“You can love me or hate me, but you cannot ignore me,” said economist, management guru, publisher, author and media mogul Arindam Chaudhuri, when reporter Ayesha Singh met him last. Little has changed since then, and he is back in the news. This time for the launch of his sixth book Cult, on Leadership and Business Strategy for CEOs, co-authored with A Sandeep, one of south Asia’s most distinguished experts on Strategic Management, and a long standing friend of the pony-tailed founder of IIPM, one of India’s premier business schools, whose beaming smile has become part of our everyday lives.
The launch of the book coincides with your 40th birthday. Calls for double celebrations.
Couldn’t be happier. The timing is just perfect. I have been in the business forever, and it makes me so excited to announce my 6th book release.
Tell me more about it. I believe it is focussed on CEO’s.
You are right. The book is targeted solely at CEOs since it’s on leadership and business strategy from the perspective of a CEO. However it can be read by anyone at the top level and understood though its applications. Additionally, it addresses 36 key issues around leadership and business strategy without trying to sound preachy. It is ruthless but practical, and completely research-based.
There are several books on the subject in the market. How is this one prepared to survive the competition?
I would want to believe our book will sell because the idea has always been to give world class content. As a principle, we didn’t compromise on that account, and therefore there is no reason for it to not do well. The strength of the book lies in the research we undertook to prove every point. We also added examples from corporate life, making it very reader friendly. For the massive scope it covers, the book is only a 450-pager, and gives a complete 360-degree view on management from the top of the pyramid.
What is the best advice a student has given you.
The best advice a student has ever given me has to be from my favourite student Siddarth Nambiar. He came up to me and insisted I revive one of my failed dreams—media—and pushed me to start our first business magazine called Business and Economy. Since then, media has become an obsession.