences of big partnerships and family dynasties and find out how the likes of Steve Jobs make innovation essential. Incisive, insightful and inspiring, this is your chance to learn about and from some of the most influential names in the business world.
Compiled by Savitha Gautam
