Leapfrog: Six Practices to Thrive at Work – A Powerful Guide to Career Growth and Success
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, a compelling guide for career growth, professional success, and personal development.
A Framework for Thriving in Modern Careers
The authors, Sud—Associate Professor at IIM Ahmedabad with over three decades of experience across academia and entrepreneurship—and Narayan, Founding Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Ashoka University and guest faculty at IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad, and HEC Paris, draw upon their vast teaching and mentoring experience. They present a powerful framework called the Personal Journey Map, designed to help individuals imbibe and implement the six essential career practices. This framework enables you to assess your current skills, scan future opportunities, and curate a clear path toward a thriving and successful career.
Why ‘Built to Thrive’ Matters Today
In the introduction, the authors argue that the modern mantra is no longer ‘built to last’ but ‘built to thrive’. They illustrate this with the example of the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras. Built in 1998 with the help of a Japanese firm, the 484-metre-long bridge survived Hurricane Mitch the same year. However, the river changed its course, leaving the bridge disconnected from the roads on either side—ultimately turning it into a ‘bridge to nowhere’. This powerful analogy underscores the importance of adaptability, resilience, and future-ready thinking in today’s fast-changing professional landscape.
Leapfrogging, Sud and Narayan explain, is a concept in industrial and business ecosystems where a new entrant overtakes established players. This idea applies not just to companies, but also to individuals and societies. Often, incumbents remain stuck in the status quo, while newer, more agile players anticipate and adapt to change. Economists describe leapfrogging as a response to major external shifts, where prior experience and existing knowledge may become obsolete—or even a hindrance. In today’s dynamic work environment, the ability to learn, unlearn, and adapt is key to long-term success.
Six Practices to Achieve Career and Personal Growth
Leap Frog: Six Practices to Thrive at Work (Penguin/Viking; 255 pages; Rs 399) is structured into six insightful chapters—Develop Grit, Nudge Yourself, Be Intellectually Humble, Dance with Disciplines, Curate the Chaos, and Think Entrepreneurially. It also includes a practical toolkit—the Personal Journey Map—to help you set goals, identify roadblocks, bridge skill gaps, and explore emerging opportunities. The book’s flexible structure allows you to read it at your own pace. Each chapter can be absorbed individually, making it easier to reflect, apply, and internalise the learnings before moving forward.
This is a must-have addition to your library if you are a young professional aiming for career success. On second thought, whether you are a professional or not, this book is for anyone seeking personal growth, productivity, and a more fulfilling life. With simple, relatable examples, the authors ensure that the lessons resonate across contexts—be it managing your home, workplace, or personal aspirations. There is truly something in it for everyone to read, learn, and apply.
