Karma Cola - Gita Mehta (1979)

This book opens up the darker sides of Indian religious sects and gurus. How the foreigners have found themselves getting trapped into it in the late 60s and early 70s. The book has highlighted the darker side only. Hence, one should not state that Indian religious practices are all immoral. Also, Spiritual tourists have gained much more knowledge of Indian religions rather than getting inclined towards the rituals. A lot more information is getting publicly available today than it was in getting to know about India. However, the darker sides still exist and one needs to be careful before deciding to be part of a belief system or cult.

Getting to Yes - Roger Fisher & William Ury (1991)

The book is considered an authority in dealing with negotiation game and it lives upto it. Written in simple and thorugh examples it shows steps how negotiation skills should be developed to make it more effective. Although, the importance of negotiation skill cannot be undermined may a time most negotiations ultimately get into being positional bargains. Here the authors have cited how by bringing the problem and not the people get into setting a platform of principled negotiation.

Does that mean negotiation is a simple exercise once you read the book? Ideally yes. But, as most books of self improvement are associated with lot of practice. The book also is assuming at many places the existence of well defined and operational legal systems for quick redressal. However, in many countries even that could be a problem. Secondly, what if a party withdraws after the negotiations are worked out. These are some of the points the book does not reflect much upon.

Overall a must read for every professional.

Sai Baba's Mahavakya On Leadership - Dr. M. L. Chibber (2005)

Lt. Gen Chibber has brought out the essence of leadership succintly in a book which is more or less a book which is a breeze read with lots of morals to learn. Most of the time when you pick up a book from a religious sect you tend to believe the book will be inclined to one particular viewpoint. However, this book is certainly not. It creates general awareness of how leadership is to be viewed from a practical direction. Leadership qualities of Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill has been quite well described in the book. In the last chapter, there is a brief coverage of how parents and teachers can groom leadership. There is a definite connection which has been drawn of leadership and spirituality. As selfless service which is the mark of a leader cannot be addressed so easily unless there is a definite connection of drawing the energy from a source.

A different book on leadership which will make you think.