To celebrate World Book Day, we invited a select group of leaders and experts from across the industry to reflect on the transformative power of the written word. We asked them to look beyond data and strategy and share the stories that shaped their thinking and the pages they return to for inspiration. In this special feature, Karan Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer, Hero Realty Private Limited, offers a personal glimpse into his literary journey—revealing the books that serve as a compass in both life and leadership. Read on.
Reading, for me, is a way to sharpen judgment. It creates distance from immediacy and helps see myself and patterns around me more clearly.
One book that has had a lasting impact on me is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
It fundamentally changed how I look at decision-making—both in business and in life. It made me far more aware of the biases we operate with and the difference between instinctive and deliberate thinking, which is critical in leadership roles.
I would also recommend Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard P. Rumelt. It’s one of the clearest articulations of what real strategy looks like, versus what we often mistake it for.
A quote I resonate with: “Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it.”
