The Elephant in the Room? Leadership.

On Monday, we looked at the cost of complexity, how leadership choices shape clarity.

Now, we go deeper.

Because sometimes, the biggest blocker isn’t the stack.

It’s us.

We love to talk about culture like it’s separate from us.

Like it’s posters on the wall, perks, or a values page on the website.

But let’s be honest. Your culture is what you tolerate. What you model. What you reward.

And often the hardest truth for a founder to face is this:

The elephant in the room might be you.

Is it an inability to make a clear decision?

A habit of changing direction every week?

Celebrating chaos as “creative energy”?

Avoiding the uncomfortable conversation?

Failing to share clarity with the team because you haven’t found it yourself?

Your team can’t be more aligned than you are.

They can’t be clearer than you’re willing to get.

Look at Uber under Travis Kalanick. They scaled fast, sure. But their culture wasn’t just aggressive, it was toxic.

That didn’t happen by accident. It was modeled from the top. Every shortcut, every ethical blind spot, every brutal decision that optimized for growth above all else.

The team’s actions reflected the founder’s values in practice.

We don’t like talking about it because it means owning the responsibility that comes with leadership.

But clarity starts at the top.

Your brand isn’t just what you say. It’s what your team sees you do. It’s the behavior you allow to go unchecked. It’s the decisions you keep avoiding.

Reflections to work through:

Are you reinforcing clarity daily, or assuming alignment will happen on its own?

How much is confusion costing you in loyalty and trust?

Is your culture the one you planned, or the one you’ve let develop?

Is your team equipped to deliver the brand you really want?

If your team copied you exactly, would you like what you see?

Ready to lead with clarity?

Let’s talk.

Ian Adams, Founder the little red sofa

Before founding the little red sofa, I led strategy and creative for brands like Jeep, HSBC, and Unilever at top global agencies and in-house teams across 8 countries. Now I work with founders to turn discomfort into sustainable growth.