Letters of a bu$ine$$man to his son...

I was back in my hometown one day when my mom passed this book to me. She says that it is a very good read, full of insights and good thoughts about the business world.

This book has an unusually nice title for one that would be sitting among the ranks of "One Up on Wall Street" and the like. It's called "Letters of a Businessman to his Son" by G Kingsley Ward. It claims to be an extraordinary book that has changed a million business lives.

I admit that I have been too caught up with my work and other things in life to begin reading this book, but recently, I've started looking into it, and instantly got hooked on it.

The chapters within this book are the different letters that the father figure, a successful businessman running a health care business, writes to his son, a young aspiring businessman. It is arranged in chronological order of his son's life. It starts off when he graduates from university, becomes an executive in the father's company, encounters the many problems faced by us in the real working world as we progress up the ladder (such as entrepreneurship, success, failures, leadership, hiring and firing, the fine art of negotiation, dealing with bankers, dealing with governments, stress and health, and finally "you're on your own" - i.e. when the son takes over the business as the President at the end). It even talks about marriage and striking a good balance between work and life.

Being individual letters from father to son, this book will not appear as daunting as other books on business will. Instead of using flowery terms and scary scenarios, we find words of encouragement, praise, reprimand, and also advice; just like how our dads would talk to us. As stated in the back cover of the book, "Loving, elegant and powerful, each letter reveals a caring and profound understanding of the business-world and can only serve to inspire those wishing to share the wisdom and enthusiasm of this well-respected businessman."

Personally, my favorite paragraph from this book is this, "Once having tied the knot, I highly recommend you allot family time and business time in wise proportions of your mental time clock. Allotting too much time in either direction can be unhealthy - and be especially wary that the business side does not far outweigh the other right after the honeymoon. Chasing the almighty buck is our business, but if we cannot put bread on the table by pursuing it between 8.00am and 6.00pm five days a week, we are in the wrong business."

All in all, A VERY GOOD READ.