Fix what you can: When Gandhi's principle moved former Microsoft India boss Ravi Venkatesan

As with everything else, there is a flavour of the season even in the literary world. A book that everyone is reading, is talking about. And then there are works that stay with you well beyond their trending span has ended. For former Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan, that book is Stephen Covey’s '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. “It was a hugely influential book for me. In it, Covey speaks about the circle of concern and the circle of influence. You can be concerned about many things. But there isn’t much you can do about those things. What is it that you can do about things around you and make a difference,” he says. And according to him, when you do that, the circle of influence grows.

“People say, ‘She is a terrific leader. Let’s give her more responsibility’. This is what Gandhiji said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’,” Venkatesan says. His advice: stop worrying about fixing other people’s problems and behaviour. Just focus on what you can fix . And the world will change remarkably around you.