Leadership is a difficult subject to write on. There is no formula or a set of specified skills that makes a good leader. Leadership is not something that one is born with. It is a multitude of many traits and one can never stop learning how to be a better leader.
Living Legends, Learning Lessons by Prof. Bala V Balachandran and Kavipriya profiles ten path-breaking leaders from the world of business, government, spirituality and academia. The book captures their life story and also offers the reader a generous glimpse of their personal side. To know the ‘person’ behind the name is a rare privilege and this book goes up, close and personal with these leaders and makes them relatable to the common man.
As Keki Dadiseth notes in his Foreword, “Many of the insights that Bala mentions in this book are ones that are essential for a successful leader. The qualities of ‘sense of purpose’, ‘foresight’, ‘spirit of innovation’ are indispensable for leaders in today’s highly competitive and fast paced business landscape. At the same time, I also recognise the importance of traits like ‘acting on impulse’ and ‘apprehension of failure’ while these may seem counter intuitive to some. Each leader’s story is unique, just as their personalities. Each story has an interesting set of insights and ones that will resonate when you interact with leaders in your daily life and prepare yourself for leadership.
”Living Legends, Learning Lessons is at one level a book about leadership. In equal measure, it is also a book about taking adversity head-on and emerging triumphant. Each one of these stories is a life-lesson in itself. Truly an enriching read!

About the Author

Dr. Bala V. Balachandran is the J. L. Kellogg Distinguished Professor (Emeritus in service) of Accounting and Information Management, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA and Founder, Dean and Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, India. Dr. Bala serves as a consultant to the senior management of many companies, educational institutions as well as the governments of the United States, India and Malaysia. He has been at the helm of creating top-rated b-schools and management programmes in the USA, UK, Israel, Thailand, Germany, Malaysia etc. The Government of India conferred on him, the Padma Shri in 2001, in recognition of his contribution towards higher education in India. Kavipriya is a Leadership and Branding professional and a CSR initiatives expert. She is a humanitarian, classical dancer and an acknowledged filmmaker. She is the Founder and Chairman of Adding Smiles Media Private Limited, which has two wings - ‘Adding Smiles’ — a CSR & Campaigns Company and ‘Adding Leaders’ — a Leadership & Branding Company. Her team serves a wide range of clientele from startups to established companies. As a dancer, she has danced with and for cancer affected children and people with cerebral palsy