Leadership Demystified #AMillionLeaderDream by Anu Sadasivan @TellA_Tale

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A MILLION LEADER DREAM by Anu Sadasivan is a handbook that shows clear prospects of being an indispensable guidebook for freshers as well as mid-line managers in the IT industry. Though the author focuses primarily on the IT sector, where he works, but it can be a handy manual for all areas of business.

The various issues, concepts, ideas in the day-to-day work environment, and advice shared and discussed in the book, are useful for all sectors and levels. Anu mentions right at the onset, “Here I am attempting to put down all the lessons that I personally learned in the last 16 years of my professional journey in the software industry.” He has made this book a ready reckon-er full of guidelines, ideas and tricks for his readers to consult on many issues commonly faced in the work environment.

The book is well laid out in five parts, with various concise chapters in each section. He has added helpful tables, examples of emails and other charts related to technical and managerial issues and decision making throughout the book. The sections are self-explanatory and make the book easy to read.

  • The Team– covers motivation, team management, recruitment, remote team management, talent utilization, etc.
  • The Self Help– focuses on quality, planning, change management, transition, succession, innovation, etc.
  • The Self– covers compensation, higher studies, perseverance, leadership, crisis and communication.
  • The Others– discusses priorities, stakeholders, conflicts and getting your point across.
  • Rest Of The World –covers various apps, books, websites and other helpful learning tools.

The reader can easily navigate to a specific topic if needed, as the titles are clear. Further subheads are added for clarity. This also allows for smaller chapters with crisp explanations. The author has used many excellent quotes and examples from the best industry captains to make his point. He has also given real-life examples and issues he faced and how he solved them setting an established plan for his readers to follow. The book also has a FAQ section at the end of the book for common queries.

The highlight of the book is the way Anu has woven stories into what would safely make it to the ‘Management’ section of any bookstore. He picks up stories from history, folklore and his own experiences, and seamlessly merges them into management lessons to convey his point. It is a novel approach and makes the reader feel closer to the author, and peps up many well-wrought topics.

Anu has written this book as a leader, a mentor and his language is simple, easy to understand and free from unnecessary jargon – the trademark of most management self-help books. The book does have errors that can be fixed in one good proofreading. That would make it even more impactful. The author has used technical words related to the IT sector. In spite of being from the HR sector, I was easily able to understand them since detailed meanings and explanation for non-IT professionals have been provided.

The book covers all areas of conflict that arise while working with juniors, peers or seniors. Whether you work in teams or as team leader, the book has something for everyone.  The use of acronyms like S.M.A.R.T.E.R.S. and K.E.I.C.M. etc, with multiple uses and ideas, will allow even the newest professional in the office manage his work well. Guidelines on how to make your point in the workplace is a much-needed thing for any professional. Motivating stories of successful people will energize any professional. The book is not a heavy read despite covering many technical topics in great detail.

A Million Leader Dream, as the name states, is a manual for becoming a successful leader and thinker. Use this book to ace the work environment and shine professionally.

This review first appeared on Tell-A-Tale.  

 

A Million Leader Dream

A Million Leader Dream’ is a baby step towards my dream of building million leaders in IT industry. Here I attempt to put down all the lessons that I learned in the last 16 years of my professional journey in software industry including important recipes to deliver the best results from technology teams. I advise you to try this at home/work. With my stories, I try to ferry you on an exhilaratingly surreal experience, capable of making a real life connect. The readers are expected to read the stories twice, one to enjoy the drama and secondly the learning of the inner message. This book is a profound influence and bound to make you walk an extra mile to take risks.

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