Inspirational Books read by Mukesh Ambani to prepare for 2022
Bloomberg New Economy asked his opinion about a question from Mukesh Ambani, Head of Reliance Industries Ltd.
Question was which books helped him build sense of 2021 and are preparing him for 2022. Fill your stockings with these suggestions from Asia's richest man.
1- Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World -
by Fareed Zakaria
Fareed's work illustrates the striking connections between the COVID-19 epidemic and some of history's greatest tragic disasters.
It shows that global crises most often emerge from unsustainable lifestyle practices and weak governance structures.
You recognize that these concerns must be addressed urgently, which can only be accomplished by
- Strong leadership,
- Lifestyle modification, and
- International cooperation.
"Outbreaks are unavoidable, but pandemics are optional," says one of the book's quotes.
Three times since the Cold War's end, the globe has been shocked to its core. 11 September 2001, the 2008 financial crash, and, most notably, Covid-19.
Each was an asymmetric threat, set in motion by something seemingly little and unlike anything the world had seen before.
'There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen,'
Lenin is alleged to have declared. This is one of those instances when history has accelerated.
Fareed Zakaria, one of Foreign Policy's "top ten global thinkers of the last decade," foresees the nature of a post-pandemic world: impacts are -
- Political,
- Social,
- Technological, and
- Economic
It may take years to develop. He writes on the acceleration of ecological and biological threats, the obsolescence of old political categories like :
- Right and left,
- Rise of 'digital life,'
- Future of globalization, and
- Emerging world order split between the United States and China
He mentions it in 10 surprising, hopeful 'lessons.'
He urges us to consider how we are essentially social animals, with community inherent in our nature, and, most importantly, how nothing is written - the future is truly in our own hands.
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World is a timeless perspective on life in the early twenty-first century that relates to the past, present, and future.
2- Principles for Dealing With the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail
by Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio recognized a convergence of political and economic factors he hadn't seen before a few years ago.
They included massive debts and zero or near-zero interest rates, which resulted in the massive printing of money in the world's three major reserve currencies.
Major political and social conflicts within countries, particularly the United States, as a result of the greatest wealth, political, and values disparities in more than a century.
The rise of world power (China) which challenged the existing world power (USA) and also the existing world order.
This convergence occurred only once before, between 1930 and 1945.
This discovery sent Dalio on a quest to discover the repeating patterns and cause/effect correlations that have underpinned all major changes in wealth and power over the last 500 years.
Dalio takes readers on a voyage through the main empires, including
- the Dutch,
- the British, and
- the American,
In this extraordinary and relevant addition to his Principles series, placing the "Big Cycle" into perspective.
It has driven the successes and failures of all the world's major countries throughout history into perspective.
He unveils the timeless and universal forces driving these transformations and uses them to forecast the future, offering practical guidelines for preparing for what lies ahead.
3- 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything
by Mauro Guillén
The book is chock-full of interesting estimates regarding the state of the globe in 2030, particularly about projected demographic changes and their impact on global economic prospects.
It also looks at urbanization, technology, the sharing economy, and automation tendencies that will influence the post-Covid future.
Once upon a time, the world's economies were clearly separated between successful and backward ones. Babies were in abundance, workers outnumbered pensioners, and people aspiring to the middle class desired to possess homes and automobiles.
Companies did not need to look beyond Europe and the United States to succeed.
We grew up learning how to 'play the game,' and we assumed the rules would remain constant throughout our lives.
That world — and those norms—are no longer in effect. By 2030, a new reality will have taken hold, and before you know it, grandparents will outnumber grandkids.
For the first time in modern history, the global economy will be driven by non-Western consumers, and women will own more global wealth than males.
More robots will exist than workers, and more currencies will exist than countries.
All of these current trends will alter all you know about a culture, the economy, and the planet.
This book is both a guide to the future improvements and a demonstration of the power of lateral thinking, revolutionizing how you think about significant change and its impacts.
4- Big Little Breakthroughs: How Small, Everyday Innovations Drive Oversized Results
by Josh Linker
This is a must-read for businesses. You will understand that in business, it is the modest creative acts that unleash the biggest benefits.
ndividuals and organizations may effectively handle severe challenges and grab revolutionary opportunities in the post-COVID world by developing daily micro-innovations.
A surprisingly basic way to encourage normal people in becoming everyday innovators.
The desire to come up with huge ideas might be overwhelming. We accept that in these disruptive and competitive times, bold ideas are necessary, but we normally go blank when it comes to unique and creative thinking.
Rather than aiming for a $10 billion payday or a Nobel Prize, the most productive innovators concentrate on "big little breakthroughs"—small creative activities that produce tremendous rewards over time.
Individuals and organizations are better positioned to face difficult problems and grab transformational possibilities if they cultivate everyday micro-innovations.
How did a convicted drug dealer build a highly successful fitness company? What underlying attitude inspired LEGO to become the world's largest toy company?
How did a Pakistani couple take on the international athletic shoe industry? What simple practices propelled Superstar Status including :
- Lady Gaga,
- Banksy, and
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
Big Little Breakthroughs aren't only for propeller-head inventors, posh CEOs, or hoodie-wearing tech billionaires.
Rather, it's a remarkably basic mechanism for supporting ordinary individuals in becoming everyday innovators.
5- The Raging 2020s: Companies, Countries, People—and the Fight for Our Future
by Alec Ross
An excellent book that actually explains the forces that have constantly determined the successes and failures of major countries across history for over 500 years.
It explains why the times ahead will most likely be vastly different from those we are currently experiencing.
This is an important and must-read book for politicians, entrepreneurs, executives, and, most importantly, young people.
It dives into how the social contract—the unspoken agreement between :
- Governments,
- Companies, and
- Individuals
They have sustained modern civilization for decades—is experiencing a major transition in the digital age.
Interviews with some of our time's best thinkers on the political and economic reasons that have contributed to this transformation, as well as what lies ahead for our civilization, are included in the book.
