"Culture is the gateway to success."

"Culture is the gateway to success." Lebron James

Peter Drucker's quote, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast", has made its way into the corporate and consultancy lexicon. I often hear this quote being thrown around out of context. Culture and strategy are not mutually exclusive, which is not what he meant. Drucker discusses how your strategy can't be effective without the right culture. I always disagreed with Drucker's sentiment. My position is without the right culture, your strategy is not sustainable.

I have seen through several transformation programs how the strategy was applied effectively; the programme team had the right culture and handed over to business as usual. Fast-forward five years later, and sometimes even sooner, a new cast is drafted to 'fix' the problem. Culture, strategy and competence all play a role in failed programmes.

I like how Lebron James frames the importance of culture being the gateway to success. Culture is not everything, but it is a core component of success that is often overlooked and can be costly (great resignation). Therefore, if you are leading, ensure ALL of the building blocks are in place for your success.