A Look At Kishore Biyani’s Favourite Books On Business

The story of India’s biggest milk cooperative. A book challenging the status quo. And lessons on retailing and entrepreneurship. These are some of the themes that emerge in Kishore Biyani’s reading list as he spoke with BloombergQuint about the books that have had a profound impact on him.

One of his favourites is I Too Had A Dream. “Almost every lesson an entrepreneur in India needs to imbibe in her or his journey can be found in this book,” the founder and chief executive officer of Future Group said, listing his must reads for any entrepreneur to succeed.

Here’s a look at his favourite books...

I Too Had A Dream, By Verghese Kurien

“This is my favourite business book. It is an inspiring tale of how Dr. Kurien led social empowerment through business, self-belief, believing in the true potential of our country, fighting and winning against every odd and finally building India’s most iconic brand,” Biyani said.

Sapiens, A Brief History Of Humankind, By Yuval Noah Harari

“The book is fascinating because of its multi-disciplinary approach towards understanding human society, our behaviour and our future,” Biyani said. “It straddles multiple areas from anthropology and genetics to philosophy, economics and the sciences to bring new perspectives to interpret our behaviour.”

Made In America, By Sam Walton

“Among the most influential books for me, the book is filled with lessons on retailing and entrepreneurship that are just as relevant today as they were around three decades ago, when it was published,” Biyani said. “It must have inspired countless entrepreneurs like me, across the world.”

Hit Refresh, By Satya Nadella

Like humans, every organisation is a living, breathing entity with a soul. It thrives on the culture that it imbibes within itself. Nadella has weaved his magic in reinventing Microsoft and refusing to let it turn into a legacy organisation, according to Biyani. In the book he shares fascinating insights and examples of how he did it, and these can relevant for almost every organisation.

Zero To One, By Peter Thiel

A book from the new generation of visionaries from the Silicon Valley, Thiel captures some interesting perspectives and insights on the way the world and the business organisations are changing and challenging the status quo, according to Biyani.

Flow, By Mihaly Czikzentmihalyi

“A tough and voluminous read, this book taught me one of the best values in life — achieving a state of flow — a state that encourages one to be so absorbed in an activity or objective that every action, every movement and every thought is fully aligned and becomes a source of happiness,” Biyani said.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People, By Stephen Covey

“A book that was immensely helpful and influential during my early years, it explained some of the basic mindsets required to succeed in any profession,” Biyani said.