‘Leapfrog’ helps you excel in work & life

Anurag Kaul

‘A must read for professionals and entrepreneurs from all backgrounds. Mukesh Sud and Priyank Narayan have succinctly encapsulated the six fundamentals needed to thrive in any career. Exciting gyaan, intelligibly packaged from IIMA and Ashoka’.

When such praiseworthy words come from the founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge which owns naukri.com as well as the founder of Ashoka University – Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the book must be worth a read. And it surely is – Leap Frog. Six Practices To Thrive At Work.

The authors, Sud who is Associate Professor at IIM Ahmedabad and comes with three decades of professional experience divided between academia and entrepreneurship and Narayan who is the Founding Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Ashoka University and has been a guest faculty member at IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad and HEC Paris, have based their extensive experience of teaching and mentoring students to develop a framework called Personal Journey Map which helps imbibe and implement the six practices by capturing your current repertoire, scanning the landscape ahead, and curating a path to a career in which you can prosper.

In the introduction, the authors say the mantra today can no longer be ‘built to last’ but ‘built to thrive’ as they cite the example of the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras. With the help of a Japanese firm, Honduras government built a 484-m long structure across the Choluteca River in 1998 but same year, Hurricane Mitch struck which caused widespread destruction. Though nothing happened to the bridge, the river altered its course with the roads on either side disappearing. And it became a bridge to nowhere.

Leapfrog, write Sud and Narayan, is a concept in industrial organisations where a new entrant moves ahead of its competition. ‘This is true for firms, societies and even individuals. In each case, the incumbent, who is welded to the status quo, fails to anticipate changes that a newer player can foresee. Economists tell us that leapfrogging is a response by smaller and more nimble players to significant changes in the external environment. During these times, prior experience and existing knowledge are worthless. They may even be a hindrance.’

Leap Frog. Six Practices To Thrive At Work (Penguin/Viking; 255; Rs 399) is spread over six chapters – Develop Grit, Nudge Yourself, Be Intellectually Humble, Dance with Disciplines, Curate the Chaos and Think Entrepreneurially followed by A Toolkit (your personal journey map) which helps you make a plan to reach your goals along with roadblocks and gaps, the landscape ahead as well as new opportunities that are likely to come your way during this course. Separate chapters mean that you don’t have to read it in one go. You can read a chapter, let it go inside you and imbibe its learning, before going ahead with the next. You don’t even have to read it serial-wise, but can pick up what you feel like first or second.

You need to have this one in your library if you are a young professional wanting to make it big. On second thought, professional or not, this book is meant for you if you want to do well in your life – personal or professional. The authors have given simple examples that will resonate with you whether you want to be efficient in managing your home, office, or life. There is enough for everyone to read and follow.