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By:

Asha Tripathi

14 April 2025 at 1:35:28 pm

Stop Comparing, Start Growing

Success does not grow in comparison; it grows in focus. Over the years, women have made significant strides in every sphere of life. From managing homes to leading organisations, from nurturing families to building successful careers, women have proved that strength and resilience are deeply rooted in their nature. Financial independence has become a significant milestone for many women today, bringing with it confidence, dignity, and the freedom to shape one’s own destiny. However, along...

Stop Comparing, Start Growing

Success does not grow in comparison; it grows in focus. Over the years, women have made significant strides in every sphere of life. From managing homes to leading organisations, from nurturing families to building successful careers, women have proved that strength and resilience are deeply rooted in their nature. Financial independence has become a significant milestone for many women today, bringing with it confidence, dignity, and the freedom to shape one’s own destiny. However, along with growth has come another silent challenge — the tendency to constantly observe, compare, and sometimes even compete with the journeys of others. But a crucial question arises: Is it necessary to track the growth of others in order to grow ourselves? From my personal experience of more than two decades as an entrepreneur, I have realised something very powerful — true growth begins the moment we stop looking sideways and start looking within. A Small Beginning I had a flourishing career of teaching abroad, but when I restarted my career after moving back to India, my beginning was extremely small. My very first assignment was a simple home tuition for a single student, and the amount I earned was meagre. There was nothing glamorous about it. No recognition, no large batches, no big earnings. Just one student and one opportunity. But instead of worrying about how others were doing, how many students they had, or how much they were earning, I made a conscious decision—my only focus would be on improving myself. I focused on teaching better, preparing better, and becoming more disciplined and consistent. And slowly, without even realising it, things began to grow. One student became two, two became a small group, and gradually, over the years, the work expanded beyond what I had initially imagined. Looking back today, I can confidently say that the growth did not happen because I competed with others. It happened because I competed with myself yesterday. Comparison Creates Noise When we keep watching others' journeys too closely, we unknowingly divert our own energy. Comparison creates unnecessary noise in our minds. It brings doubts, insecurities, and sometimes even negativity. Instead of walking our own path with clarity, we start questioning our speed, our direction, and our worth. True success grows through focus, not comparison. Every woman has her own story, her own pace, and her own struggles that others may never see. The path of one person can never be identical to another's. So comparing journeys is like comparing two different rivers flowing towards the same ocean — each with its own route, its own curves, and its own rhythm. As women, we already carry many responsibilities. We balance emotions, relationships, work, and society's expectations. In such a life, the last thing we need is the burden of comparison with one another. Instead, what we truly need is support for each other. When women encourage women, something extraordinary happens. Confidence grows. Opportunities multiply. Strength becomes collective rather than individual. There is enough space in the world for every woman to create her own identity. Each of us can build our own niche without stepping on someone else's path. Choose Encouragement Envy weakens us, but encouragement empowers us. Rather than questioning how someone else is progressing, we can ask a more meaningful question: "How can I grow a little better than I was yesterday?" Lift As You Rise Today, after twenty years of experience, the most valuable lesson I have learned is simple yet profound — focus on your own work with honesty and dedication, and success will quietly follow you. We, women, are capable, resilient, and creative. We do not need to pull each other down or compete in unhealthy ways. Instead, we can lift each other up while building our own dreams. Because when one woman rises, she does not rise alone. She inspires many others to believe that they can rise, too. And perhaps that is the most beautiful form of success. (The writer is a tutor based in Thane. Views personal.)

Loss Aversion Is Why Your Good Idea Fails

Your upgrade is their loss until you prove otherwise.


Last week, Rahul wrote about a simple truth: you’re not inheriting a business, you’re inheriting an equilibrium. This week, I want to talk about the most common reason that equilibrium fights back even when your idea is genuinely sensible.


Here it is, in plain language:

People don’t oppose improvement. They oppose loss disguised as improvement.

When you step into a legacy MSME, most things are still manual, informal, relationship-driven. People have built their own ways of keeping work moving. It’s not perfect, but it’s familiar. When you introduce a new system, a new rule, a new “professional way,” you may be adding order but you’re also removing something they were using to survive.


