MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK: Success Tactics You Won't Learn in B-School

Kash, a professor at the Wharton School of Business and an international business consultant, is a self-made millionaire. Starting out without any special connections or advantages, he has managed to make, lose and remake several fortunes. His principles for success are straightforward: take advantage of luck, talk to people even when you don't know who they are, be honest and help others. Kash recalls when he was in a difficult negotiating position with some Japanese investors. When the investors saw Kash stop to help a blind woman on the street, they immediately agreed to close the deal. The reason: they saw him as a helpful, generous man. While Kash is obviously an optimist, he's also realistic: "The first thing you have to realize about business is that rejection is a badge of honor. You don't go anywhere in the business world without taking risks, exposing yourself and your ideas to criticism, and then occasionally experiencing rejection for them. This takes courage." Written in a chatty, informal style, the book is full of anecdotes from Kash's own life, and the upbeat messages are tempered with a dose of humility and wit. Though some of his advice is familiar, Kash's warm, personal tone and emphasis on respect toward others makes this book more appealing than other tomes in this genre. Agent, Linda Roghaar. (Jan. 1)