Book Review: Bible For Budding Business Tycoons
Veer Sagar turned an entrepreneur in mid-life after a successful corporate journey that took him to the top rung of the chief executive officer (CEO). Today he is a management advisor, serial entrepreneur and business expert. His book, ‘Failure is Not an Option’ is consequently a memoir replete with learning experiences for every rookie enterpriser starting a venture of their own. It is replete with lessons in management garnered from decades in the corporate sector, first as a manager and then an entrepreneur.
Veer Sagar did go to an elite school, but on a scholarship for the economically weaker section. His corporate journey began as a management trainee with Dunlop, from where he rose to be Senior Vice President at International Computers Indian Manufacture (ICIM) and then to President and CEO of DCM Data Systems and finally CEO of TCG Software.
Then at the age of 55 years, he changed tack and founded Selectronics, which is a pioneer of the back-office revolution in India. Failure is Not an Option is not veiled vainglory, but is an attempt to offer success mantras for effective leadership. The author offers a guide to building products and companies based on trust and reliability, on creating successful teams and nurturing talent. He encourages novices in business to think out-of-the-box and value innovation.
His advice to budding entrepreneurs is to build a team by hiring people smarter than themselves. Veer Sagar doesn't believe in hiring someone not capable of replacing him. He then empowers team members to the extent of turning redundant in his own enterprise. The leader he feels, should have the time, energy and initiative to stay agile to the onslaught of disruptive technologies flowing in from all directions. His success mantra is that the leader needs to reinvent continuously to stay ahead and stay successful.
Among the many interesting concepts the author talks of is the need to differentiate passion from emotional attachment, as the latter hampers learning, improvement and growth. He advices budding leaders to throw the “what if” question to their teams and the “what else” conundrum to customers. If you don’t know something, Sagar advices, make it irrelevant for yourself. He provides nuggets of wisdom from his rich learnings. Each chapter ends with a summary of lessons learnt, not only from mistakes and setbacks but also from successes and triumphs.
The pages of this book are packed with wisdom and practical advice that could benefit managers, irrespective of the rung of the corporate ladder they are at, from management trainees to CEOs. It is a must read for management students and business leaders.
This book motivates the reader to learn and grow, take actions and keep working hard to carry on because – Failure is Not an Option!
