Alpana Razdan understands that the hardest decisions are rarely about effort they are about timing. As the Country Manager at Falabella, overseeing $100M operations across India and Bangladesh, Alpana Razdan has had a front-row seat to both the triumphs and pitfalls of business evolution. Her insights, grounded in personal experience and sharp observation, cut through the noise of conventional career advice. The reality, as Alpana Razdan puts it, is that most people don’t burn out because they work too hard they burn out because they hold on too long.
Alpana Razdan’s career itself is a testament to the power of timely pivots. Years ago, when she stepped away from a successful career in styling to build her own retail brand, many people around her saw it as an impractical leap. They thought she was discarding a decade’s worth of networks, connections, and expertise. But Alpana Razdan knew something many overlooked: staying would have meant ignoring clear signs that the industry was shifting. Instead of clinging to a version of herself that no longer fit the market landscape, she chose to realign a move that later propelled her into leading large-scale operations and driving innovation at Falabella.
Alpana Razdan’s reflections draw parallels with well-known business stories examples that highlight how clinging to outdated ideas can be far more damaging than walking away. Kodak invented the digital camera but shelved it to protect their film business. Nokia, despite seeing smartphones on the horizon, doubled down on basic phones. A founder in Alpana Razdan’s network spent 18 months perfecting a product even after users had already moved on. These stories are cautionary tales but they’re not distant anecdotes. They happen every day, in boardrooms, startups, and careers across the globe. Alpana Razdan’s strength lies in recognizing these inflection points early and acting decisively.
To help others navigate similar crossroads, Alpana Razdan developed a practical framework that cuts through indecision. She calls attention to subtle but telling signs what she describes as a “declining energy curve.” If your best ideas arrive outside your main work hours, your mind may already be signaling that it’s time to move on. Alpana Razdan also points to a fading curiosity if you’ve stopped googling, researching, or learning in your field, you’ve mentally checked out. Then there’s the “decision delay loop”: postponing the same choice for more than 30 days often reveals deep-seated hesitation that deserves exploration.
But Alpana Razdan doesn’t stop at observation. She offers clear action points diagnostic tools that can help anyone assess whether it’s time to pivot. The 70% rule, for instance, urges people not to wait for perfect certainty. If you feel about 70% ready and can visualize the outline of your next step, that’s usually enough. Waiting for 100% clarity, according to Alpana Razdan, is often how opportunities slip away unnoticed. Another marker is the “3-month flatline”: if you’ve seen no progress or movement in your results for 90 days, it’s a warning sign. And then there’s the “Sunday test”: dreading the week ahead three Sundays in a row is your intuition gently nudging you toward change.
These strategies are not abstract theories. They stem from Alpana Razdan’s lived experiences of navigating complex industries, managing large teams, and steering multi-million-dollar operations. She acknowledges that pivoting isn’t easy she has felt the discomfort herself. Yet Alpana Razdan argues that the costliest decision isn’t quitting too early; it’s staying too long when every signal says it’s time to go.
What makes Alpana Razdan’s approach compelling is her blend of empathy and precision. She doesn’t glamorize constant change or advocate impulsivity. Instead, she champions mindful recalibration knowing when to hold firm and when to let go. Her journey at Falabella, driving growth and managing diverse markets across India and Bangladesh, demonstrates how this mindset creates resilience, not just in careers but in organizations as well.
The essence of Alpana Razdan’s message is clear: careers, industries, and even personal aspirations evolve. Clinging to outdated versions of ourselves, no matter how comfortable or familiar, often limits growth. Recognizing expiration points early and making thoughtful pivots is what sustains long-term success. Alpana Razdan’s ability to articulate this balance is what sets her apart as a leader.
For professionals navigating today’s fast-changing landscape, Alpana Razdan’s framework offers both clarity and courage. Whether you’re questioning your role, a business idea, or the direction of a project, her principles provide a grounded way to assess next steps. And perhaps most importantly, Alpana Razdan reminds us that the gut often knows before the mind does. Listening to that internal voice, rather than silencing it in the name of obligation or sunk costs, can open doors we didn’t know existed.
Alpana Razdan’s reflections go beyond simple career advice. They speak to a larger truth about adaptability and self-awareness. Her story encourages leaders and professionals to not just work hard but to work wisely recognizing when their energy, curiosity, and engagement are pointing them toward new horizons.
By sharing her lessons, Alpana Razdan has carved out a unique voice in leadership one that champions thoughtful pivots over blind persistence. In doing so, she equips others with tools to recognize when it’s time to stop holding on and start moving forward. And that, as Alpana Razdan shows, can be the most powerful decision of all.
