Catalyst: The ultimate strategies on how to win at work and in life

by Chandramouli Venkatesan

A good job, hard work, IQ, EQ, good communication skills--these are all ingredients for a successful life. The presence of these elements alone, however, does not guarantee success. To convert them into long-term success, you need certain stimuli which precipitate or accelerate your growth. This robustly effective book identifies the various catalysts that you can cultivate and how you can leverage them to propel yourself in your work and life.Accessible, engaging and easy to follow, and written by someone who has experienced all this in real life and not in theory, Catalyst will arm you with the right tools to succeed at your work place and get the most out of every moment, every day.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Leadership, Personal Development, Management, Productivity

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2018

Reviews

[Bharath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catalyst starts with a very sound premise. Growth in the workplace needs a catalyst – the presence of skills is not enough. A set of attributes, behaviours and circumstances need to come together for success. I have read quite a few self-help books till date, and my expectations are high in terms of incremental knowledge gained from each book I read. While I found ‘Catalyst’ to be a book which is genuine, crisp with some good techniques one can apply at work, it did not add too much to me that I did not already know.

Mouli starts with his personal experiences and how the techniques he is advocating came about. He started by collating the material and running it past a limited set of people at his workplace, and later other organisations. He starts with how personal growth is critical and advocates applying the ‘TMTT’ framework (Target, Measure, Review, Reflection). He makes the important point on how one needs to maximise learning as part of the job. Time spent on the job does not equate to personal growth automatically. The second half of the book discusses how in many cases growth tapers off in the second half of the career and what one should do to reinvigorate it.

A lot of the advice in the book is sound. It is also direct and presented well. The definition Mouli uses for success is very limiting though and also old style. Each person needs to define success for oneself rather than adopt a boilerplate definition of it meaning climbing the organisation hierarchy. There is also very limited material on fostering creativity (which is very critical to achievement as well as satisfaction), ways to promote focus (such as with mindfulness), personality types and important of culture.

Consider reading it if you have not read too many self-help books. This book is not pretentious unlike many others, and the techniques are simple and practical.

My rating: 3.25 / 5.

[Hriday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many many years ago at Business School I befriended a gentleman who had been the 100 percentiler in the entrance that year. Over the years we became close friends. He was loyal to a fault, extremely practical, has outstanding time management skills and turned out absolutely stunning ppts ; the only skill which MBAs are admired for.
But despite all his virtues I admit he was not an interesting character. He was a teetotaller, had clear 5 year goals and 10 year goals (while the rest of us were clueless), never broke the speed limit, didn’t show the slightest interest in the other gender as he was focused on studies/ projects and so on. In contrast I was the local delinquent, bum, wit and wag all rolled into one. Conversations with him while engaging were always about Leadership, Intuition, Goal Setting and never ended without us rediscovering some managerial precept from the Bhagvad Geetha or Siddhartha by Hesse or Robin Sharma.
If you haven’t figured out yet I am politely saying he was a boring man. Reading Catalyst gave me a similar feeling. The book is written in tedious prose, chock full of MBA Jargon, has very few original ideas. Heck it even has that classical MBA tool the 2 by 2 matrix.
However in reality the unfortunate part is that both Mr Venkatesan and my friend are absolutely right in each one of their observations. There is nothing sexy or risky about success. Overnight success is the exception not the norm. It is the outcome of measured decisions which focus on learning, challenges , measuring ones performance on targets and reviewing and reflection.
Some of the major ideas which Mr Venkatesan discusses include the TMRR framework( Target, Measure, Review, Reflection), Stephen Covey’s Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence, The importance of mentors and good bosses, values and so on. In fact when I read the lines “A career is a marathon not a sprint” I could hear my friend speaking the words as he used to use the exact same phrase a decade ago. Which might explain the relative outlier like success of my friend in hardly a decade since his career began.
All the ideas mentioned above might seem trite, jargonesque and oft repeated but their import lies in the way Mr Venkatesan frames his arguments which I believe might be even more impactful in his seminars( on which this book is based)
We could say there is nothing innovative about this book as it repeats many old ideas in a new bottle. But it is we who need to introspect if success comes from the latest “productivity hacks” or following old fashioned methods and old world values such as “honesty” and “humility”. Which is precisely why whenever a wild idea like a career change hits my mind the first person I call is my boring friend who also happens to be the most loyal and reliable friend I have who gives sane advice. In other words childish as it may sound “a best friend” :P
PS: The book is more suited for those in managerial roles not entry level roles. Nor is it very appropriate for entrepreneurs.

