"Uncork Yourself Not Bottles" | The Man in the Mirror

“The Man in the mirror” is someone to perennially lookout for in a world set at the backdrop of people. Criticism fuels self-inflicted misery or heightened motivation. Introspection, is key to unlocking latent potential.

Pradeep Chhabra, reminiscing about more than four decades of his professional career, piques the curiosity of readers by throwing light on the little yet essential things in his book titled Uncork Yourself Not Bottles. Stressing on the core values surrounding oneself, the book takes a dig at the lack of self-care in a corporate setting which strikes everyone, leaving them desperately thriving for success. Developing oneself prior to devoting the soul to a corporate set up is the author’s guided perspective.

The book is divided into four parts with each focusing on interconnected aspects of the professional world. As the first part elaborates on ceaseless personal growth, the focus shifts towards an individual’s indulgence in the professional world, thereby moving on to the (ideal) boss and surroundings, and finally culminating in life away from the office. The author explicitly covers the pros and cons of the corporate world with narratives from the finance and marketing fields to support the insight. His “Yesterday’s manager and today’s manager”, “close-minded and open-minded”, and “I or we” analogies provide in-depth analysis of methodologies popular to this sector. The innovatively constructed graphs highlight the ideal outcome by inculcating causal factors. The keywords used for references along with the graphs not only clarify the principle thought but also showcase the expertise and adept analyses of the author.

“Invest in yourself” is the main idea propelling the first part of the book, which comprehensively distinguishes the author’s perspective in regard to personal growth. Relevant examples of conviction for instance with “Battles are won or lost in mind” suggesting the possession of an undying spirit even in desperate times is the possible key to unprecedented success. Approachability, likeability, trust, relation building, listening quality, ability to say ‘No’, learning from mistakes, etc, have been finely put together with instances from the author’s years in various managerial positions. The author stresses on exposure along with the will to meet new people in an attempt to widen your view and seek knowledge from others.

The “Yes Boss” individuals who are going to comply with the bosses’ interests and measures are most likely aiming for short-term success, spearheading towards their imminent appraisals. However, it accounts for negligible contribution when compared to dissent which may bring new alternatives or suggestions to the table. Asking questions, dissenting with reason, accepting criticism and involving everyone’s say to move forward as a team are a few indicators of a positive graph.

“Know when to piss off people” is a very crucial and offensive way to ensure that internal meetings don’t become unproductive with passive members. Promoting an active voice among the young demographic is a way to ensure involvement and versatility. This leads a team towards its goals while nurturing young professionals and promoting productive dissent. A group with varied perception is more likely to contribute to the setting than a group of people nodding and asserting “Yes Sir” in unison.

“Customer is the real boss” – has been rightly stated by the author in his attempt to understand the corporate set up and their business’s central figure – the customer itself. A prime example is Maruti Suzuki, who believed in customers, not competition, which has seen them registering double-digit growth year after year. Maruti is now bigger than Suzuki, its parent company.

The experience-rich career of the author connects the gaps that exist in an individual’s mind with a pertinent analogy drawn between old and contemporary times. The author, therefore, suggests nurturing oneself and acquiring skill sets till the last breath and validating yourself by asking questions to the “Man in the Mirror”, and not enslaving yourself to your company or job. He regards the importance of training mental health as several times higher than that of physical training, and we recommend you to read and find out, why!