What Cricket Taught Us About Profitability

Week 2 – Series: Do Less, Grow More (More Work ≠ More Growth)

You do not win matches by chasing every ball but by holding your field

This week, we zoom in—because the execution problem is not limited to founders and CXOs. It runs through the entire team. Teams are not failing because of a lack of effort. They are failing because everyone is moving, but no one is aligned.

The Myth: More Energy Means More Efficiency

In many growing businesses, there is a popular belief: “We’re always busy, so we must be doing well.” But being busy is not the problem. Scattered execution is —and it's profit erosion in disguise.

We saw this firsthand at a three-outlet automotive spare parts business in Thane. Sales were strong and footfall was steady, but margins were flat. Why? Because each branch was solving the same problems in completely different ways.

• One store gave discounts upfront, while another called the owner for every pricing decision.

• A third delayed restocking because the team “wasn’t sure if it was needed.”

• Technicians fielded walk-in queries, while senior staff chased down old bills.

• And no one knew who was responsible for dispatch delay alerts.

High energy. Zero clarity. Profits are leaking everywhere.

execution sprawl = kaam har jagah ho raha hai, lekin kahin poora nahi ho raha)

Effort Is Not Enough; Focus Is What Scales.

The real issue was not attitude—it was alignment. Everyone was involved, but no one was truly accountable. And as the chaos grew louder, the owner kept stepping in, believing their presence would fix the gaps. But when three people are re-checking the same invoice, that’s not accountability—it is just passing the parcel, wrapped in paperwork.

What Cricket Teaches Us About Execution

You do not win a cricket match by sending all 11 players to chase the same ball. You win because the field is structured, the roles are defined, and every player knows when to move – and when not to. Execution works the same way. But many teams are stuck in what we call signal dilution:

(jab sab kuch urgent lagta hai, toh kuch bhi priority nahi bachta)

They rush to respond, over-communicate, triple-check, and stall decisions – just to be “safe”. In the process, nobody owns the outcome. Everyone is contributing, and nobody’s finishing.

The Turnaround: From Energy Loop to Execution Rhythm

We rebuilt their system from the ground up—not with more meetings but with fewer unknowns.

Branch SOPs were standardised and made visual.

Each order type had a clear “what done looks like” reference card.

Escalation windows were defined, not left to assumption.

Dispatch was made role-specific: who flags, who sends, and who closes.

Within six weeks, pricing queries dropped by 60%, restock accuracy improved, and margins grew, without any change in footfall. Most importantly, the owner stopped getting calls about things the system now handles automatically.

The Real Problem: Ownership Lag

It is easy to blame chaos on a busy boss or vague SOPs. But teams create just as much noise when they avoid taking clear ownership.

(ownership lag = jab kaam toh chal raha hai, lekin zimmedari hawa mein hai)

When no one is sure who owns the final mile, everyone stays “involved” – but nothing moves.

Fixing execution is not about more dashboards but about closing loops where they stall:

• Clear “done”

• Tagged roles

• Predictable escalations

• Team rhythm without founder intervention

Execution does not fail because teams are lazy—it fails because they are sprinting in all directions. Just like in cricket, success is not about how much you move but how well it is planned. It is not an effort by volume—it is a movement by design.

Ask yourself:

• Is your team aligned with what done looks like?

• Do your workflows depend on reminders or role tags?

• Does the business need your presence to make basic moves?

Because if the team only works when you are watching, you have not built a team but a stadium where you are still the captain, fielder, and umpire – at once.

(The author is Co-founder at PPS Consulting and a business operations advisor. She helps businesses across sectors and geographies improve execution through global best practices. She could be reached at rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz)