February 14, 2023
I am grateful for this glowing review on LinkedIn by Dr. Bala Kumble, Executive Chair, Global Knowledge Alliance.
Here is his review on Amazon:
“Compelling and Easy to read and follow.”
Reviewed in Australia on 8 February 2023
“Dr Shantha Mohan, an Engineer, Entrepreneur, a Leader, a Mentor and an Educationalist has written a Book “Leadership Lessons with The Beatles”, (Published by Routledge – Taylor & Francis Group). The book is based on her own journey to leadership, and inspired by her passion for the Beatles music, from early years in her life. A lucid, easy to read, well-articulated Leadership “Cook Book”, with easy to follow recipe for success. Be an aspiring Leader, or a Leader who has already made a mark in the world of their areas of choice and want to be better at it, or someone interested in acquiring Leadership qualities, the book is a must read. The book is engaging and compelling to the reader. Dr Shantha Mohan holds a Doctoral Degree from Tepper School of Management, Carnegie Mellon University, USA and an Engineering Graduate from the College of Engineering Guindy, India. Shantha’s approach to the subject of “Leadership” inspired by one of the greatest rock bands, is compelling.
DR Bala Surya Kumble, Executive Chair, Global Knowledge Alliance, Australia”
Compelling and Easy to read and follow
February 7, 2023
Check out this awesome video of the book summary by Dr.Christopher Weatherburn:
February 1, 2023
A cool video of the German version was posted on LinkedIn by the publisher.
December 15, 2022
The German translation of Leadership Lessons with The Beatles – With a little help from our friends – is now available!
December 6, 2022
Stoked to see this lovely review from my fellow College of Engineering, Guindy, alum Murali Krishnan on LinkedIn.
From a book: Leadership Lessons with The Beatles
“The book is deep, resourceful, and invigorating.”
This is his review on Amazon:
“Dr. Shantha Mohan published this new book combining two of her passions: leadership and the Beatles music. This book is simple and effective in presenting personal stories on leadership woven with the song lyrics from the Beatles. There are several examples assembled to build a framework for emerging and established leaders to grasp the nuances in leadership.
Each chapter starts with a lyric and shares stories around the same. I liked the actionable tips and practice points at the end of each chapter. Each chapter also had a list of questions to ask ourselves. She distilled her personal experiences and blended it with scientific and practical studies in related areas to present coherent and compelling inputs. True to her research background, there were several reference articles and book references provided per chapter.
I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend for others.”
This book is deep, resourceful, and invigorating
October 28, 2022
I am honored and humbled that Prof. Luis Diaz-Santana Garza, a music history, cultural Studies, and social and cultural anthropology scholar, wrote a thoughtful review of Leadership Lessons with The Beatles in the commemorative edition of The Journal of Beatles Studies.
Prof. Garza even talked about my provocative stance in writing this book with the female pronoun! ( how many leadership books talk about a leader as a “she?”)
I hope you read it and then read the book!
Thank you, Prof. Paul Long and Liverpool University Press, for letting me be part of this journal.
Link to the journal: https://lnkd.in/gC7vhBrJ
October 12, 2022
Honored to see this very creative review by Angela Kochuba.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2022
This book provides leadership best practices in an exciting and easy-to-read format. Each chapter is themed on a Beatles song, and after a brief history of the song itself, the chapter dives into a related management topic. Although it’s light-hearted and fun with the song titles, the content is full of hard core reminders for leaders at all levels. The visuals of various models are reminiscent of an MBA program, and as the author’s history and experiences are woven into each chapter, we visualize and deepen our understanding of vital lessons.
Although Here Comes the Sun was not a chosen song for the book, it’s my selection to represent the author’s masterpiece timed with the thaw of the global pandemic. It’s wonderful timing for these leadership lessons!
October 5, 2022
I am stoked to see this Amazon review of Leadership Lessons with The Beatles from an aspiring young leader who just graduated from my undergraduate alma mater, the College of Engineering, Guindy—feeling extremely grateful.
Wise guidelines for young people to understand the nature of leadership Reviewed in India on October 3, 2022
In this book, Dr. Shantha Mohan covered all the aspects of leadership, including attributes, skills, mastery, and care. She delivers each message through a Beatles song which inspired her throughout her life.
To deliver each concept, she explains it through her personal experience or via real-world business narratives. She also goes into deep with each quality and describes how the quality might be inherent to some, if not, how systematically one could develop that.
Rather than the actual meaning of the song, the author correlates the song’s meaning with how she associates certain phrases in the song with each leadership quality. This might be easier for people to recall the essence of each chapter. It was interesting to read each chapter after listening to the song, as it helps to understand the author’s point of view.
The systematic organization of the book helps to navigate through ideas. First, the author explains the characteristics of each quality of leadership with her personal experiences and real-world business examples. Then, she explains how to build a particular quality and then ends the chapter with tips and self-reflection questions. The organization of the content, and the way she repeatedly emphasized some of her messages in various parts of the book, would help to create better mental models to retrieve the lessons and ideas learned via this book, when we need that in real-life situations.
