From work-life lessons from memoirs of successful women to learning how to deal with change, Vaahini became every woman’s go-to resource in the last ten years.

We all pick up books for some reason. Sometimes for the pleasure of reading and sometimes for inspiration too. No matter how you are feeling on a particular day, going to the right book can help you deal better. Whether it is getting inspired by a woman achiever, learning to lead, or being ahead of your competition in the technology arena, Accenture Vaahini has been giving you great reads for the last 10 years.

As we celebrate #DecadeOfVaahini, we bring to you five books that resonated with our readers. Here we pick one powerful statement from each book and how the book provides relevant work lessons even today.

“Own your choices. Have the courage of conviction.” - Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra

This statement from Priyanka Chopra’s memoir Unfinished is true for all work and real-life scenarios. Through snippets of Priyanka’s journey, she tells us how she learned that confidence is not in-built but can be worked on over a period of time. How often, we as women face a situation at work where we doubt our capabilities? The times when we are unsure of the outcomes, and therefore, we hesitate to take up a new role or an opportunity. Professional lives, whether in Bollywood or elsewhere, have similarities, and this is exactly how the book becomes relatable to you. Read about it in this book summary featured on Vaahini.

“In a future-ready organization, 'talent' is increasingly a metaphor for capability—at the right place, at the right time and equally, at the right price.” - The Future Ready Organization - Gyan Nagpal

In a volatile world where uncertainties at work are common, how do you manage and lead teams? What is the preparedness to manage adversity and what impact does it have on the talent at work? We got these and many other answers through Gyan Nagpal’s The Future Ready Organization. As managers, you can apply the Dynamic Capability Spectrum as mentioned in the book with your teams and people. The book highlights how talent and automation will be the two driving levers for the future, and this is exactly what the COVID-10 pandemic has also taught us. Even more relevant in today’s world, you can read about the key points of the book through this feature on Accenture Vaahini.

"I don't think I particularly balance anything. I just make it work.” - Jacinda Ardern in Women & Leadership: Real lives, Real lessons

A book that is inspirational from its very first page, authors Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Finance Ministeranalyze the influence of gender on women’s rise to positions of leadership. Through their own story and experiences of other leaders Jacinda Ardern, Michelle Bachelet, Joyce Banda, Hillary Clinton, Christine Lagarde, Theresa May, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Erna Solberg, the authors talk about the situations that women have to face and real-life examples of how they dealt with these. From balancing work to leading an all-men team, all women at work will definitely find something that they would have faced at their work or are likely to face in the future. We presented it on Vaahini as a roadmap for change for women and you can read it here.

“Seek out situations, people, and products you find delightful, and consciously pinpoint what makes them delightful to you.” - Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage by Laura Huang

At a time when COVID-19 impacted the lives of everyone at work, the book Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage presented a systematic four-phased approach as mentioned in the book to handle this situation at work. Apart from hacks to manage situations at work, this book also reflects on the fact that self-focus is important to understand the tools that are uniquely ‘delightful’ for you to excel at work. Published at a time, when adversity became a part of everyone’s work life, this book instantly struck a chord with our readers at Vaahini.

“Why should we be arguing for our own rights(LGBTQ) in the first place?” - Queeristan by Parmesh Shahani

A hard-hitting book, Queeristan by Parmesh Shahani maps the authors' decade-long journey in the corporate world as an out and proud gay man, to make a strong case for driving LGBTQ inclusion and reshaping India’s office culture. As a leader, a co-worker, or a team leader, this book will help you understand the perspective of how a member of the LGBTQ+ community feels at work. It will also provide you with appropriate ways to manage initiatives, behaviors, and team members at work. A subject that is close to every woman at Vaahini, this highly engaging book summary presented a sensitive topic in an easy-to-read format.