Thy Will CAN NOT be done

There is a distinct, highly specific brand of corporate heartbreak that only people who have learnt things by experience (both education and on the job) understand. The moment - Drumroll please - you realize you are fighting a losing battle, the ink is already dry on a bad decision, and yet you still strap on the armor and march out onto the field anyway.

Why? Because of the people standing behind you.

When you lead and trust a team of excellent people (not resources) with massive potential, they don’t just deliver; they paint masterpieces. They take a brief, put their trust in your navigation, and build a brilliant, watertight output. But then, the inevitable happens. Someone from the upper stratosphere of leadership glances down, points a finger at a non-existent flaw, and suddenly, the sky is declared bright red.

Never mind that it’s crisp blue. But His Highness saw a hint of crimson at dawn, so the sky now needs to be red.

What follows is an exhausting exercise in corporate bureaucracy. You spend endless cycles trying to convince the middle management layer to just grant you five minutes of airtime. All you want is a chance to explain the logic, the context, the science.

But alas, when the Big Boss makes a declaration, no one wants to bell the cat. “Bhai ne bola karne ka …. to karne ka !” ( Loosely translates to Brother said this shall be done … hence, it shall be done !)The middlemen suddenly become masters of nodding along. To borrow a classic line from The Dark Knight, "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

By standing up for excellence, you become the "difficult" one. When this cycle plays out on repeat, a dangerous exhaustion sets in. You realize that constantly pushing back earns you a reputation as a stubborn rebel with "too many opinions," making you think: do you stay and let them erode your standards, or do you pack your bags? It makes you look at a flawed directive and whisper, thy will cannot be done, while wondering if you’re about to be labeled a quitter just for holding the line ( You know, you are not a quitter, so you reluctantly chug along while every bone in your body does not align to it)

The result of staying and losing that fight? The team is forced to dismantle their excellent work, stripping away the innovation to accommodate a whim. You watch the product drop from a dazzling "Best" version to a thoroughly mediocre "Good" version. It’s painful. It’s draining. And frankly, it’s a colossal waste of talent.

We often talk about leadership as an exercise in control, but true leadership is an exercise in trust. I often used to tell my team the Indian Cricket Team during the MS Dhoni era has been a force to reckon with

Dhoni was "Captain Cool," but he wasn't leading a group of timid yes-men. He was managing absolute powerhouses talent like Virat Kohli (My absolute hero and love), Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suresh Raina, Sir Jadeja, Ashwin. Every single one of them had the capability, the ego, and the star power to run their own universe.

Dhoni’s genius was creating a space where individual excellence was trusted, where big personalities were aligned toward a singular, common purpose rather than colliding in an ego war. He didn't need to be the loudest voice in the room; he had the courage to listen, to give them the stage, and to back them when the pressure mounted. He led the team with grace, calmness yet with solemn strength.

That trust is what built a world-conquering team. They didn't win trophies because they blindly followed a script; they won because they respected each other's differences and came together to be the champions

So, to the folks in the corner office, my humble urge to you; access to leadership shouldn't just mean a reporting line; it should mean room for a healthy debate. Please, have the courage to listen and trust the team you hired. If you employ brilliant people, give them the space to express concern without labeling it as dissent or driving them to the exit door. When you stifle debate to protect a hierarchy, you don't just get a worse product, you slowly break the spirit of the very people who make your organization look good.

Trust your team. Have the stomach for a little friction. Build a culture where the sky is allowed to be blue , and watch how far your people will fly for you and just may be have a tinge of red.

Thank you for reading ! God Bless