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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.)

Firm ‘thumbs down’ by commuters, groups

Mumbai: The Indian Railways’ purported plans to retrofit automatic doors in all suburban local trains has encountered a firm ‘nyet’ from both the harried commuters and passengers’ organisations.

 

The proposal was reiterated by Central Railway Chief PRO Swapnil Nila at his media briefing on Monday, hours after the freak tragedy in which several commuters fell from two zooming locals in opposite directions, killing four, plus injuring 9 others.

 

Nila said that the railways has taken the decision on automatic opening-closing doors to prevent recurrence of similar mishaps, especially among footboard travellers.

 

Reacting sharply, Rail Yatri Parishad (RYP) President Subhash Gupta said that the CR official is deliberately ‘misguiding’ Mumbaikars as the Railway Minister has already announced that all suburban local trains in Mumbai will be converted to air-conditioned.

 

“Then where is the question of retrofitting these local trains with automatic doors and what purpose will be served? The CR CPRO is misleading the people instead of making any concrete suggestions,” Gupta told The Perfect Voice.

 

Thane Railway Pravasi Sanstha (TRRPS) President Nandkumar D. Deshmukh expressed doubts over the proposal, and said that “automatic doors are feasible only for AC trains”.

 

“The Railway Board members and other bigwigs must commute in Mumbai trains for a few days to understand the commuters’ hazards, plus this idea has flopped once. Unfortunately, the IR is still mired in archaic rules that date back to 1853 (when the country’s first railway started on Mumbai-Thane route),” Deshmukh told The Perfect Voice.

 

Gupta said instead of resolving the pressing need to increase the carrying capacity and train frequency, “such an idea of automatic doors will actually derail both”.

 

On an average, a suburban train halts barely 25 seconds at each station, people jump off or inside, even before it fully stops.

 

“If automatic doors are fitted, the train will need to fully stop, then the doors will open, the commuters will rush out or inside, wait till all the humans are properly accommodated, the automatic doors will shut, then the train can roll. This can take almost 90-100 seconds. This in turn will hugely disturb the train schedules and frequency cannot be increased,” explained Gupta.

 

Regular suburban commuters like Kiran V., Radhika Pawar, Rajesh Shah and Pradeep Menon rubbished the automatic doors plans as downright ludicrous and impractical – echoing the sentiments of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray on the issue.

 

“With all doors open, people get suffocated in the jam-packed trains… Imagine the situation when the doors shut… The government will need to provide oxygen cylinders inside the coaches,” said Menon sarcastically.

 

Women commuters Kiran and Radhika said the automatic doors could provide ‘an extra degree of safety in ladies compartment’, so they can avoid molesters, stone-pelters, chain-mobile-bag snatchers or other pests, “but the stifling conditions will still remain”.

 

On the other hand, Shah feels that instead of frittering resources on grandiose projects like the Bullet Train, the government should replace all local trains with air-conditioned coaches and reduce the ticket rates besides increasing  the frequency of trains.

 

‘Save your life, not your job’

Thane: It was on January 3, 2025 that a professional baby-sitter Snehal Kanhaiya Ratate’s life changed – after she got jostled out of a packed ladies’ local train compartment at Dahisar. She suffered considerable head injuries, cuts and bruises, needing expensive treatment for nearly three months. 


At that time, her older sisters Manali Joshi, Priyanka and her husband Kishore Gowale, and others cared for her - and she survived, but lost her well-paying job.


“The Borivali-Virar train was jammed. I had barely a couple of fingers on the handle bar. As the train entered Dahisar, there was an abrupt surge of commuters, I lost my grip, and crashed violently on the platform from the moving train,” Snehal Ratate, 27, recalling the ordeal with a shudder.


Her advice to Mumbaikars: “Avoid hanging out from crowded trains… Remember, you can get the next train or a new job, but not your life…”

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