[Rashmi Lohkna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, it is nice, polite and covers several good points. But, it is not engaging or an interesting read. As the author clarifies at the beginning, it is a philosophy shared by a person based on his/her own personal opinions. It feels like a sea of data where you will have to be patient and struggle through the book to find few good insights (which you already know, but the author presented it better and you like it! (IF)).

[Avishek Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloquent, impressive, deployable & amazingly impactful

[Vignesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book I want to attend one of his "Tee of with Mouli" sessions. I hope I will get a chance.
After reading Daniel Kahneman and listening to Hans Rosling on Ted talks, I was always sceptical of small number of samples and generalization of results based on small amount of data. But Mouli's catalyst even though the concepts mentioned are generalized using a small number of people that he has observed during his career, seems to make sense.
I don't know if I will achieve career success by following his advice but I am sure I will be a much better person if I do. Thank you.

[Vijit Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book I have read. Divided career into 2 parts (starting 20 years and next 20 years). Initial first half should be focused on real individual growth. People feel that experience directly leads to real individual growth but thats myth, catalyst is needed for the conversion. TMRR (target, measure, review, reflection), productivity, circle of concern/influence. Focus on depth versus width in the first half. Having great mentor/boss as some of major highlights. 

[Varun Krishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone starting or in the early stages of their career.

[Anirban · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read a lot of books listing the ways to become successful in life and career. Well this book focuses on something which aides the process to become successful. As the name suggest it talks about 'catalysts' to success.
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The book is divided into three sections. In the first section, the author talks about development of our skills and productivity or to quote from the book, "real individual growth". In the second one, which I found most interesting, he talks about focusing our efforts 'where it matters' i.e., in the second half of the career even while we are in the first half. He further talks about the decision of switching companies (something our generation does very frequently for short term gains) and also the impact of bosses and mentors in shaping our careers. Finally, he discusses an aspect which is actually one of the most important for shaping our careers but is often taken for granted - life and values.
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I'll say this is a very practical book but would be more effective for those who have experienced a few years of corporate life as they would be able to relate more to the topics discussed. I feel it is more of a guideline as every journey is different and there is no panacea for success and as the author said, first and foremost we need to understand, 'why do we want to succeed' as 'success is a means to an end, not an end in itself.'

[Ganesh Muthupalani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up while waiting to start my 1st job as I was curious to find out what created career success. Based purely on his career experience, Chandramouli Venkatesan shared tangible nuggets of wisdom on career success throughout the book (building your experience algorithm, seeking & completing learning opportunities, building a strong foundation in your 1st half, finding good bosses & mentors, knowing when to quit). This book would be perfect for someone who is starting their career fresh and has the same question as me.

Here's one of my biggest takeaways from the book - Building an experience algorithm.
Everyone works long and hard but only a few convert effort into an experience algorithm. It's this algorithm you use to respond to future scenarios well. And how does one build a strong experience algorithm? By constantly reviewing and reflecting.

Some questions you can ask yourself (but not limited to the following)
- What could you have done differently?
- Why could you not anticipate these areas right up front?
- Is it because you are lacking a particular skill?

Here's an example from the author's 2nd book Get Better at Getting Better. Ajay, Vijay and Sanjay are feeling really hungry past midnight and are searching for a restaurant. After driving around for an hour all of them find a place called Shetty's restaurant.

When everyone is asked what they would do when in a similar situation in future, Ajay says "Next time I am hungry late at night, I'll drive to Shetty's restaurant". Vijay says "Shetty's is next to a train station. I'll find the nearest train station because there is a good chance that restaurants opposite train stations are open late at night.". And Sanjay says "Shetty's was opposite a train station. Likely restaurants at all transport hubs are open too". Whose experience algorithm is the best?

