THE POWER OF A PUBLIC COURSE CORRECTION

What happens when a billion-dollar brand misses the mark and admits it?

That’s what Warner Bros. Discovery did when they brought back "HBO Max" only two years after changing the name to just “Max.” This wasn’t just a branding update. It was a recommitment to the clarity, prestige, and identity that made HBO resonate with its audience in the first place.

To me, the most impressive part wasn’t the decision itself. It was how they handled it: clear, public, and humble. They didn’t hide behind excuses or a clever PR spin. They acknowledged the misstep and took bold action to realign with what their Ideal Stakeholders actually valued.

Founders face moments like this more often than we think. A launch falls flat. A product doesn’t land like we thought it would. A strategic shift causes more confusion than it was worth. The easy move is to press on. But the smarter (and more decisive) move is often to pause, reflect, and redirect.

Read more in Let's Try This Again: Leadership Lessons from the HBO Max Rebrand, co-authored with Ninety's Senior Editor, Jodi Niehaus.

As founders, our legacy isn’t about catchy slogans or campaigns — it’s how we show up in the hard moments. It’s reflected in how we adapt under pressure, how we course-correct when we need to, and how we lead our teams and serve our customers when things get messy.

PERSPECTIVES

“Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation.” — Mahatma Gandhi

MARK MY WORDS

There’s a myth in startup culture that changing your mind is a sign of weakness. But I’ve found the opposite to be true.

The best leaders I know aren’t rigid. They’re principled. They don’t pivot on a whim, but they know when something is no longer serving the vision. And when it’s time to shift, they do it with clarity and conviction.

Course correction isn’t about chasing comfort. It’s about staying aligned with your purpose. That’s why I encourage founders to establish Focus Filters — a set of clear principles that guide every major decision within your company.

When your team sees that clarity and adaptability can coexist, they’ll trust the process. And you’ll build a culture that grows stronger every time you make an honest call to realign.

GOT A MINUTE?

When are you really ready to raise money?
It’s not about your pitch deck — it’s about you. This clip gets to the heart of founder readiness: owning what you know, being honest about what you don’t, and showing up with clarity about the real risks.

You’ll learn:

• Why investors don’t expect certainty, but they do expect honesty
• How sharing what you need builds trust
• Why true confidence means naming both the upside and the downside

[Watch Now]

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:

4 Ways to Build a Brand That Lasts

Every brand evolves. But the best ones stay anchored in purpose. In this article, I unpack how to protect your company’s soul as you scale and why that work starts with you.

[Read Now]