A winning book on success

If one of the cardinal rules of success in life is to start on a strong foundation, this book has begun well. For, not only is it in many ways a sequel to the bestselling book Built to Last, one of its authors, Jerry Porras, is a co-author in this one too. This book therefore builds on strong connectivity with the readers of the earlier book and also with potential ones. Having said that, I must also mention that I have not read the earlier book, but have only heard about it from others and read rave reviews. What follows therefore, is in that backdrop.

The key theme that this book revolves around is the strategy for people and organisations to create enduring success, not because they are overachievers or are lucky, but more so because they have the courage to do what matters most to them. This is definitely not something new, but what is new is the way in which this aspect has been captured and presented.

There are also a large number of examples and anecdotes from the lives and careers of well-known and unsung heroes from different parts of the world and from various spheres of activity. The book is based on interviews with over 200 people who have made a lasting difference""big and small""and lived a life that they believe matters. Less-known lessons from the rich lives of people like Nelson Mandela, Charles Schwab and Maya Angelou could be an eye-opener. What could also be interesting to readers is the fact that it may touch the latent aspirations of many of them, recognising that the big successes of global leaders have actually been from humble beginnings.

In many ways therefore, the book is about what the authors call "enduringly successful people" and "Builders". The latter is a model the authors use to define for those whose beginnings may be inauspicious but who eventually become defined by their creativity. What they learnt during the course of their interviews was that for the most part, extraordinary individuals, teams and institutions are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things that matter most to them. The real message is that if you want to lead an extraordinary life, you have the choice to start a meaningful journey, integrating your personal and professional lives that make a lasting difference.

What is a key lesson from the lives of these overachievers? The biggest one is something that is music to many of us: that successful people have a history of mistakes; but the differentiating factor is that they "harvest their failures". And how do they that? One way is the way they conduct themselves: take one step back and two steps forward with almost every challenge. In effect, they draw useful lessons and knowledge from their experiences of what does not work, display a remarkable resilience and have a consistent ability to bounce back from adversity.

Equally importantly, the authors argue that Builders are those who redefine the traditional notion of success. While clarifying that the current definition of success is a potentially toxic prescription for one's life and work, the authors say that there are three elements for "success built to last". The first is to finding a meaning to one's life: what you do must matter deeply to you in a way that you as an individual define meaning. For example, what does success mean to someone like Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro? Premji says that success for him is about building lasting relationships and serving others. Not our traditional view of what success may be to the multi-billionaire software czar Premji! But feedback like this are those that may sometimes help redefine and at other times reaffirm our notions of success in this madly competitive world.

The second aspect to building lasting success is about ThoughtStyle""a combination of what are accountability, audacity, passion and responsible optimism.

The third element is ActionStyle, where the authors argue that enduringly successful people find effective ways to take action. While this is not rocket science, the authors, through their interviews and feedback, give a roadmap on how best this can be done.

Finally, the authors say that in their journey towards Success Built to Last, they discovered that the three elements"""an individually defined meaning, a creative ThoughtStyle and and an effective ActionStyle"""need to be aligned together to create a sustainable foundation for lasting success. While this book may be one more addition to the memorable collection on "success" and "winning", it at least stands out because of its being an easy-read and having a identifiable roadmap.

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Success Built To Last
Creating a life that matters

Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery, Mark Thompson
Wharton School Publishing
Rs 350; 278 pages