[Girish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that this is a wonderful book. In my review, I wont be divulging any of the teachings which author has shared in his book but will be commenting on overall quality, pace and relevance of the work.
All the teachings which author has taken in his book are easily relatable and while reading the book, you will definitely imagine yourself in the similar situations provided by author. His astute understanding of the corporate world has enable him to present those advices in the book which will have a high impact on the life of reader. And there are many portions in this book, where the content is not just limited to corporate life but takes into account personal life as well.
Overall after reading this book, I came out very satisfied with the choice I have made to select this book. And I am pretty sure that in future I will be rerturning to this book again and again to soak up its learnings and apply them in my life.

[Bharadwaj Embar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book that everyone should read. It may seem deceptively linked with only corporate life, but when you unwind each chapter, it serves more of a North star for personal betterment. I have mainly taken away the following concepts:
1. TMRR
2. Rocks and Sand
3. Decisions around when to jump ship and move to another company

A truly wonderful book indeed!

[Anant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Not related to career building in tech alone, can be read by anyone from a different domain.

[Nahiyan Asadullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, practicable & fast-paced.

[Hanif Kulad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for for success aspirants. Strategies for success both in professional and personal life in simple words. Best suited in Indian work culture context.

[Aarzu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a very interesting and informative read, written in a lucid way. Whilst each one much possess the basic ingredients of success such as IQ, skills, expertise, domain knowledge that does not constitute a good recipe for success, and we need to use certain triggers or catalyst to assist us in the process. As the title suggests the book suggests certain catalyst which can enhance the speed of success at workplace and ultimately put a person on the path of faster career progression.
Success in today’s world has become a relative concept, in the VUCA works while one might be working as hard as one could , sometimes that’s not enough , we often need assistance - from people around us- friends /family/mentors or even from ourselves in a way that it catalyses our success.
My favourite part of the book is where is talks about the "ROCKS FIRST" concept- which briefly translate that if life is a jar, supposed to be filled with sand and stones- if ones fills the jar with sand there is no space for stones however filling it with stones and the gaps with sand does the job. The author talks about this in the context of circle of influence and circle of concern meaning one should burn his/her energy on things one can control or has a control /influence over. Hence worry about the rocks, focus on them, the sand /the things that concern you can wait and need not be prioritised.
Besides this major takeaways from the book-
1) The book insists on following the TMRR Framework to catalyse success. It stands for target measure review and reflect. This framework is essential as it helps one set sizeable and measurable goals and then on review, one can reflect on what could have been done better. This is unlike degrading oneself where the pessimist inside us gets over and we can just see the mistakes committed in the journey.
2) The book speaks of the importance of having great learning curves in one’s life which propels success.
3) Another catalyst is the presence of mentors which guide and support us to do better. One may argue that it is a sheer matter of fate, if one ends up with a great mentor, after all great mentors are like gold dust. However the book speaks about that too- by being a good subordinate, joining organisations who have history of good leaders and then nurturing a relationship with those, once you find one.
4)On personal front the book says that changes in attitude such as focusing on circle of influence and not worrying about the circle of concern can greatly impact the productivity at workplace. This productivity is a catalyst for career progression. This is because people spend surmountable amount of time and energy focusing on thing in the circle of concern, which brings zero results however adds to the negativity instead.
5) The book also talks how values one possess seriously impact work. While it’s a common notion that work impacts life, the author begs to differ and states that life impacts work and goes on to state his personal two lodestar values of two H's -Pristine Honesty and humility which has laid the foundation for success.
6) The author says that building of habits - something that gives you a sense of achievement beyond achievement at work is a catalyst for success.
7) The author mentions that the 1st half of career is itself a catalyst for the 2nd half. While people focus immensely on first half, they lose the energy or become complacent in the second halves. He however insists of making the first half a catalyst for the successful second one.

I would definitely recommend this book and would myself return to it in the future.

[Girish Nerkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives a bunch of messages which are pretty obvious. The focus of this book is on improving yourself to become better at what you do and thus become successful. It tells things like setting targets for yourself and reviewing what you can do to improve your performance. But that’s the good part. Where I lost interest is that it’s pretty superficial. It never goes in depth of the matter. In short it’s not a how to book, it’s more like what you need to do to become successful. If I had to give an analogy then imagine a cookbook which tells you the ingredients and tells you what makes a good dish but how doesn’t tell you what the proportions of the ingredients are or tell you how to cook. Maybe because the the author is talking from his own experiences and wouldn’t really want to come across as a know it all. One more thing I feel the book is lacking is good examples. There are examples but I feel they don’t really reach a meaningful conclusion and are superficial. The book also tells you what you should do to be successful but doesn’t tell you how to correct the mistakes you’ve made. So it’s a book more for the people who are beginning their careers since people who have already started their journey already know what the author wants to say and the author doesn’t talk about corrective action.

