The Founder Sets the Frequency
As a founder, your frequency becomes the company’s frequency. Your tone shapes the team's tone. Your mindset sets the culture.
Have you ever heard about the loneliest whale in the world?
He sings at 52 hertz, a frequency no other whale uses. Because of that, he can't be found. He keeps calling out, but no one responds. He’s transmitting, but no one is tuned in.
It’s a sad story, and a useful one.
Because the same thing happens in companies all the time.
As a founder, your frequency becomes the company’s frequency. Your tone shapes the team's tone. Your mindset sets the culture. And when your signal is inconsistent, unclear, or unspoken, your people feel it. Just like that whale, you might be saying something, but no one is hearing it.
Misalignment doesn’t arrive loudly, it drifts in quietly, in the gap between what’s felt and what’s said. That silence? It’s not neutral. It eats away at momentum, clarity, and trust.
The fix isn’t more structure. It’s more honesty.
Because the moment someone names the thing everyone else has been circling around, everything starts to shift.
And most of the time, that person has to be you.
Dr. Brad Blanton, founder of the Radical Honesty movement, urges us to replace even "white lies" with complete truth. He argues that stress doesn't stem from hard work: it comes from the mental gymnastics of hiding, editing, and pretending.
Blanton’s core principle is this: telling the full truth relieves psychological burden, deepens connections, and sharpens leadership clarity.
In practice, this means calling out what you sense. Even if it feels awkward.
Employees report that being met with unfiltered honesty fosters real trust and speeds up problem solving . It’s not about being brutal. It’s about being real.
It’s about cutting through fearful fiction and anchoring conversations in what’s truly present.
That authenticity isn’t just a nicety, it sets the tone. It invites everyone to drop their masks and operate from clarity rather than assumption.
What’s something you’ve been sensing but haven’t said out loud yet?
Challenge yourself to say it this week.