The Voice of Dissent is Not Disrespect

In professional environments, the voice of dissent is often misunderstood. I firmly believe that sometime the most valuable person in the room is the one willing to say, "I disagree." Not because they enjoy conflict. Not because they want to undermine someone. But because they genuinely believe that an alternative point of view needs to be heard.

Over the years, I have had a few situations where I felt it was important to express an uncomfortable opinion honestly. But is honesty always accepted and appreciated? I want to share a couple of examples and also reflect on how people reacted to dissent in each case.

A few years back, I was speaking to an entrepreneur friend and his founding team. They had been working on a venture for the last few years. They had managed to get some angel investors on board, which put some fuel in the tank. The initial funding helped them get started.

But over time, the venture gulped up truck loads of money. The angel investment was gone and the founders themselves had spent more than double that amount from their own pockets.

I had been observing their journey closely. To their credit, they had indeed come a long way. But in MY opinion, they still had miles to go. More importantly, I was not convinced that continuing further made sense anymore.

My concern was partly financial. The venture was becoming financially draining for the founders. But there was another concern as well.

The service they were building was heavily dependent on technology. While the founding team understood the industry and the problem they were trying to solve, they had very limited understanding of the technical complexities involved. It was a tech-heavy business being driven largely by non-technical founders.

In my consulting career, I have seen several entrepreneurs make one common mistake - they fall too much in love with their idea.

There is nothing wrong with passion. In fact, passion is often necessary to survive the brutal journey of building something from scratch. But there is a fine line between believing in an idea and becoming emotionally inseparable from it.

Sometimes good ideas fail. Not because the founders lack intent or work ethic, but because timing, execution, capability, market realities, or a dozen other factors do not align. And at some stage, one must be able to assess objectively whether continuing to invest time, money, and energy still makes sense.

As Kevin O'Leary often says on Shark Tank, sometimes you need to "take it behind the barn and shoot it."

During the discussion, I did not hold back. I felt the founders needed to hear an uncomfortable perspective, so I expressed my thoughts without mincing words.

One person in the team, especially, was deeply attached to the venture. It was his idea. He had spent countless hours building it. Compared to others, he had probably spent 100x more time, emotion, and effort on it.

Imagine someone questioning something that has consumed years of your life. Imagine someone asking you to let go of a dream you built from scratch.

Yet, what stood out to me was the maturity with which the disagreement was handled. The discussion remained calm. He explained his point of view. I explained mine. There was disagreement, but there was also mutual respect. No bitterness. No hostility. No personal attacks.

Now lets look at the second incident, which happened some years after the first incident. I found myself in a very different disagreement.

At a company where I was working, there was an issue regarding the designation of a team member. When the individual had originally joined the organization, there were no formal bands attached to designations. She had joined as Senior Consultant, but due to an error in official records, her designation was incorrectly reflected as Consultant.

Later, when the company introduced structured designation bands, the incorrect designation evolved into Consultant Tier 1 in the system. After spending couple of  years in the system, she finally noticed her designation. Her designation was updated to Senior Consultant Tier 1. Up to this point, there was no disagreement. Correcting an error in records was a no-brainer.

However, one of the fellow leaders - let us call him Person ABC - wanted the designation to be elevated further to Senior Consultant Tier 2. And, he wanted this change to happen without it being treated as a promotion!

That was where I disagreed.

My disagreement was not about the individual employee. In fact, I had no issue (hmmm...lets say - almost no issue) with her performance or capability. My concern was about organizational consistency and the precedent it would create. Promotions had already been announced and a sudden change in someone's designation could have raised eyebrows and led to uncomfortable questions. The argument from Person ABC were not invalid but I did feel that selective points were being considered. Like a defense lawyer.

I also felt there was a practical issue being ignored. This individual wanted to be elevated and if the change in designation was not officially classified and communicated as a promotion, the employee herself could have questioned it. And she would still expect or demand a formal promotion in the next cycle. 

I expressed these concerns openly during the leadership discussion. It was a difference in opinion and nothing more. I was not obstructing the decision, nor was I unwilling to go with the majority view eventually. I simply believed that the implications needed to be discussed properly before a call was taken.

During the course of the discussion, it eventually emerged that Person ABC had already promised the higher designation to the employee. Personally, I felt that should never have happened. Since the promise had already been made, the rest of us agreed to proceed with the change.

In my honest opinion, this was a much smaller issue than the first incident.