For beginners or aspiring leaders, this book helps to visualize the nature and responsibilities of a leadership position and the challenges one might face in that position, through the way she takes the readers through her personal experiences as a business leader. As the author has conveyed a lot of information and narratives, it would be better to take time to read the book to grasp the message, not in one go.
Wise guidelines for young people to understand the nature of leadership
September 18, 2022
I am thrilled and grateful to see this q&a on the book in The Friday Times by Mehr Husain.
In an exclusive interview, global leader and author Shantha Mohan tells us what makes a leader
August 24, 2022
Customer Review on Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Leadership Wisdom from an Eminent Scholar!
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022
Leadership is not a job title. It’s about inspiring and motivating yourself and others to achieve common goals. Dr. Shanta shared the leadership lesson through a new and creative approach in this book, bringing the Beatles’ music. For a slightly older generation, The Beatles bring nostalgic memories. This is a very clever way to share leadership characteristics.
The book is equally valuable to experienced leaders, new aspirants, leadership researchers, and business managers. As a leading researcher and practicing business leader, I sincerely enjoyed the book and its wisdom.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D97OT6W8XQCI
August 21, 2022
“Most books about leadership are either dry instructions on how to become the ruthless alpha executive in the corporate jungle or a guide to faking it till you make it. While they serve their purpose, “Learning Leadership with the Beatles” is a playful outlier that actually uses Beatles songs to impart leadership knowledge.”
I am thrilled to be featured in this fantastic essay about Leadership Lessons with The Beatles in SEEMA. Thank you, Preetam Kaushik and the editorial staff at SEEMA!
https://magazine.seema.com/2022/08/20/03mohan/content.html
August 15, 2022
Editor and author Katherine Graham wrote this brilliant review of Leadership Lessons with The Beatles. I am eternally grateful.
Customer Review on Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for every professional aiming to become a better leader.Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2022
“Leadership Lessons with The Beatles” by Dr. Shantha Mohan is truly inspirational and extraordinary. I have read several self-help books in the past. However, Dr. Shantha has done a remarkable job by combining theoretical aspects of leadership with experiences from her own personal journey and relevant examples from the industry. The messages in each chapter are threaded in a creative and fun way using the song titles of the Beatles. Having closely worked with her as part of CEGAANA (CEG Alumni Association of North America), I can feel her genuine and authentic heart coming out in every chapter of the book. The clarity, the precision and the overall storytelling along with actionable steps should make this book a must-read for every professional aiming to become a better leader.
July 1, 2022
The newsletter of Leader to Leader featured me:
“First Person
Shantha Mohan, in her Summer 2022 article, writes about “The Hidden Powers of Vulnerability and Humility.” Dr. Mohan is a mentor and project guide at the Integrated Innovation Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; and the author of the new book Leadership Lessons With The Beatles: Tips and tools for Leading Better.
She elaborates,
Early in my leadership journey, as a director of engineering, I learned a lesson in vulnerability when I faced limited growth in my career because of shortcomings in my interpersonal skills. My supervisor said I needed development in some areas in a performance review. Critical feedback is never pleasant to receive, but I listened. I wanted to learn what I could do to become better. The company assigned a leadership coach, and she put together a plan that involved 360-degree feedback. I had no idea what I would find, but I opened myself up and asked for help, and it paid off. The feedback provided by my team members, peers, supervisors, and my input to the process identified several areas for improvement, which I followed through with actions.
I have mentored many individuals. Some mentees were my team members in the organizations where I led global engineering teams. Some are members of professional societies, such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), or students from my undergraduate alma mater in India. These mentees needed to be vulnerable, expose their limitations, and ask for help, which required enormous courage. When they come to me asking for help, their behavior tells me they trust me and value my input. Take courage to approach someone you admire to mentor you.“
June 4, 2022
India Currents featured a Q&A on Leadership Lessons with The Beatles
Leadership Lessons Learned From The Beatles
Here is my favorite question:
IC: That’s a nice distinction between mentoring and coaching. We now live in a world that appears to be deeply divisive, more than ever before. How does your leadership advice fit in such challenging times?
SM: You ask an excellent question. What kind of leadership can unite people in these troubling times? I will limit my answer to the troubling times in business. We have employees who want flexibility in where and when they will work. Employers would like everyone in offices because it gives them a feeling of control and makes their lives a bit easier. Most of the chapters of leadership lessons from the book apply to this situation extremely well.
Let me give you five examples. All You Need Is Love—leading with your heart and being compassionate. I Me Mine—empowering your teams to do their jobs, keeping in mind the mutual trust required to do so. Any Time at All—being available and approachable. Help! and Within You Without You—using the power of humility and vulnerability to solve problems collaboratively. Let It Be—managing the stress we are all under in these difficult times. I could go on with more but will stop there.
May 25, 2022
Thrilled to see this piece about the book on Carnegie Mellon University Integrated Innovation Institute’s news:
https://www.cmu.edu/iii/about/news/2022/leadership-lessons-with-the-beatles.html
“Dr. Shantha Mohan offers valuable insights about leadership and business as a mentor to Integrated Innovation Institute students at Carnegie Mellon’s Silicon Valley campus.
