What Really Eats Strategy for Breakfast? Leadership Culture.

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast," a quote often attributed to Peter Drucker, highlights an undeniable truth: even the most brilliant strategy can falter if not supported by a strong, aligned leadership culture. Whether or not Drucker uttered those famous words, the message resonates deeply within the corporate world. A thriving leadership culture is essential for any organization to achieve its strategic objectives.

At its core, leadership culture is the collective behaviors, attitudes, and norms that define how leaders act and interact within an organization. In my book, Community of Leaders – What it Takes to Drive Strategy, Culture and Change, I present our research showing that 83.6% of CEOs and senior executives acknowledged that transforming their leadership culture was critical to navigating strategic shifts and overcoming business challenges. Yet many of these same executives doubted their leaders' ability to rise to the occasion.

The Barriers to Leadership Culture Change

Leadership culture change is difficult, and our research identified several barriers that make this task even more challenging. C-suite leaders identified the following as the top obstacles:

1. Lack of leadership buy-in and commitment: Without genuine commitment from leaders, change efforts are doomed from the start. It’s one thing for leaders to intellectually agree with a change; it’s another for them to invest the time, energy, and resources to drive it.
2. Leaders overwhelmed by change: In a rapidly evolving business environment, leaders are often overwhelmed by the sheer scale of transformation. When leaders are bogged down by the daily grind, they lack the bandwidth to drive cultural change.
3. Legacy systems and processes: Outdated systems and processes often keep organizations stuck in the past. These rigid structures prevent leaders from adapting to new ways of working, stifling the very cultural shifts they seek to create.
4. Inadequate resources: Transformation requires investment. Organizations that fail to provide the necessary resources—whether financial, technological, or human—find themselves unable to sustain meaningful change.
5. Resistance from leaders: Some leaders simply opt out. They resist change, either passively or actively, and their reluctance undermines the entire process.
6. Poor communication: When leaders fail to articulate the importance of culture change, confusion ensues. Leaders and employees alike need to understand the "why" behind the shift if they are to fully engage in the process.
7. Lack of vision: Without a clear end goal, it’s impossible to chart a path forward. Leaders need a compelling vision of the future to inspire and guide their teams through the transformation.

The Problem of Weak Leadership Cultures

Given these challenges, it's unsurprising that most organizations admit to weak leadership cultures. Our research shows that 60% of organizations classify their leadership culture as weak, while only 40% describe theirs as inspiring. Weak leadership cultures can take many forms, and they come with steep costs. In my work, I’ve identified three archetypes of weak leadership cultures:

1. Zombie Cultures: In these organizations, leaders show up like the walking dead—void of passion and purpose. There’s no energy, no excitement, and worst of all, no accountability.
2. League of Heroes: This culture glorifies the few "heroes" who get the job done while marginalizing others. Accountability exists, but it is often fear-based, which fails to inspire broader leadership engagement.
3. Stable of Thoroughbreds: Here, leaders compete with each other instead of working together. This internal competition is destructive, eroding trust and collaboration across teams. When left unchecked, this type of leaders culture can turn toxic.

These weak cultures are corrosive, leading to poor performance, disjointed teams, and a lack of collective accountability. Worse, they create environments where leaders operate at cross-purposes, often to the detriment of the organization’s strategic goals.

The Cost of Weak Leadership Cultures

What happens when leaders operate within these weak leadership cultures? The price is steep:

• Lack of clarity and misalignment: Leaders fail to align on strategic priorities, making it difficult to move forward cohesively.
• Ineffective leadership: Mediocre leadership becomes the norm, and leaders tolerate subpar performance in themselves and their teams.
• Internal strife: Instead of collaborating, leaders engage in infighting, undermining collective success.
• Erosion of trust: Leaders compete rather than support each other, fostering environments of mistrust and division.
• Lack of confidence from employees: Our research shows 29% of employees we surveyed are confident in the ability of their leaders to lead the future.

These characteristics prevent organizations from executing their strategies effectively. Leaders in weak cultures are often so focused on internal battles or maintaining the status quo that they lose sight of the broader mission. And when it comes to driving strategic shifts or leading transformation, these cultures simply don’t have what it takes.

Transforming Leadership Culture: The Critical Imperative

If you recognize these patterns in your organization, you may feel frustrated or resigned. But I’ve seen firsthand that change is possible. It often starts with a few brave leaders who decide they won’t settle for mediocrity. They commit to building something more meaningful—a leadership culture built on accountability and community.

Building and sustaining a strong leadership culture is not easy, but it is essential for organizations that want to thrive in today’s complex business environment. A strong leadership culture:

• Aligns leaders with strategic goals: Leaders understand and are committed to the organization’s strategic objectives, and they work together to achieve them.
• Inspires action: Leaders at all levels are motivated to take bold steps, challenge the status quo, and drive meaningful change.
• Fosters accountability: Leaders hold themselves and each other accountable, creating a culture of trust, collaboration, and performance.

In my work, I have seen weak leadership cultures transform. It starts with leaders willing to step up and act as a genuine community of accountable leaders.

This article was published by Forbes Business Council. Find the article here: What Really Eats Strategy For Breakfast? Leadership Culture (forbes.com)

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