[Anish Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have words to describe how great this book is. The author wrote it so brilliantly that you would be glued to it. I would say it is a MUST read for all those who are working in the Corporate World. This book has enlightened me so much so that at work my directors have now changed their perception about me. This indeed happened only after implementing the ideas suggested in this book. Not even a single word in this book is a waste. Every word written is with only one intention to help the reader. The language is not difficult at all. I never re-read a book once i finish it but It is going to change this time. There are so many ideas in this book which I don't think I can digest in just one sitting. Go for it guys. I want to thank the author immensely for bringing out this book. I googled about him and watched almost all his Youtube videos. He is indeed a great personality & someday would definitely like to meet him . And yea 5 starts is just too less for this commendable work. I would have rated it 10+ given the opportunity.

[Priyanka Jayaraman · Rating 4 out of 5]

How often have we thought that people who switch jobs are in for a fast track career while those who continue are not so ambitious?

The author beautifully explains a lot of questions and doubts that people have about development in career. He starts to explain what actually means by experience and how we often confuse numbers to be translated into learning while that isnt the case most of the time. He explains how one must work and what we must look for while switching a job.

While I expected this book to continue to speak only about what we must do, it continues to describe the importance of people we associate ourselves with to have a good career in the long run. It had a chapter even dedicated to having a work-life balance and how that translates into work.

While this book only spans about 200 pages, this book is heavy on content. I literally had to jot down so many things and that took time. It is definitely a great book for people working in corporate or looking to succeed in career. I learnt so much from this and would definitely recommend this!

[Vadassery Rakesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a dearth of good management or self help books from Indian authors, if you leave aside a Robin Sharma or a CK Prahlad. Partly this is because a general apathy of Indians towards books authored by fellow Indians. A recent survey among wannabe Indian writers brought out that none of the indian authors or their books featured in their favorite list.
Catalyst is a book of highest standards and we can see the sincerity of the author in each of those lines in uplifting the readers. He has written this book from his heart. And I won't hesitate to say that this is one of the best books in the self-help space.
Just like the book alchemist falls short of becoming a classic because it was too short for a classic, this book too is being given a four star rating only because it was too short. But shortness does not take away the sweetness. Read this book, folks. It is a great one.

[Akshay Ratan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well structured, lucid thought process to help with perspectives to formulate your own individual charter for career growth. The book talks about Experience, Personal Productivity, Career Management and Life Values in an interesting lens from the experience of the author in the corporate sector. The book is full of great mental models of converting time spent at work to a real experience, maximizing learning cycles to truly drive individual growth, thought leadership, personal productivity to take on bigger challenges, changing organizations etc. Last part of the book also talks about personal value systems which are a fundamental asset in great leaders.

Overall a great read, would recommend folks who are in the journey of becoming better managers and leaders to read this one!

[Heena Garg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is different from entrepreneur genre books. Most of the books motivates to start something your own but this one can help all those people who are in the corporate jobs and want to stay in the same.
For me, it was mix type of advises i.e some were helpful and some were uninteresting. The anecdotes & examples were also mediocre, not captivating.
It is a quick read & solution, if you are in dilemma for any decision related to your job.

Still I had one favorite advise from the book:
Delay Gratification : Most of the times, it is worth to prioritize learning over appreciations. If we can live without our efforts acknowledgment in the first half of our career then the experience/learning would be fruitful in the second half of the career.

[Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouli’s career in itself is an MBA grad’s wet dream. I was sure a book based on his experiences and observation in corporate life would make for a good read. Though not a comprehensive guide for career aspirants, this well structured book answers few important FAQs that most of us have.

[Vibhor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read about how you can use a few catalysts in life to be successful. The way it was written is a bit hard to read and despite being a short book, it took me a few sitting to finish it. Some concepts are good to know, especially for a young professional in the corporate.