In the first case, I was asking someone to reconsider years of effort, passion, sacrifice, and truck loads of money invested into a venture. In the second case, it was merely a disagreement over a designation band in an HR context. No one's dream was collapsing. No existential crisis was involved. The practical impact on the employee was limited.

Yet when I look back at both incidents side-by-side today, what fascinates me is not the disagreements themselves, but the reactions to them.

In the first incident, despite the emotional weight attached to the discussion, the dissent was received with maturity. The entrepreneur heard me out, calmly shared his perspective, and there were no ill-feelings afterwards. In the second incident, despite the issue being relatively minor, Person ABC reacted emotionally, said things rudely, and eventually stopped speaking to me!

And perhaps that is the real lesson about dissent.

Dissent itself is not rude. It is not disrespectful. It is not disloyalty. It is not negativity. It is simply the willingness to express a different point of view honestly and present strong arguments (and not disagree just for the heck of it). 

What truly defines individuals and leaders is not whether they face dissent. Everyone does. What defines them is how they respond to it. Some people can hear uncomfortable truths without taking them personally. Others perceive even minor disagreement as an attack on their judgment, authority, or ego. 

The irony is that the people willing to dissent are often the ones most invested in preventing mistakes.

Healthy organizations, strong leadership teams, and mature individuals do not eliminate dissent. They create space for it. 

Because progress rarely comes from rooms where everyone agrees. 

Patriotism Beyond Slogans

Recently, the Prime Minister made an appeal that many people found unusual. He urged citizens to avoid unnecessary foreign travel, reduce discretionary consumption especially gold purchases, and wherever possible, adopt work-from-home flexibility.

Predictably, the statement created caution in the markets and among people. But on closer observation, many understood the larger concern behind the appeal: growing global economic uncertainty, geopolitical volatility, pressure on fuel imports, and the importance of preserving India’s financial stability and foreign exchange strength in the coming period.

Among all the suggestions, the one that directly affects the largest number of people is work from home.

It made me curious and I wanted to see how other companies are reacting to the appeal. I spoke to a friend who runs a mid-size business employing a few hundred people. He is also a strong BJP and PM Modi supporter. When I asked whether he planned to offer employees some flexibility to work from home, to my surprise, his answer was a clear no.

His reasoning was practical: every business has to evaluate what is feasible for its own operations. That is fair to an extent. Not every industry or role can function remotely. Manufacturing, physical operations, frontline services, and several other sectors obviously require physical presence. He argued that the nature of his business does not permit it and, moreover, he believes that overall productivity would dwindle.

I disagree and I have a question.  

Is resistance really about productivity, or is it more about reluctance to accept change?

Personally, I have seen remote collaboration work effectively for years, long before COVID made it mainstream. Early in my career at Deloitte, I once asked my manager whether I could work from home on a particular day. He simply asked me two questions: “Do you have work on your plate?” and “Will you complete it?” When I answered yes, he casually replied, “Then I do not care whether you work from office, home, or Timbuktu.”

That stayed with me.

I disagree that productivity declines in case of work-from-home arrangement. In fact, both studies and personal experience suggest that productivity can improve while working from home. In a typical office environment, people are frequently interrupted by conversations, meetings, informal discussions, and constant movement around them. Working remotely, on the other hand, often allows longer periods of uninterrupted focus and continuity of thought. Ultimately, the issue is less about location and more about work ethics. Someone who lacks discipline may remain unproductive regardless of whether they are sitting at home or in an office. But professionals with strong ownership and accountability generally deliver results irrespective of where they work from.

Professional maturity is not about monitoring physical presence. It is about ownership and accountability.

When I was working in Malaysia, I collaborated daily with team members spread across Singapore, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Australia. Geography and physically being away from each other were never the obstacle. Clarity, discipline, and accountability mattered far more.

Even today, many large organizations have embraced hybrid flexibility. Interestingly, this includes companies like Infosys as well. Despite the public debate around the founder's appeal for 70-hours work week, Infosys allows employees a significant degree of work-from-home flexibility. Employees can work remotely for nearly half the working days in a month, and even on office days, the emphasis appears to be more on productivity and deliverables than merely spending long hours physically present in office.

That is why I believe the discussion today is less about whether remote work is possible and more about how intelligently organizations are willing to adapt wherever feasible.

And I also want to make a different point here.

Supporting a leader or a political party is easy when it costs us nothing. Real support is tested when adaptation demands some inconvenience, flexibility, or change from our side.

