Tuesday, April 24, 2007

A BOOK REVIEW OF BREAK FREE


A BOOK REVIEW OF BREAK FREE
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Dear All,

Recently I was going through this book "BREAK FREE" by Debashis Chatterjee,the famous Organisational Behaviour professor at IIM-L.This is a must for any management student,business managers and management thinkers.The preface on Manjunath who lost his life fighting against the oil mafias brought tears into my eyes.

The first chapter talks about how the author learnt about leadership from a kolkata slum girl.Moral:-'Leaders liberate themselves and others from suffering'.

The statement of Edmund Hillary is used to explain the DNA of leadership lucidly.It goes like this,'Mount Everest has a real problem.It can't grow anymore,whereas I can'.This is what leadership is all about.True leaders exercise the choice to grow beyond the fear and hopelessness of their circumstances.

The second chapter talks about dating yourself and how original ideas paves your way to success.Third emphasing on 'a desire for success is not about making a career but about making a difference in the social arena'.

The fourth chapter is my favourate.It talks about how the sprit of team members can be rekindled at workplace/organisations as a whole."First simplify rules,Second amplify ownership and the third,multiply leaders to fill every role".

The fifth one talks about Chatterjee's three pronged formula of "Form,Focus and Flow".Each chapter encompasses each and every aspect of thought leadership,change management with examples which are personal,regional,national and global.

The Sanak Mishra case study about Rourkela Steel Plant is unique and a must read.Overall, a great book that I come across in recent times on leadership.

Definitely the knowledge acquired is enormous,enriching and gave an upthrust to my learning curve.

Warm regards,
Manas Nayak
Mr.Bay Leaf

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