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By:

Divyaa Advaani 

2 November 2024 at 3:28:38 am

When agreement kills growth

In the early stages of building a business, growth is often driven by clarity, speed, and conviction. Founders make decisions quickly, rely on their instincts, and push forward with a strong sense of belief in their methods. This decisiveness is not only necessary, it is often the very reason the business begins to grow. However, as businesses cross certain thresholds, particularly beyond the Rs 5 crore mark, the nature of growth begins to change. What once created momentum can quietly begin...

When agreement kills growth

In the early stages of building a business, growth is often driven by clarity, speed, and conviction. Founders make decisions quickly, rely on their instincts, and push forward with a strong sense of belief in their methods. This decisiveness is not only necessary, it is often the very reason the business begins to grow. However, as businesses cross certain thresholds, particularly beyond the Rs 5 crore mark, the nature of growth begins to change. What once created momentum can quietly begin to create limitations. In many professional environments, it is not uncommon to encounter business owners who are deeply convinced of their approach. Their methods have delivered results, their experience reinforces their judgment, and their confidence becomes a defining trait. Yet, in this very confidence lies a subtle risk that is often overlooked. When conviction turns into certainty without space for dialogue, conversations begin to narrow. Suggestions are heard, but not always considered. Perspectives are offered, but not always encouraged. Decisions are made, but not always explained. From the outside, this may still appear as strong leadership. Internally, however, a different dynamic begins to take shape. People start to agree more than they contribute. This is where many businesses unknowingly enter a critical phase. When teams, partners, or stakeholders begin to hold back their perspective, the quality of thinking around the business reduces. What appears as alignment is often silent disengagement. What looks like efficiency is sometimes the absence of challenge. Over time, this directly affects the decisions being made. At a Rs 5 crore level, this may not be immediately visible. Operations continue, revenue flows, and the business appears stable. But as the organisation attempts to grow further, this lack of diverse thinking begins to surface as a constraint. Growth slows, not because of lack of effort, but because of limited perspective. On the other side of this equation are individuals who consistently find themselves accommodating such dynamics. They recognise when their voice is not being fully heard, yet choose not to assert it. The intention is often to preserve relationships, avoid friction, or maintain a sense of professional ease. Initially, this approach appears collaborative. Over time, however, it begins to shape perception. When individuals do not express their perspective, they are gradually seen as agreeable rather than essential. Their presence is valued, but their input is not actively sought. In many cases, they become part of the process, but not part of the decision. This is where personal branding begins to influence business outcomes in ways that are not immediately obvious. A personal brand is not built only through visibility or achievement. It is built through how consistently one demonstrates clarity, confidence, and openness in moments that require it. It is shaped by whether people feel encouraged to think around you, or restricted in your presence. At higher levels of business, this distinction becomes critical. If people agree with you more than they challenge you, it may not be a sign of strong leadership. It may be an indication that your environment is no longer enabling better thinking. Similarly, if you find yourself constantly adjusting to others without expressing your own perspective, your contribution may be diminishing in ways that affect both your influence and your growth. Both situations carry a cost. They affect decision quality, limit innovation, and over time, restrict the scalability of the business itself. What makes this particularly challenging is that these patterns develop gradually, often going unnoticed until the impact becomes difficult to ignore. The most effective leaders recognise this early. They create space for dialogue without losing direction. They express conviction without dismissing perspective. They build environments where contribution is expected, not avoided. In doing so, they strengthen not only their business, but also their personal brand. For entrepreneurs operating at a stage where growth is no longer just about execution but about expanding thinking, this becomes an important point of reflection. If there is even a possibility that your current interactions are limiting the quality of thinking around you, it is worth addressing before it begins to affect outcomes. I work with a select group of founders and professionals to help them refine how they are perceived, communicate with greater impact, and build personal brands that support sustained growth. You may explore this further here: https://sprect.com/pro/divyaaadvaani In the long run, it is not only the decisions you make, but the thinking you allow around those decisions, that determines how far your business can truly grow. (The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

Controlling overcrowding key on local trains

Mumbai: Controlling overcrowding is the key to avoid accidents on Mumbai suburban local trains and in an affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court last year, the Central Railway (CR) had sought the court’s help to direct the Maharashtra government to introduce staggered timing for offices as one of the measures to do so.


During hearing on a PIL regarding accidents on Mumbai’s suburban railway network last year, the then Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Upadhyaya had said, “I feel ashamed. The manner in which passengers in local trains are made to commute is unacceptable.” He had also directed the railway authorities to file affidavit outlining concrete measures to mitigate accidents and emphasized the need for a fundamental shift in the Railways’ approach towards passenger safety, stressing that the current situation demands immediate rectification.


The grim situation of accidents on suburban railways came forth in the affidavit. While the Central Railway (CR) has 1,810 suburban services that carry 40 lakh passengers, a whopping 29,321 people have lost lives in various accidents on the CR between 2005 and July 2024. According to CPRO Dr Swapnil Dhanraj Nila, “Existing passenger carrying capacity is almost fully utilised and there is hardly any scope for increasing it further (to control overcrowding) till the basic infrastructure is expanded.”


Reason of deaths

The affidavit filed by the CR said that most of the accidents were due to crossing the tracks, some were due to falling off crowded trains, while some were due to passengers being knocked down by poles adjacent to railway tracks and even gaps between platform and train footboards, among other reasons. The affidavit stated that in 2009, there were 1,782 deaths and 1,614 people were injured, which came down to 1,221 deaths and 938 injuries in 2023.


The CR had also sought the assistance of the court to direct the Maharashtra government to introduce staggered timing for offices. It had also sought the removal of some encroachments along the railway tracks, especially at Parsik Tunnel, stopping of unauthorised sand mining at Mumbra creek and a parallel road between Thane and Kalyan.


Experts say

Transport expert Sudhir Badami points at yet another issue – “making attractive mass transit system affordable.”


“The railway board has now decided that all rakes under manufacturing for Mumbai Suburban network will have automatic door closer facility. However, controlling the overcrowding is the key and that would need policy intervention and holistic approach towards resolving the transport issues of the region,” he said.


15 coach locals

MP from Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency Dr Shrikant Shinde, who visited the injured commuters at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital at Kalwa said that increasing the capacity of transporting more number of passengers quickly is the need of the hour. “Locals need to be made less crowded. Fast locals need to be started between Diwa and CSMT for that. Also, starting the fifth and sixth lines up to CSMT at earliest is must. Raising the number of 15-car rakes during peak hours too can be a very effective way to tackle the issue of overcrowding in the locals,” the MP said.

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