The Prime Minister knew very well that such appeals would attract criticism, political attacks, market nervousness, and uncomfortable public debate. Yet, he disregarded his interest and the interest of his party and still made the appeal because he believed they were necessary in the national interest.

If leadership is willing to take political risks for what it believes is good for the country, then as citizens, businesses, and professionals, the least we can do is honestly evaluate how much flexibility we ourselves can show. 

Not every company can implement work from home. Absolutely agree with that. Not every role allows it. Complete work-from-home and permanent changes are also not required. But many organizations can certainly reduce unnecessary travel, stagger attendance, enable partial remote work, or adopt temporary hybrid models wherever feasible.

Patriotism cannot remain only emotional or symbolic. It also reflects in whether we are willing to make reasonable adjustments when the country faces uncertain times.

There is a famous line often heard in India:

“भगत सिंह सबको चाहिए, लेकिन अपने घर में नहीं, पड़ोसी के घर में।" (Everyone wants a Bhagat Singh - the legendary revolutionary - but not in their own home, only in the neighbour’s)

Everyone admires sacrifice and national commitment - as long as someone else is making the adjustment.

Perhaps the real test of patriotism is much simpler:

When the country needs flexibility, responsibility, and collective discipline, are we willing to contribute even in small ways ourselves?

Leadership is More Than Knowledge and Expertise

Two leadership related statements stayed with me over the past year.

The first was:

“People respect someone and consider them a leader only when they see strong knowledge and expertise.”

The second was:

“There is a thin line between being friendly and being a friend.”

Both statements were made (in separate conversations) in the context of discussing the traits of a good leader. While leadership is far broader and more nuanced than these two perspectives alone, I found myself reflecting deeply on them.

Having observed leaders, teams, and workplace dynamics across a career spanning 23 years, I find myself agreeing with both statements to an extent. Expertise and knowledge certainly matter, and they do contribute to a leader’s credibility. However, I agree far more strongly with the second statement.

In fact, I recently came across a situation where both these statements could almost be analyzed side by side.

A close friend told me about a highly knowledgeable individual who took over a large team in his company. Multiple sub-teams were reporting into him and everyone was communicated the same. The person has robust domain knowledge and is highly experienced, and by the logic of the first statement, respect and leadership acceptance should have naturally followed. Yet, despite formal authority and clear communication structures, the individual continued struggling to gain genuine acceptance from the team.

Over time, it became increasingly visible that the challenge was not knowledge - it was leadership approach. In an attempt to be liked and accepted, the individual gradually became overly agreeable, tried to accommodate every concern, avoided taking firm positions, and focused heavily on staying in everyone’s good books. Last heard, he has also started to push back on few decisions of the management and has now adopted a 'Union Leader' approach, just to get the popularity votes. His leadership style has become less about balanced direction and more about seeking approval.

He also tends to take up the more important and visible tasks himself, possibly in an attempt to lead by example. While that may come from good intent, the way it is perceived by the team matters equally. When routine or less glamorous responsibilities are delegated, it sometimes creates an impression that such work is somehow beneath him. Over time, this can unintentionally weaken team ownership and create a sense of imbalance, because good leadership is not only about taking ownership of high-impact work, but also about demonstrating equal respect for every contribution within the team.

So, knowledge certainly matters. No two ways about it. Competence gives a leader credibility and creates confidence that the person understands the work. But expertise alone rarely guarantees respect or influence. Teams do not follow people only because they are knowledgeable. 

For example, in sports, some of the greatest players have not necessarily become the most successful captains or coaches. Technical brilliance may earn admiration, but leadership in a team environment requires the ability to inspire, manage personalities, maintain discipline, and make difficult decisions for the larger good of the team.

In fact, there have been examples where leaders proved their mettle despite having little or no technical expertise in the domain they were leading. Since I come from an automotive background, I naturally look at examples from that industry.

A fascinating real-world example is Alan Mulally. Before joining Ford Motor Company, he spent most of his career at Boeing and was not an automobile expert. Many within Ford understood the technical side of the business far better than he did. Yet Mulally became one of Ford’s most respected leaders - not because of technical superiority, but because of his ability to bring clarity, accountability, collaboration, and direction to the organization.

Coming to the second statement, I agree that problems begin when a leader crosses the line from being friendly to becoming a friend. In an attempt to be liked, some leaders start agreeing with everyone, validating every grievance, avoiding difficult conversations, and trying too hard to stay in everyone’s good books. While this may create temporary goodwill, it often weakens long-term respect.

