President APAC and MD India of Landor, one of the top brand and design studios, Lulu Raghvan’s book Go Further, Faster: Shaping a Life That Matters is ‘go to’ content for anyone who wants to climb the corporate ladder a little faster than the normal.
The book is like a guide based on Lulu’s personal experiences. Like PV Sindhu says in the foreword of the book: She offers practical advice on how to develop yourself, promote yourself and evolve yourself to achieve your goals and live a fulfilling life. (sic) Lulu’s book is divided into four parts: Develop, Promote, Evolve and then a Handy How Tos list.
Lulu believes that in today’s world, self-promotion and personal branding are essential to manage the tightrope walk of work-life balance and climb the ladder while doing it. “The world we live in is a dog-eat-dog world. I mean you go to the grocery store; you have hundreds of brands. You know, there’s a sea of sameness, even in an organization. There are so many engineers and so many journalists. For you to move ahead in your career to have great opportunities, you have to be perceived as having a particular. And that’s what developing your personal brand is. It is choosing how you want to be remembered. You want to be known for representing certain values or having certain characteristics so that personal branding piece,” Lulu explains the philosophy behind her book.
Part One of the book is, probably, the biggest part. Lulu starts part one by defining the three different people that she has observed — The Cruisers, The Workoholics, and The Miserables. She categorically points out that holistic development is essential for not being a part of these three and that a fourth more satiating, soul-satisfying approach is possible. The first part is further segregated into three — mind, body and soul. “I believe if you don’t have a holistic foundation for growth, just promoting yourself and your achievements will not help you,” she says. “Mind, Body, Soul are all connected. It’s important to bring that in the context of work because when you have that strong foundation, you develop yourself from within, then your personal brand that emerges is not just lipstick on a gorilla as we say, but something that is authentic and is an external manifestation of truly who you are, what your superpower is,” Lulu elaborates.
It is very interesting to note that Lulu endorses reading as an exercise for the mind. ‘I have become a better speaker, a better writer, a better leader and a better mentor — all thanks to books, especially all the non-fiction ones I have read. Fiction has increased my empathy, broadened my perspective and made me a more expansive thinker.’ (sic) She also reiterates the importance of Silence and Journaling as tools for the growth of the mind.
Lulu talks about how the soul’s harmonious balance is imperative and how it serves as a catalyst for success in personal and professional relationships. She discusses fears, vulnerabilities and measures to overcome them in the part dedicated to Soul. She does that by giving examples from her own life and makes it more relatable for the reader.
Moving on to the Promote part; Lulu shares the secrets of her success. She writes about how networking is important in today’s world and why it is critical to promote yourself in today’s world. She introduces the 5D concept — Discover, Define, Design, Deploy and Deliver. Here she pushes you to face your demons and gives you exercises that will give you a peep into your own psyche if you do them honestly.
It is intriguing when she says ‘keep swimming in one’s own lane’ while emphasising that continuous growth and development are essential. Wouldn’t that restrict growth? “Swimming in the lane metaphorically means staying focused on your objectives and goals. This is not about learning or not having new experiences. It is about remaining focused on your own goals and not being impacted by the laurels or failures of your peers or competitors. Not get depressed or allow those things to get to you and therefore come in the way of your own productivity, focus and mission that fits your lane and that’s where the swimming in your lane comes from.”
The Handy How-Tos part is a practical guide with case studies and expert opinions about several problems that arise every day at the workplace. It discusses things like how to handle rejection, how to build a tribe and more.
Lulu’s Go Further, Faster: Shaping a Life That Matters is a great read written in lucid language for young people, especially women who want to get ahead in their organisations. This book will help them find their core and promote themselves correctly.