People like Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi and Reshmi Bansal would have carried on with their lives as one of the many IIM graduates, if they had not quit their high paying jobs to follow their passion of becoming a writer. Ever wondered how these business graduates became authors of India’s bestselling books and inspired many more aspiring writers to follow their suit? The answer is perhaps simple; they made their own choices at the right time and took actions that justified their decision of making those choices. If it is so simple, why can’t we do it and become a leader? Written by Sreedhar Bevara, an IIM graduate and General Manager at Panasonic Corporation, Moment of Signal (MoS) explores the importance of identifying signals that can change our life and eventually make us a better leader. Published in December 2018, Bevara’s Moment of Signal is already a bestseller in countries like the US, Canada, UK, France and Germany. In India too, there are many takers for Bevara’s MoS.
There is a Story Behind Every Decision
Born in South India, Bevera’s life story is a remarkable one – a quintessential rags to riches tale. Grew up in extreme poverty, young Bevara knew that getting a proper education is the only way to get his family out of the difficulties. In fact, deciding to move away from his birth place for education was the first moment of signal in his life. However, in his journey to become the General Manager of Panasonic Corporation, Bevara had to do many jobs; he was a street vendor, a waiter, a milk delivery boy and a door-to-door salesman. He has also held key positions in LG Electronics, Domestic, The Hindu and the Tata Group.
As a leader who has seen many ups and downs in his life, Bevara could have easily written an autobiography that would still help people around the globe to make better decisions. However, Bevera has taken a different narrative style in his maiden book. In this creative non-fiction work, a labor of love that took more than seven years to complete, Bevara talks about his life in bits and pieces, only when he finds it is necessary to mention. The occasional entry of his life experiences works as a glue between the serious subjects that Bevara tries to explore in the MoS. The narration of MoS not only keeps the reader indulged, but also simplifies the concepts, which otherwise would have been a complicated subject for us to digest.
The Big Brother Talking
In the introduction to the book, Bevara tells the readers about his elder brother, Murali, who has been a great mentor for him. Now, from the beginning of MoS, Bevara talks to us like our big brother, without allowing the narration to take a conversation tone. That is where MoS becomes a page turner; you pick it up, read cover to cover, then you think about it. Indeed, it is always a challenge for non-fiction writers to keep the readers connected with their thoughts. A complicated passage can take the reader’s attention away and eventually, the book will remain untouched for a long time. MoS does not have any such complications, as Bevara has managed to find a perfect balance between stories and theories. To put it in a way Bevara says it, “Whoever thinks that paying attention to MoS is science, magic, or spiritual and too overwhelming to be aware of, the simplest answer is to be ‘attentive to the subject’ in the full scope, dimension, and depth. The art of sensing signals is in fact at your fingertip and that can set you ahead of the course.” Surely, MoS is a must read for leaners and leaders, and Bevara is a writer to watch out for.
Quotes to Remember
“Everything builds up with just two elements – our Choices and Actions. We cannot be naïve in denying today’s situation, not we can blame anyone or anything else.”
“A small act of denial can lead to the end of greater leaderships.”
“The fabric of excellence has similar thread quality, even though it has different threads knitted together.”
“Necessity can be a relative term, but its outlook separates people into leaders and followers.”
“If everything revolves around the revolves around the philosophy of ‘choose and act’, maneuvering based on the dynamic needs, your efforts must be constant in order to stay afloat and move forward.”
“Grace costs nothing but buys a lot of goodwill.”
“The purpose behind the choice and the quality effort behind actions are everything in an environment that wishes to progress the in desired manner.”
“My Dear Leader: People follow what you do, not what you say. Do it right and the delivery of your goal is assured.”
“To be present in the moment is not important and but applying the presence in the moment is.”
“There is no sense of leadership without celebration and there is no sense of celebration without leadership around.”