Teams usually respect leaders who can maintain balance - leaders who are empathetic without losing objectivity, approachable without losing authority, and supportive without avoiding accountability.

Knowledge may create initial credibility. But leadership is ultimately sustained by maturity, balance, and the ability to maintain that fine line.

Flirting For Benefits

There is this company that I know pretty well. I know several people who have worked over there or are currently employed with the company. It is a global company with offices in several countries (more than 40) across the globe. Though it has a decent name in the industry it operates in, I have heard there are several internal issues. Some people have all the power and they are running the company as a family run business. Well, that is not the reason why I wrote this blog.

I have heard that some key people in the management are known to flirt with women and they shower certain women employees with benefits. These benefits include promotions, increments, opportunities to travel abroad and so on. I have also heard that some women employees have had a unbelievably fast growth trajectory. There is a particular female in the India office; as per some of the people in senior leadership, she has slept her way to an important position in the organization. All this is widely discussed - I am surprised that it neither bothers those people in the top management nor those women employees!! It is extremely unethical and for an old school person like me, it is absolutely disgusting. Well, that is ALSO not the reason why I wrote this blog.

I came to know that one woman employee - who is widely believed to have benefited from these practices - recently acknowledged it. Apparently, she told 2 other employees that it is the fastest way to grow in the company. As per her, the management is full of old lustful men and one can get several benefits by flirting with them or giving them 'some freedom'!!! One of the other female employees - who was part of the conversation - acknowledged it and called her boss a disgusting pervert. For some reason, this brought a smile on my face. I am certainly not under any kind of delusion that it would change such men - at least in that company. May be I smiled because more people came to know about the disgusting practices. May be I smiled because at least these women know what they are doing. May be I smiled because no matter what these men think of themselves, most employees think of them as old, sleazy, lustful, perverted men. And this is the reason why I wrote this blog!!!

Closed Chapter; Now A New One

Ended a long chapter of my life. The journey was mostly enjoyable. Nothing special but for the most part, it was fulfilling. Made some poor decisions. Or may be I am being hard on myself. Lets just say that I went against my own principles on one occasion. It was not a stupid mistake. Like always, choices were there and neither were absolutely clear. I chose to play it 'safe'. Did not know the pitfalls. Things started taking a bad turn. Its all behind me now. Chose to move on.

The new chapter should be interesting as well as challenging. Have mixed feelings about it. But I am determined to do whatever it takes. Lets see. 

Trust???

When he put down his papers, the HR told him that the company would hold to 1.5 months salary, "as per company policy". When pointed that the policy is for 1 month, the HR representative asked to "trust the company". 

You are holding on to salary, you have held back variable component, you have blocked sites like Gmail, LinkedIn etc., you have blocked USB drives and you are asking about trust!!!???!!! Hilarious!!!

Frost and Sullivan Days

Corporate Lessons from 'Titanic'

Situation - There is this company, which is not in a very healthy state. Most of the senior leadership acknowledges that without significant efforts and infusion of capital, the company would be in "big trouble". Employees are worried.

Advise to employees from someone in the Senior Management (lets call this person 'Victor Victor') -

1. Titanic (i.e., the Company) has hit an iceberg. It cannot be fixed by people (i.e., employees) on board
2. There are few options available to passengers and crew members (i.e., employees)
3. Option 1: Wait for someone knowledgeable and resourceful (i.e., investor) to come and fix the ship
4. Option 2: Wait for a big ship (i.e., a large firm in the same domain) and rescue (i.e., hire) you
5. Option 3: Wait for a small boat (i.e., a small firm in the same domain) and rescue (i.e., hire) you
6. Option 4: You have the option of jumping in the water (i.e., leave without a job or leave for a company that does not do justice to your experience, profile etc.). Don't jump in water!!!

Great analogy and all very good suggestions from 'Victor Victor'.

But don't forget.....the ship is still sinking!!! 

Don't wait for too long. Find that threshold beyond which jumping in water and trying to stay afloat is a better option. Else the ship would sink and will take you down with it.

When employees no longer trust their management

Employees leave organizations for various reasons. It could be for better compensation, better opportunities, lack of recognition, personal reasons, for not getting along with an individual/team etc. 

For a good/valuable employee, organizations can make changes to ensure that the employee reconsiders the decision.

However, if employee is leaving because "they have lost faith in the immediately as well as top management", it is worrisome. And if several employees leave for the same reason and others are looking for a job, it requires immediate action. 

Trouble is who will take those actions and who would try and convince the employees....the very same people who the employees no longer trust?

