Not Long Back

Organisations rarely become irrelevant overnight. They become rigid gradually, when past success turns into unquestioned assumptions, familiar processes outlive their purpose, and changing market realities go unnoticed.

In Not Long Back: Seven Organisational Mistakes That Quietly Erode Relevance, Pankaj Wadhwa examines the organisational patterns that can weaken a company's ability to learn, adapt and remain relevant. Drawing on business experience, real-world examples and practical insights, he challenges leaders to look beyond immediate results and question the systems and behaviours shaping their organisations.

The book explores seven critical mistakes: failing to recognise organisational learning incapacities, treating vision as the leader's rather than a shared aspiration, putting results before culture, viewing talent as a resource instead of a strategic capability, allowing individuals to become organisational bottlenecks, relying on linear thinking instead of systems thinking, and treating internal customer service as someone else's responsibility.

Through examples from well-known companies and everyday organisational situations, Wadhwa shows how success can create blind spots, how culture influences behaviour, and why isolated solutions often fail to address deeper systemic problems. He also highlights the importance of accountability, constructive dissent, shared ownership, leadership development and continuous learning.

Whether you lead a growing business, manage a team, work in human resources or contribute to organisational transformation, this book offers a valuable opportunity to examine assumptions, recognise early warning signs and make more thoughtful leadership decisions.

The central message is simple: organisations that remain curious, adaptable and willing to challenge their own assumptions are better equipped to thrive in a changing world.