The magic of books according to Izzet Garih
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF ALARKO HOLDING PLACES BOOKS AT THE CENTER OF HIS LIFE, AND REFLECTS ON HOW THEY DEFINED HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FATHER AS WELL AS SHAPING HIS APPROACH TO BUSINESS.
just like my true friends,” “MY BOOKS ARE says Izzet Garih, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alarko Holding, adding that his father, renowned businessman Uzeyir Garih, and Prof. Robert B. Harris from the University of Michigan inspired him to read. Garih describes his approach to the world of books with a quote from Francis Bacon: “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly”.
“I learned from my dear father that reading books is a habit that most develops our perception, comprehension, thinking, reasoning, decision-making, language and communication skills,” Garih says. “I can say that there was not a day in our house when no books were read. My father used to keep the books I was interested in the easiest and most accessible places of our house to develop this habit. First of all, as a parent, he has been a very important role model for me. We had ‘reading hours’ together, which was the most effective method for me to develop this habit. He always told me that the secret of successful people was their well-developed reading habits. •ver time, reading has become one of my most important pleasures, helping me to get to know different views and lives, to improve my vocabulary and to discover resources that I did not know about many subjects.”
While books on management, organization and investment occupy an important place in his library, Garih admits that history books, works adapted from real life and biographies hold a special place for him. “I have made several achievements in my business life by internalizing the ideas and suggestions I have adopted in these books,” he says.
In addition to reading, Garih also follows technological developments in business sectors and everything about financial issues in digital environments according to today’s conditions. “I believe electronic information sources are now extremely useful in the new world. They give us the opportunity to reach a level of competency in any topic and sub-topics very quickly and easily whenever we want, and this makes me very excited,” he says. “I owe my dynamism to the time I spend in these channels and the research I do. I nourish my energy and my healthy life philosophy from the books I read about nutrition and wellness.”
As for his favorite books, Garih says the “champions” are those that allow him to see the world in a new way and which draw him back repeatedly. “These are books that touch my life, and I would enjoy sharing them with you.”
Izzet Garih,
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alarko Holding
“I have made several achievements in my business life by internalizing the ideas and suggestions I have adopted in these books,”