Latest news with #Alagh
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Ghazal Alagh on 6 lessons every leader must learn from ‘bad' hires
Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh shared an important leadership insight as she explained how a 'bad' hire can teach lessons that go beyond credentials. Her now-viral Instagram post, which resonated with entrepreneurs and professionals alike, offered a candid look at navigating workplace toxicity and protecting team culture.'Founders, and anyone building a team, this one's for you,' Alagh began, admitting that every leader makes hiring mistakes. 'The mistake isn't in making the wrong hire, it's in ignoring the situation and hoping it'll fix itself,' she wrote, adding that strong teams thrive when leaders pause, reflect, and act Alagh broke down her experience into six key lessons:Letting go is sometimes the right call: 'One wrong hire can hurt more than just output—it can impact morale, culture, and trust,' she warning signs are real: Misalignment on values, lack of ownership, and a dip in team energy are often indicators leaders should not decisions define leadership: 'Letting go wasn't easy. But holding on would've cost the team more,' she fit matters as much as skill: Alagh emphasised trusting one's instincts and prioritising cultural alignment over proactive: 'Don't rush hiring decisions, invest in onboarding, and address red flags early,' she and move forward: 'Bad hires happen. But the worst thing you can do, is nothing,' she concluded.'If you've ever had an experience that didn't turn out the way you wanted, what did it teach you?' Alagh said as she concluded her post. Take a look at her post here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ghazal Alagh (@ghazalalagh)Alagh's post triggered discussion online, with users agreeing that poor hiring decisions can drain energy and impact overall performance. 'Bad hiring creates all burning from inside as a leader and are energy drainers! Better to remove quickly without delay,' a user said, while another added, 'Leadership isn't about perfection; it's about collective wins and losses.'See the comments here: Ghazal Alagh's viral post conveys the message that leadership is as much about building teams as it is about knowing when to act for the greater good.- EndsTrending Reel
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
‘What a bad hire could teach you': Mamaearth's Ghazal Alagh's honest take on leadership and letting go
Entrepreneur and Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh is known for building one of India's most successful beauty and personal care brands. But in a recent Instagram post, she got candid about something every leader dreads—but most will inevitably face: making a bad hire. In a series of thought-provoking slides, Alagh guided her followers through a personal leadership lesson, one that resonated with thousands. Her opening line hit hard: 'Holding on too long can do more damage than letting go.' Alagh didn't name names or go into specifics. However, her post reflected on a past hiring decision that went wrong, and how ignoring early red flags affected not only the output but also the entire team's morale. Misalignment on values Lack of ownership A dip in overall team energy Despite these red flags, she chose to wait it out, hoping things would change. 'They didn't,' she admitted. Letting go wasn't easy—but holding on, she realised, would've cost the team even more. 'Leadership isn't about avoiding hard calls,' she wrote. 'It's about doing what's right for the collective, not just the individual.' Alagh shared how the experience reshaped her leadership principles: Prioritise cultural alignment over just credentials Give honest, timely feedback Trust your gut earlier She now follows a set of clear, non-negotiable rules: 'Don't rush hiring decisions. Invest deeply in onboarding. Address red flags when they first show up. Protect your team's energy and trust.' Her final slide delivered a line that struck a chord across social media: 'Bad hires happen. But the worst thing you can do is nothing.' In the caption accompanying the post, Alagh made an honest admission: 'At some point, we all make hiring decisions that don't turn out the way we hoped. That's completely normal. But the real mistake is ignoring the situation and hoping it'll fix itself.' Her post has since sparked a wave of conversations among founders, HR professionals and team leads about the cost of inaction and the importance of self-reflection. Alagh ended her post with a question that invites introspection: 'If you've ever had an experience that didn't turn out the way you wanted, what did it teach you?'
