Srinivasan Radhakrishnan is a faculty with the Department of Information Systems, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, USA. He has 25 years of global IT and academic experience. He publishes articles on project management and career/personality development. He has authored the books B+ Be Positive, Vetri Nichayam (Tamil), and Engeyo Ketta Kural (Tamil). He has recently come out with the book 30 Day CIO: No More “Layoffs”.

I chat with him about his book 30 Day CIO: No More “Layoffs”, what inspired him to write this book, book recommendations, and much more.

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am Srinivasan Radhakrishnan (Srini), an Information Technology professional with more than 25 years of global IT & academic experience. I hold a Master’s degree in Engineering and multiple professional certifications (PgMP®, PMI-ACP®, PMP®, CSCP®, CSM®, LSSYB, SAP® BW®, AWS-CCP & SAA Certified). I had worked with Intel for 16 years and am currently a faculty with the W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, USA. I have worked in India, USA, and Singapore.

My skills are in the areas of Information Technology, Program/Project Management, Agile & Kanban, Leadership, Mindfulness, Positive Thinking, Personality and Career Development. I have published articles in major publications and have served in the judging panel of corporate & technology awards. I have authored four books so far: B+ Be Positive, 30 Day CIO - No More “Layoffs”, Vetri Nichayam (Tamil) and Engeyo Ketta Kural (Tamil). I have been writing a self-development series in the Tamil monthly “Kamakoti” since 2015.

If you could only describe your book 30 Day CIO: No More “Layoffs” in one sentence, what would it be?

‘A Revolutionary Approach to Managing IT’, bringing in efficiencies thereby preventing the frequent layoffs that happen in the industry.

Now tell us a little more about the book! What can readers expect?

This book is centred around Smith, a senior IT manager, who takes over as Interim CIO to address the issue of multiple “lay-offs” that his organization has been going through. He engages in thought-provoking conversations with people across his global organization where he gets challenged.

Finally, Smith comes up with an innovative & revolutionary approach to managing IT, which fundamentally changes the way people work. For every issue highlighted in the book, contrasting perspectives from the employee and the management are discussed in detail. The book presents a solution to eliminating layoffs in the industry, improving employee morale and thus being successful.

The book has been written in a fiction style to lighten the advanced concepts outlined. The incidents and people are fictitious. Readers would see that the message that’s conveyed through the conversations is real and reflects the current challenges in the IT environment. In other words, this is fiction leading to the truth! Readers can expect fun-filled twists and turns making it an entertaining read.

What was the moment when the idea of the book first came to be? What made you pursue it?

The fact that frequent layoffs happen in the IT industry and people lose their jobs at a moment’s notice triggered my thought process. This book is the result of my years of experience, research, and quest to solve the issues prevalent in the IT industry. I wanted to give back to the industry in which I learned and grew. My search for answers resulted in this book.

Since you have 25 years of global IT and academic experience, what was it like translating that information into writing an IT Management book? Did you have to do any additional research for this book?

First of all, coming up with a solution to this perennial problem of layoffs was challenging. I wanted to ensure the solution is realistic and not dramatic. Complex problems always have a simple solution if you think differently and outside the box. I developed the solution in my mind but expressing the solution model in words was the next challenge. I have used conversations and charts to convey the solution. Besides, I attempted to address every dimension of the problem and provided a holistic solution.

Not only the solution, but the problem also needs to be realistic. In the book, Smith does a survey internally to understand the issues his employees and his organization are facing. I conducted a similar survey and interviewed several IT employees in different roles across the globe. The survey results were fed into the book.

Finally, my broad experience in the industry helped me comprehend the breadth and depth of the problem and the solution presented.

You are also the author of the books B+ Be Positive, Vetri Nichayam, and Engeyo Ketta Kural (Tamil). How was the writing process of 30 Day CIO: No More “Layoffs” different from your other books?

The primary difference is that my other books are in the positive thinking and self-development arena, while 30 Day CIO is a culmination of my several years of IT & Management experience.  I had to develop the book keeping in mind the diverse nature of the global audience. The issues addressed in the book are common to IT personnel across the globe.

While this is an IT management book, the solution that is developed is based on human behaviour and psychology, which are common to any industry. The issues have been analysed considering the various aspects of humans like body, mind and spirit. This one book is equivalent to more than 5 books when it comes to the issues identified and addressed. As you read the book, you would acknowledge the fact that a lot of thought process and research has been invested in each problem area.

There are two things in common for all these books.

First is the systematic and logical approach. Be it positive thinking or IT management issues, the book will take the reader through logical learning, answering the questions that come up in their minds.

The second thing is the recognition that I received for all of these books. 30 Day CIO: “No more Layoffs” was ranked as the top seller in Amazon-No. 2 in Business Industries & Professions, for the month of October 2021. My first book B+ Be Positive was well appreciated by the then CIO of Intel and was provided as a recommended read to all global leaders and managers at the IT Leadership Summit 2016. World-renowned Tamil scholar and recent Padma Shri awardee Prof. Dr. Solomon Pappaiah appreciated and gave a testimonial to my Tamil book Engeyo Ketta Kural.

What is the message that you want readers to take away from this book?

There is something in this book for readers who have experienced layoffs happening in their company or somewhere else, or those who want to know about the workings of the IT industry.

Certain books give a different message to different readers and at different points in time. This is one such book. You will get a few messages and learnings based on your experience and the environment that you are in, which could be different for someone else. It is important to read the book entirely to understand the importance and depth of the subjects discussed. In general, one will get to know the nuances in the IT industry and how to navigate their career in IT.

You will get to know how the management’s thoughts differ from the employee’s thoughts and why. The reader will be able to implement a lot of concepts that are discussed in the book. Besides, the model mentioned in the book can be modified/catered to any organization irrespective of domain, size or country.

If you need guidance in implementing this model for your organization or if there are questions or inputs after reading the book, please feel free to reach out to me through my website https://sriniradhakrishnan.com/.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I have a small library at home and my current reading list consists of multiple books at the same time. I recommend the book As a Man Thinketh by James Allen.

The book ‘30 Day CIO: No More "Layoffs"’ is available online and at your nearest bookstore.