Everyone building something of their own is told to be the visionary. Set the standard. Be the culture. Tom Shen spent nearly 20 years running SDI and holds almost the opposite as a core principle of building something that lasts. His point: build a culture that can push back on you. Every person you bring in should enrich the culture, not just fit it. And the ones worth having are the ones who will say, plainly and kindly, "I know you believe that — but here's why you're wrong." Here's why it matters. If you're the ceiling, a single bad decision can bring the whole thing down. A culture that can correct you is insurance against your own worst call. It's easy to file this under big-company problems. It isn't one. If you're running a small practice, you may not have employees, but you have advisors, partners, and communities you've chosen to surround yourself with. The real question is whether any of them can actually tell you no. Tom put it better than I can, in Episode 7 of the Inspiring Founders podcast: "The culture needs to be better and richer than the founder." Worth a watch — link in the first comment. So here's mine to you: who in your world will tell you plainly when you're wrong? If you can't name someone, that's the gap to fill. #IndependentConsultant #Coaching #GoingIndependent #ThoughtLeadership