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Micromanagers to ghost bosses: Ghazal Alagh breaks down what makes employees leave
Image credits: LinkedIn/Ghazal Alagh Ghazal Alagh, the 36-year-old co-founder of the beauty and skincare company Mamaearth, recently took to LinkedIn to share a post on employee-manager relationships and how positivity or negativity decides the employee's future with the company. In the now-viral post, Alagh claimed, "Employees don't leave companies, they leave managers. " She added how this statement is the most quoted one in leadership and how it's true that an employee's day-to-day experience with their manager is a deciding factor in whether they stay, grow or walk away. Sharing her experience of observing hundreds of teams in the initial stages, she explained how certain management styles can push even the most talented employees out of the company. 8 types of managers that high performers can't work with Image credits: LinkedIn/Ghazal Alagh Alagh went on to define 8 types of managers that high performers find hardest to work with. These were: The Micro manager : The one who oversees every detail and leaves no space for trust or autonomy The Credit Taker : The one who is quick to celebrate wins but slow to share recognition The Ghost : The one who is hard to approach and offers little support or feedback The Volcano : The one who is temperamental and makes consistency impossible for teams The Information Hoarder : They keep the knowledge close to them, thus stalling team growth The Never-Satisfied : While they raise the bar consistently, they rarely acknowledge the progress The Favoritist : The one who selects a few and focuses their energy on them, leaving the others sidelined The Risk-Free Boss : They shy away from innovation and limit new ideas and growth The successful entrepreneur who has appeared on shows like 'Shark Tank India' went on to emphasise how trust, respect and everyday leadership build true retention asking people what kind of leadership they had personally seen that made the biggest difference- inspiring them to stay or pushing them to move. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Wenn du dir die Zeit am Computer vertreiben musst, ist dieses Spiel ein Muss in 2025! Kein Download Forge Of Empires Jetzt spielen Undo Netizens support Alagh's views Many people on the internet came out in support of Alagh's views adding how bad leadership can't be disguised as tough love and it doesn't just ruin a workplace but also an employee's confidence, self-worth and peace of mind. "Perks don't fix poor leadership. People stay for leaders who have their backs and let them grow," wrote a person in the comments. Some even pinpointed the worst types as "risk-free boss" and "never-satisfied" ones. "Most people don't quit the job, they quit how the job feels because of the person leading them," added another.
Mint
09-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Mamaearth's parent got its hands dirty for a distribution overhaul—it's painful, but paying off
Bengaluru: After nearly four painful quarters, Honasa Consumer Ltd's decision to transform its distribution model—from super-stockists to direct distributors, following in the footsteps of consumer goods giants—is starting to bear fruit. The parent company of beauty brand Mamaearth saw revenue contribution from its direct distributors nearly double in the January-March quarter, resulting in a 13% year-on-year revenue growth to ₹533 crore. While Honasa's fourth-quarter profit fell 17% from a year earlier to ₹25 crore, its distribution model reached more than 100,000 distributors in 2024-25, doubling in one year. 'All of this has happened because of the direct distribution transition that we have done. Our direct distributor contribution has gone from 38% to 71%, which is what we had planned for as we ended the year," Varun Alagh, co-founder and chief executive of Honasa, said during a post-earnings call with analysts last month. Mamaearth's distribution model transition was complete, he added. Also read | Why Mamaearth needs to review its offline distribution strategy However, the process, which stretched for about a year, proved cumbersome for some distributors, especially those with piles of unsold products in tier-2 and tier-3 regions where stock moves slowly. 'My ties with Mamaearth ended about four months ago but the process went on for very long. We were hoping it could have happened more smoothly," said a distributor in Maharashtra, asking not to be named. A distributor in Gurugram, who stopped working with Honasa late last year, said the company tried to make the process as easy as possible but the scale of the shift made it difficult. 'I work with large consumer companies so I know the kind of effort it takes to do something like this in offline distribution. I knew it wouldn't be easy," this person added. According to industry experts, Honasa needs to continue working on its relationships with distributors, especially those reporting excessive inventory and delays in replacing damaged and expired stock. 'Offline distribution is not child's play, especially for a consumer-facing brand," said Satish Meena, advisor at market research firm Datum Intelligence. 