Bahut Yaraana Lagta Hai!!!

There is this girl in the office. She started in a different team but - owing to insufficient work in that team - she was transferred to our team. Not sure if the move was purely due to insufficient work or it performance issue also played a part. In our team, she started with another reporting manager and continued for ~1 year. Later, I was asked to manage her efforts. I could detect some performance issues but more importantly, I spotted serious issues with attitude, behavior and discipline. I let the concerned people know about the issues. I was feeling that - after already trying to  accommodate her in multiple teams  - they would probably outcounsel her. However, to my surprise, they are prepared to try her in another team! I asked a colleague why such a long rope is being extended in this case. As per the colleague, there are other - unofficial & unprofessional - reasons involved.

From now on, I'll call her Arun Jaitley!!

Recognition is a Magic Potion

Presidents Club Award (2nd year in row) and Long Service Award

Bitter Taste in the Mouth

Sometimes, one just loses the motivation. Isn't it? 

In my career, I have come across multiple working styles and dedication levels. Most people put in the minimum effort required. Out of those, most feel bad when increments and incentives are announced. In my opinion, they do not deserve to crib. Others, who master the art of licking asses, get good increments, incentives and promotions. That, even after putting in minimum effort. Not that, they are outstanding or they get things done smartly. They are just good lickers.

Then there are people, who are driven. Driven by the want to excel, driven by the recognition, driven by monetary benefits, driven by resume-value. The driver could be anything. These people put in a lot of smart as well as hardwork. Such people should be recognized and it is the job of their managers to keep such people motivated. Unfortunately, that does not happen most of the time. 

If you are subordinating and screwing your family time and health for your work, you hate it when your efforts are not recognized. There are some qualitative recognitions. "You are a perfectionist". "You are the best consultant that we have".  That is all good. But when it does not translate into something meaningful, you feel bad. You do not necessarily feel jealous with others who got better deals but you do feel bitter. That is exactly what I am going through. I am feeling bitter, I am feeling cheated and I am feel demotivated. I hope this is a passing phase. I do not like this phase as I seldom feel demotivated about work. I hope that I would be able to come out of this state of mind very soon. Till then, *&^%$#@

Learnt a lesson today.

Never tell a client that you are ready to meet ANYTIME.

I need to have a discussion with a client today. Yesterday, I reached out to the client asking for the time and venue. He indicated that he is not available today and indicated that he can meet tomorrow. Now, I am flying out tomorrow and my day is jam-packed. However, the meeting is important as well. So, I wrote to the client that it would be great if we can meet today and ANYTIME is fine with me!!!

He has asked me to come to a resort at 9 PM!!! The meeting would last for few hours!!!

So, I will be getting ready in the evening and will go to meet a client in a resort. I am feeling like a HOOKER!!! But at least the resort is a premium one. So at least I am a A-League hooker. 

:(

I get paid in SORRYs

I wish I could encash all the 'Sorry' that I have collected here. I would have probably become a millionaire!!!

Straight from the heart....

Have not picked up the camera in a long time. Everything is so disorganized. A lens is lying in the living room. Another one is in a drawer!!! One more is in a safe place but I cannot recall the location of that safe place. I am usually not like this. At least not with the camera equipment. If the camera and lenses are lying diaorganized, it bothers me a great deal. However, I am not finding time to get bothered!!!

In the past few weeks, I have not spent much time with the family either. I leave in the morning and come back late. And then work from home till the wee hours.

Things have been super-crazy. Deliverables, proposals, meetings and lots of worries. Official and personal worries.

What do I get out of this? Am screwing my health, not getting enough sleep and not getting anything in return!!! Body clock has gone for a toss. Even if work finishes at (comparatively) sane hours, I am unable to sleep till 2-3 AM. Sometimes it is difficult to lose the momentum and on other times, there are too many things bothering me.

Will I try and change this? Well.....May be.

Not that I am confused. Just that I have made such resolutions so many times that now I am embarrassed to even make such resolutions. 

One thing is for sure though. I have firmly realized that 'it is not worth it'. I do need to manage my time slightly better but more importantly, I need to stop the charity by 'donating' additional hours and weekends. Those are not investments as they do not fetch me any returns. That is plain and simple charity which must be stopped. Had they been fetching any awards/rewards, I would have still been motivated. No more.

I just hope that a matter that has been long pending gets resolved and soon. It wont help the resolution but it will help in getting back the motivation. It will surely do.

Minutes of Various Meetings