Books That Helped Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty Excel At Work

A chapter from the Bhagvad Gita that explains the power of purpose. Developing a product with the help of feedback. And a key message on grit and perseverance from a book by Sam Walton. Dr. Devi Shetty, a leading cardiac surgeon, talked of how he applied principles from these books in his business.

Shetty, chairman and executive director at Narayana Health, told Bloomberg how the book Who Moved My Cheese helped him “reimagine the future of healthcare”.

Here's a look at Shetty's reading list...

The Bhagvad Gita

“I have read the Gita written by Swami Chinmayananda (of Chinmaya Mission). I particularly like the chapter on Karma Yoga,” Shetty said. “It talks of all the principles of business—why it is the responsibility of people with some skill to become leaders and go forward and carry on duties.”

The Lean Startup, By Eric Ries

Today digitisation is disrupting every industry. From a masala dosa stall to the cardiac industry, everyone wants to get perfection before getting a product to the market. There is no way to anticipate how the market will react to the product.

“Take us for instance. We have been running software for the last 30 years and have spent billions on this. Until we decided to do this on our own. Five-six years ago, we started subsidiaries—one in India and one in the U.S.—the idea was to digitise healthcare. This has been the guiding force,” Shetty said.

The aim is to do something and develop it with feedback at a minimum cost.

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos And The Age Of Amazon, By Brad Stone

This is the story of how Amazon started. It's a remarkable story.

“I admire Walmart too—the journey of how it was built from a tiny shop to a global giant in one's lifetime. Even Amazon has taken people by surprise,” Shetty said.

Made In America, By Sam Walton And John Huey

“This is a true story of grit and perseverance of an ordinary person. Everyday low price is a key lesson that this book talks of and this has stayed with me, and is something we have tried to imbibe in our business,” Shetty said.

Who Moved My Cheese, By Dr Spencer Johnson

This is a book on changing one's perspective. “As a doctor, when we enter the profession, we feel that we will retire working in the same manner,” Shetty said. “We believe that patients will still line up for our appointments and put up with all the shortcomings in providing care.”

However, there will come a time (it is happening already) when patients will talk to doctors on video and will say that the “doctor is in my pocket”, according to Shetty. “This will reduce geographical barriers and we don't need to go to a place and will be able to treat 10 times more patients. More than anything, we will enjoy the process of healing.”