I’m constantly in the pursuit of clarity. And after thirty years running big fish® I’ve only just realised how much damage a single careless signal from the boss can do.
Yesterday, while reviewing a round of naming ideas, one of my team shared a brilliant list. Without thinking, I said…
“Love that one. That one’s wrong.”
What I should have said was…
“What do you guys think?”
A small difference, but a huge one in impact.
One shuts thinking down.
The other opens it up.
There’s a saying that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s spot on because the best brands are built from the inside out on honesty, clarity, and courage.
But that only happens when leaders are self-aware enough to realise that every word, glance, and shrug sends a message.
I was reminded of this reading about J. Edgar Hoover who once scribbled “Watch the borders” on a memo. His agents rushed to Mexico and Canada. He’d actually meant the margins on the page!!
That’s what happens when authority goes unchecked. People stop thinking and start interpreting. A raised eyebrow becomes a command. Asigh becomes a strategy. And the louder the power, the quieter the truth.
I’ve seen it in my own business. Smart, creative people second-guessing what I might want instead of exploring what could be. Especially the brilliant ones, who are often the most afraid of getting it wrong.
If innovation is oxygen, truth is how it breathes.
Without it, cultures suffocate under politeness and hierarchy.
I asked one of my team the other day what she’d do if she wasn’t afraid?
I think that question might have terrified her because she’s so bright.
Confidence is so hard to attain when you’re young and bright enough to know what you don’t know. But that fear is the silent killer of creativity.
The best cultures don’t eliminate fear, they outsmart it.
They make it safe to speak up, test ideas, and fail fast.
I love Nicole Parlapiano’s ironic line…
“you should be fired for not taking a risk!”
Fear of failure becomes fear of truth.
And once that sets in, creativity dies.
Fear doesn’t just stop people speaking up…
It stops them “thinking up!”
Great leaders flip the script.
They make not taking a risk the real risk.
They reward challenge.
They celebrate courage.
Because progress never starts with permission, it starts with honesty.
So what’s the lesson here?
Power always sends a signal, even when it’s silent.
Every word, sigh, and furrowed brow ripples through your organisation.
So…
1. watch your tone (not your margins!)
2. mean what you say (with clarity)
3. and when someone challenges you, thank them!
That’s how you build cultures of clarity, creativity, and courage.
And it’s how brands can outlast their founders!!
Just saying.