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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.)

Uddhav raises hackles over India-Pak cricket

Mumbai:  The Shiv Sena (UBT) unleashed a major offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Central government accusing them of ‘betraying national sentiments’ by permitting an India-Pakistan teams encounter in the upcoming Asia Cup cricket tournament in Dubai.

 

Leading the charge was SS (UBT) President and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, with MP Sanjay Raut, ex-minister Aditya Thackeray, Leader of Opposition Legislative Council Ambadas Danve and others joining him.

 

A livid Thackeray sought to know why the BJP was ignoring the recent Pahalgam terror attack (April 22) while giving a nod to the restoration of cricket ties.

 

“People take to the streets for dogs, pigeons and elephants. That is very good… But where was this compassion for the people who were massacred in Pahalgam or the women whose ‘sindoor’ was erased,” demanded Thackeray sharply.

 

Aiming at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statements that ‘Operation Sindoor’ is still on, Thackeray took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remarks on patriotism - “hot ‘sindoor’ is flowing in my blood’ – and asked sarcastically, “when did this ‘hot sindoor’ become cold”.

 

Accusing the BJP-led Centre of dual standards, the SS (UBT) supremo said that “when the Operation Sindoor took place, the entire Opposition sided with the Government”.

 

“Now, how can you even allow the Indian cricket team to play with Team Pakistan. Our armed forces fought and made sacrifices, yet the government takes the credit and permits this,” Thackeray said.

 

Raut shot off a letter to the PM asking: “You once declared that blood and water cannot flow together. Will blood and cricket now flow side by side?”

 

Flaying the match motive, Raut noted: “The blood of the Indians killed in the Pahalgam attack has not yet dried, or the tears of their families have not yet stopped. Playing cricket matches with Pakistan ins inhuman.”

 

Questioning the commercial-cum-political motives behind the Indo-Pak match, Raut alleged that usually matches between the two neighbours involved large-scale betting and gambling with BJP members reportedly joining in.

 

“Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and a key figure in international cricket, is steering these affairs. Is there a significant financial turnover for the BJP in this?” he questioned accusingly.

 

Worli MLA Aditya Thackeray wrote a separate letter to Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, accusing the government of ‘hypocrisy’.

 

Quoting the PM’s I-Day speech remark that “blood and water cannot flow together”, Thackeray Jr pointedly asked: “Is the BCCI above national interest? Above the sacrifice of our jawans? Above the ‘sindoor’ of the Pahalgam widows?”

 

Referring to other nations which have isolated aggressor states in the sports arena for greater causes, Aditya said that “terrorism is one such cause”, but the BCCI, driven by money and advertising revenue, has chosen cricket over the nation’s dignity.

 

Rooting with the SS (UBT) stance, Danve declared: “There should be no India-Pakistan match — not a series, not even a one-off contest.”

 

Thackeray Jr. took a swipe at the BCCI by referring to the new NCERT textbooks lessons on the Pahalgam attacks, asking the cricket body officials to ‘read it’.

 

“We had sent delegations to isolate Pakistan globally, but now our own cricket board is legitimizing them,” he said, as the Ss (UBT) attempted to nail nationalism - the BJP’s prime political plank.

 

 

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