Her latest book, Leadership Lessons With The Beatles, highlights sixteen ways to become a better leader, each featuring actionable tips and anchored in a well-known Beatles song. Dr. Mohan shares the inspiration for the book, her own leadership journey and style, and how The Beatles influenced her writing.”
May 11, 2022
When I mention my recently released book Leadership Lessons with The Beatles, people are curious about the background.
Bruce Rosenstein, Managing editor of the journal Leader to Leader had three fascinating and insightful questions for me related to the book.
1. You have an extensive background in education and mentoring. How do these areas continue to inform your life on a day-to-day basis, and what role, if any, did they play in the research, planning, and writing of your new book?
2. Your technology and business backgrounds are also quite extensive. Based on the material in your book, or elsewhere, what commonalities between these fields do you see with the arts as a whole, not just music, especially as we move into a seemingly technology/AI-dominated future?
3. There continues to be a steady outpouring of books, videos, movies, and so on about or related to The Beatles. But do you find that people in young age groups worldwide have a strong awareness of and interest in The Beatles, not only in terms of their music but their continued importance as a worldwide cultural phenomenon?
Want to know my answers?
Read it on his blog:
Three Questions for Dr. Shantha Mohan, Author of Leadership Lessons with The Beatles
May 9, 2022
I am delighted to share my article, “The Hidden Powers of Vulnerability and Humility,” published in the prestigious journal “Leader to Leader.”
Abstract:
“The author adapts lessons from her new book Leadership Lessons with The Beatles, drawing on what she’s learned from that iconic band, and how it can be applied by organizations and individual leaders. She writes from the perspective of an engineer who became a global software leader. The two Beatles song titles she writes about here are “Help!” for vulnerability, and “Within You and Without You,” for humility. She also writes about her own leadership journey, and discusses principles of mentorship and collaboration. She uses the example of a product manager, and how that person’s work fits into an organization. She writes that the “role of a product manager in a technical organization provides a great example of a vulnerable leader.” For humility, she writes about a leader she knows who embodies that term: Anand Deshpande, founder, chair, and managing director of the software firm Persistent Systems in India, a publicly traded global technology service provider. The characteristics of humility that she further describes are self-awareness, gratitude, integrity, learning, and listening. Within learning, she writes: ‘Read voraciously. Reflect on what you read and then write. Your thoughts are clarified, and you can make sense of what you read when you do. Influential leaders are lifelong learners.'”
I invite you to give it a read. Here is the link to the online publication.
Thank you, Bruce Rosenstein, Sarah McArthur and Frances Hesselbein
April 24, 2022
This Facebook post from my daughter, Anita Felicelli, is probably the most precious praise I will cherish forever.
Congratulations to my mom, Shantha Mohan, on the publication of her book, Leadership Lessons with the Beatles.
***
The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college I interviewed with a desktop publishing startup a woman entrepreneur was starting in her home. I had left a publishing internship in NYC depressed and lonely, knowing I would not follow my dream to move there, and came in to interview in this woman’s living room and she looked at my resume and said, “Are you Shantha Mohan’s daughter?” She had worked with my mom in the past. When I said yes, she proceeded to tell me all these great things about what a wonderful leader my mom was and how much she admired her as a woman in male-dominated tech and hoped to be as good of a manager.
I’ll never forget coming back from NYC, where I felt I had no roots or footing, losing my dream, and feeling a little spark of, oh, this is a pretty cool thing, even if I don’t have connections or the desire to schmooze, to instead have a hometown where people are able to tell me good stories about my mom and dad, and where people went out of their way to say good things about what an effective manager and leader my mom was in an industry dominated by men.
***
My mom has a lot of wisdom about leadership and, if you know her, a lot of love for the Beatles, the soundtrack of my childhood. I’m looking forward to reading her book – hope you’ll order it if it looks like your kind of thing or pass it along to other people.
January 1, 2022
New Year’s Day lessons from The Beatles (Hindustan Times)
“It taught them to develop humility, tenacity, understanding their audience, the flair — who doesn’t remember the vigorous head-shaking — that woos the audience,” says Mohan whose book “Leadership Lessons with The Beatles” is slated for publication in May 2022.
January 1, 2022
New Years’ Day Lessons from The Beatles (Deutsche Welle)
“I believe those who perform, write, and entertain are some of the most resilient people in the world. Think about writers — they encounter so many rejections before their work gets published. Think about actors who try out for many roles before landing one. Any artist who has been working as one for 10, 20, 30 years is already resilient. Those who are starting their artistic career may not be. However, they are also probably very attuned to the new artistic mediums — YouTube, the internet, Instagram, etc. They make it work,” Shantha Mohan, mentor and project guide at Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley Campus tells DW.
December 20, 2021
“How can The Beatles help all of us—engineers, musicians, techies, leaders, and everyday folks—live and lead creatively?”
I enjoyed chatting with Michael Alcee about the documentary Get Back. It was a wonderful, noteworthy conversation considering my book Leadership Lessons with The Beatles is going to be out in May 2022. Thanks to Adam Grant for connecting me with Michael.
The Beatles Gift That Keeps On Giving
Shantha Mohan 