Ghazal Alagh shares 12 leadership lessons from 2025 as founders rethink growth, AI and balance

Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Honasa Consumer and the Mamaearth brand, has shared a reflective note on lessons from 2025, outlining how shifting markets, internal growth and changing leadership priorities reshaped her approach to building businesses and life.

In a post on LinkedIn, Alagh said 2025 was marked by “massive shifts,” within her company, across the consumer market and in how she understands growth. Addressing founders and builders, she distilled the year into 12 lessons she plans to carry into 2026.

A key theme of her reflection was sustainability over perfection. Alagh said chasing flawless execution leads to burnout, arguing instead for what she termed the “85% rule,” consistent, focused effort that can be maintained over the long term.

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She also pushed back against fears around artificial intelligence, writing that denial, not AI, poses the real threat to businesses. According to her, companies that fail to learn and adapt while competitors rebuild operations around AI-first thinking risk being left behind.

Speed and adaptability featured prominently in her advice. Alagh said waiting for perfect readiness slows momentum, encouraging founders to launch at 90% and refine products based on consumer feedback. She also cautioned brands against remaining stuck in the direct-to-consumer mindset, urging them to build for future users rather than only optimising for past growth cycles.

On leadership and resilience, Alagh reframed rejection as data rather than failure, calling every “no” from investors, consumers or employees a feedback point. She added that strong brands benefit from defining an “enemy," not necessarily a rival, but a mindset or system they seek to disrupt.

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Alagh’s post also touched on productivity, hiring and personal priorities. She warned against equating busyness with impact and encouraged leaders to regularly evaluate whether their actions add real value.

Highlighting motherhood as a professional strength, she said parenting builds empathy, crisis management and situational awareness, skills that translate directly to leadership roles. She also stressed the importance of hiring ambition alongside experience, arguing for teams that balance proven expertise with hunger and fresh perspectives.

Health and family, she said, remain non-negotiable assets, noting that professional success becomes fragile when personal foundations are neglected. Closing her reflections, Alagh urged founders to build not just business strategies but life strategies, defining success beyond titles and metrics.

“The biggest risk remains not taking the risk at all,” she wrote, calling for “courageous, intentional building” in 2026.