[Veenit Mavani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catalyst might seem a run-of-the-mill productivity and self-improvement book, but it has a few nuggets and insights that we all might know, but do not realise. Couple of things that stood out for me were around:
1. How your first half of the career can be a catalyst for your second half.
2. Importance of ensuring you have the opportunity to work on initiatives/projects that end up being major learning cycles in your life (as the author calls it)
3. The Maslows hierarchy equivalent at for motivation at work i.e. Achievements, Mastery & Purpose (from bottom to top)
4. The importance of a Passionate Striving Hobby, where you try to compete with yourself and not others

[Kamal Razdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Indian perspective on crafting a successful career.

[Venkateswara Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title of the book title suggest, the author describes many actionable steps that one should take to have a successful professional career. I really liked the emphasis the author gives on the idea of regularly reflecting on the day and foundation building which most of us know but don't actually do it enough.

The book leaves the readers to think about the purpose of why they want to succeed, which is something that everyone has to find for themselves and is very important to actually succeed.

[Pradeep Singh Chavda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for developing professional career...

[Geetika Suroliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catalyst is an eye opener for any management graduate on the brink of entering the sales world. He uses relatable examples to expound on his recommendations. The one which really stayed with me as a reader was his analogy on how one should plan a career trajectory like a golf ball, soaring for a few hundred yards. The writing is succinct , engaging and actionable. Highly recommended.

[Ajay Ghai · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a concept called as 'Level of Incompetence', I reckon in one of Malcolm Gladwell's books. Catalyst helps answer the why and how in terms of overcoming it in some way.

Overall a great book and he has defined what steps we need to take in order to ensure we get closer to success, whether it ultimately happens depends on other factors as well. If you are in your twenties, this is an absolute must read and if in thirties and beyond, never late to act on some fundamentals outlined in the book.

[Ram S · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started out in my career, I was not really career minded or actively spent time thinking about the same. I wish I had the book then and recommend it to anyone starting out or even mid way in their career.

Briefly the author mentions that the number of years in your experience is hardly the factor that reflects your skill level. He lays out his TMRR (Target, Measure, Review, Reflect) algorithm in which the person actively sets goals and measures them as well as reviews and reflects on them. This is through the simple question of "What I could do better?" being constantly asked. Often, I move from one initiative to other without fundamentally reflecting and assuming that success is its own reward. Unfortunately, this does not count because you have not incorporated the lessons in your behavior.

The author then says that in addition to experience being catalyzed by "TMRR" into knowledge, the person has to go through major learning cycles where he sees a project from inception to conclusion. I agree. Its only when you stay through the complete life-cycle of product development (from concept to implementation and support) you get the full benefit. For many people in IT, it is when they first do an RFP and complete the cycle that they learn how the business works. The author says there are 2 to 3 major learning cycles in every persons life that should be leveraged.

The key factor in the learning cycle is the productivity of person. The person should pay more attention to things under his influence as well as focus on core issues of life, health, family before they get lost into the detail of humdrum work life.

The next section kind of piqued my interest. We often see people fresh out of college struggling hard to get one up into their career. The things at that phase are very competitive. However, it is the authors contention is that success in first half is easier as the organizational base is wider. It is much easier to become a Project Manager from a Team Lead. It is much more difficult to become a CTO from a Group Manager in second half. Thus the author contends people spend the first half (20 yrs out of 40 yrs) in working for a good boss that helps you improve your TMRR, delay immediate gratification, gain knowledge and stop running the rat race. Some tips on how to achieve a good foundational first half is to get your hands dirty, focus on depth over width and volunteer for big learning cycles. The author is also in favor of longer stints in companies which allow us to see a process unfold over many years rather than shorter stints. He also recommends keeping the resign decision and join decision separate when moving between jobs for a better career.

The author stresses a lot on using your life in itself as a catalyst for work by generating a good value system. He says without good values attaining a great position in an organization or having a great strategic content will not be very effective and influential.

Lastly, the author stresses to have a solo hobby like marathon running, golf or cycling to help us satisfy our need to achieve continuously which may not be satisfied completely at work. However, by actively pursuing this hobby you will be more in a zone to bring out the best in others.

A superb read.