'To reach scale and efficiency, it's important to develop long-term relationships with distributors, including those you no longer do business with." Also read | Darling to doubtful: The story of Honasa's struggles Honasa's painful path Alagh had warned of such challenges very early on. In May last year, Alagh said the company's revenue would be impacted in the short term as it worked on improving its processes across the value chain. Mamaearth's earlier distribution strategy involved super stockists, a set of intermediaries who would distribute products sourced from the company to sub-stockists and select retailers. However, Alagh said in May last year that dealing with super stockists had resulted in poor-quality sales and a lack of data. So under 'Project Neev', Honasa shifted to a direct distribution model seeking more control. The project's implementation, however, cost the company nearly ₹70 crore in July-September, leading to a quarterly loss of ₹18.5 crore. On the plus side, the distribution overhaul is said to have helped Honasa scale up its younger brands. In the March quarter, Honasa's The Derma Co brand touched ₹100 crore in annualized revenue rate (ARR)—annual projection based on current revenues—in offline trade, which includes general and modern trade. 'This is a healthy sign that the distribution system is able to distribute more brands, as well as (that) the brand is seeing traction in offline, and that will also become one of the levers of growth for the brand in coming years," Alagh said last month. Also read | Honasa to cut inventory holding period for Mamaearth distributors by streamlining supply chain Mamaearth's products are priced lower than The Derma Co's as these target different needs. Mamaearth's face washes, shampoos, etc., are meant for daily use while The Derma Co focuses on special ingredients for skincare. The Derma Co has in fact trotted ahead of Honasa's flagship brand Mamaearth in the offline journey, creating a pipeline for its peers, including Aqualogica and Dr Sheth's, into the general trade channel, according to Meena of Datum Intelligence. 'Mamaearth is banking on its offline strategy, but it's not going to be easy. For offline to work well, distributors and retailers also need to push the product and sell to the customer. It's a different scenario for The Derma Co, where its USP of active ingredients has created decent recall among consumers," said Meena. Also read | Honasa denies distributors' claims of unsold stock, says secondary dues have been cleared An ambitious target The direct distribution model is followed largely by well-cemented consumer goods companies including Hindustan Unilever Ltd and ITC Ltd. Striking valuable partnerships with well-connected distributors in different regions of the country has enabled these firms to solidify their presence beyond tier-1 markets. However, even established companies have had to realign their distribution models. 'Honasa is not the first to go through this pain. History suggests that companies do come back on track, and we are hopeful," investment firm Jefferies said in a note in September. 'In this context, it is useful to note that several large FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) firms have gone through distribution realignment, despite decades of existence." Alagh said last month that Honasa aimed to add at least 50,000 outlets to its direct distribution or general trade channel, indicating a path for also scaling up Bblunt, the company's hair care products and salon brand, and its teen-focused cosmetics range Staze. 'So we would want to see this number, which is 100,000, to get to 150,000 as we exit the next year, 12 months from now," Alagh said. The Honasa stock is down nearly 41% from its lifetime high of ₹547 per share reached in September. On Monday, the stock inched up 0.94% on NSE to close at ₹323.00.
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Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Honasa Consumer targets double-digit revenue growth, eyes Mamaearth revival
India's Honasa Consumer, which owns beauty brands including BBlunt, is deepening its push into neighbourhood stores to drive double-digit revenue growth this fiscal, while also looking to revive its flagship Mamaearth brand, a top executive told Reuters. The company, which currently serves more than 100,000 stores directly, plans to expand to another 50,000 stores in the current financial year that started on April 1, CEO and Co-founder Varun Alagh said late on Thursday. Alagh expects brick-and-mortar growth, combined with growth in newer skincare brands Aqualogica and Dr. Sheth's, and a turnaround of Mamaearth, to drive revenue growth in the double-digit percentage range. Honasa, which began as a direct-to-consumer baby care products startup in 2016, also owns beauty brands including Derma Co. Analysts expect Honasa's revenue to jump 15% year-on-year to 23.71 billion rupees ($276.1 million) this fiscal, according to data compiled by LSEG. However, Alagh declined to say whether the company would exceed the forecast. Honasa's forecast comes months after it came under fire for allegedly dumping excessive stock on Indian distributors without considering demand, a claim that the company has denied. Alagh also declined to say when Mamaearth would return to growth, though he noted that Honasa would double down on its "focus categories" including face wash, shampoo, moisturizers, and sunscreen to revive the brand. Honasa said last year that Mamaearth's growth had lagged its own expectations for the last few quarters due to shifting consumer preferences, with the company noting that it needed to refresh its products, price and marketing. Honasa's revenue rose 8% to 20.67 billion rupees for the financial year ended March 31, but this trailed a 13% growth in volumes as a larger share of sales came through third-party stores that bring in less money per product. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
