New Delhi, September 9th, 2015: The book ‘Living Legends Learning Lessons: Up Close And Personal With 10 Global Icons’ authored by Dr. Bala V Balachandran, Founder, Dean & Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management, India & (J L Kellogg Distinguished Professor (Emeritus in service) of Accounting & Information Management, Northwestern University, USA and co-authored by Kavipriya was launched by Mr. D. Shiva Kumar, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo India at India International Centre, Lodhi Road.
Dr. Bala V Balachandran, Founder, Dean & Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management, India & (J L Kellogg Distinguished Professor (Emeritus in service) of Accounting & Information Management, Northwestern University, USA and Kavipriya, a Great Lakes alumna and a Branding professional have profiled ten path-breaking leaders from the world of business, Government, spirituality and academia. The book captures their life story and also offers the reader a generous glimpse of their personal side.
Speaking on the launch, Mr. D. Shiva Kumar, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo India, said, “I would like to thank the authors and, especially Professor Bala who I consider my mentor, for inviting me to the launch of such an insightful book. I received the manuscript a couple of days ago and I have read it from end to end. These 10 wonderful people and their journey teach everybody that leadership is not a title. It is a journey forward. Only when you have an appreciation for failure, a sense of purpose and insight and ability to act on impulse, you know that you are on the right path. I have learnt that and a lot about life from Prof Bala.”
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Bala V Balachandran, Founder, Dean & Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management, said, “India is a fantastic country and we have to bring our paradise back. Here are some living legends in this book, they’re all very ordinary people but each one is great. I believe the youth and aspiring students of today can learn a thing or two from them. Forget your ego and always put your company ahead of you. Without humility and integrity, success will not be achieved if you go after it for success sake. Irrespective of the personal failures one may go through, one should always wake up the next day and think that I will make the most of today.”
About the Book:
Leadership is a difficult subject to write on. There is no formula or a set of specified skills that makes a good leader. Leadership is a multitude of many traits and one can never stop learning how to be a better leader. To know the person behind the name is a rare privilege and this book goes up, close and personal with these leaders and makes them relatable to the common man. The 347 page book contains success stories of leaders like Ratan Tata, NR Narayana Murthy, Adi Godrej, Kiran Shaw, Vinita Bali to name a few. The book gives insights that are essential to become a successful leader. Each leader’s story is unique, just as their personalities. Each story has an interesting set of insights that will resonate one’s way of interaction with leaders in daily life and prepare them for leadership. Each one of these stories is a life-lesson in itself.
About the authors:
Dr. Bala V. Balachandran
Dr. Bala V. Balachandran is the J. L. Kellogg Distinguished Professor (Emeritus in service) of Accounting and Information Management, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA and Founder, Dean and Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, India. Dr. Bala serves as a consultant to the senior management of many companies, educational institutions as well as the Governments of the United States, India and Malaysia. He has been at the helm of creating top-rated b-schools and management programmes in the USA, UK, Israel, Thailand, Germany, Malaysia etc. The Government of India conferred on him, the Padma Shri in 2001, in recognition of his contribution towards higher education in India.
Kavipriya
Kavipriya is an alumna of Great Lakes, a Leadership and Branding professional and a CSR initiatives expert. She is a humanitarian, classical dancer and an acknowledged filmmaker. She is the Founder and Chairman of Adding Smiles Media Private Limited, which has two wings – ‘Adding Smiles — a CSR and Campaigns Company and ‘Adding Leaders — a Leadership and Branding Company.
The book is published by West Land Publishers and priced at INR 599.