And humans react more strongly to removals than additions.


Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky called this loss aversion where we feel losses more sharply than we feel gains. That’s why your promised “future benefit” struggles to compete with someone’s immediate fear.


Which seat are you stepping into?

  • Inherited seat: People assume you’ll change things quickly to “prove yourself”. They brace for loss even before you speak.

  • Hired seat: People watch for hidden agendas: “New boss means new rules, new blame.” They protect themselves.

  • Promoted seat: Your peers worry the old friendship is now replaced by authority. They fear loss of comfort and access.


Different seats, same emotion underneath: don’t take away what keeps me safe.


Weighing Scale

Think of an old kirana shop. The weighing scale may not be fancy, but it’s trusted. The shopkeeper has used it for years. Customers have seen it. Everyone has settled into that comfort.


Now imagine someone walks in and says, “We’re upgrading your weighing scale. This is digital. More accurate. More modern.”

Sounds good, right?

But what does the shopkeeper hear?

  • “My customers might think the old scale was wrong.” (loss of trust)

  • “I won’t be able to adjust for small realities.” (loss of flexibility)

  • “If the digital scale shows something different, I’ll be accused.” (loss of safety)

  • “This was my shop. Now someone else is deciding.” (loss of control)

So even if the new scale is better, the shopkeeper will resist or accept it politely and quietly return to the old one when nobody is watching.

That is exactly what happens in companies.


Modernisation Pitch

Most leaders pitch change like this:

  • “We’ll become world-class.”

  • “We’ll digitize.”

  • “We’ll improve visibility.”

  • “We’ll build a process-driven culture.”


But for the listener, these are not benefits. These are threats, because they translate into losses:

  • Visibility can mean exposure.

  • Process can mean loss of discretion.

  • Digitization can mean loss of speed (at least initially).

  • “Professional” can mean loss of status for the old guard.

So the person across the table is not debating your logic. They’re calculating their losses.


Practical Way

Watch what happens when you propose something simple like daily reporting.

You say: “It’s just 10 minutes. Basic discipline.”

They hear:

  • “Daily reporting means daily scrutiny.”

  • “If numbers dip, I will be questioned.”

  • “If I show the truth, it will create conflict.”

  • “If I don’t show the truth, I’ll be accused later.”

In their mind, the safest response is: nod, agree, delay.

Then you label them “resistant.”

But they’re not resisting change. They’re resisting loss.


Leader’s Job

If you want adoption in an MSME, don’t sell modernization as “upgrade”. Sell it as

protection.

Instead of: “We need an ERP.”

Try: “We need to stop money leakage and order confusion.”

Instead of: “We need systems.”

Try: “We need fewer customer escalations and less rework.”

Instead of: “We need transparency.”

Try: “We need fewer surprises at month-end.”

This is not manipulation. This is translation. You’re speaking the language the system understands: risk, leakage, blame, customer loss, cash loss, fatigue.

Field Test: Rewrite your pitch in loss-prevention language

Pick one change you’re pushing this month. Now write two versions:

Version A (your current pitch):

What you normally say: upgrade, modern, efficiency, best practices.

Version B (loss prevention pitch):

Use this template:

  1. What are we losing today? (money, time, customers, reputation, peace)

  2. Where is the leakage happening? (handoffs, approvals, rework, vendor delays)

  3. What small protection will this change create? (fewer disputes, faster closure, less follow-up)

  4. What will not change? (no layoffs, no humiliation, no sudden policing)

  5. What proof will we show in 2 weeks? (one metric, one visible win)

Now do one more important step:

For your top 3 stakeholders, write the one loss they think they will face if your change happens. Don’t argue with it. Just name it.

Because once you name the fear, you can design around it.


The close

If you remember only one thing from this week, remember this:

A “good idea” is not enough in a legacy MSME. People need to feel safe adopting it.

You don’t have to dilute your standards. You just have to stop selling change like a TED talk and start selling it like a protection plan.

Next week, we’ll deal with another invisible force that keeps companies stuck even when they agree with you:

the status quo isn’t a baseline. It’s a competitor.

(The writer is CEO of PPS Consulting, can be reached at rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz)

 

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