The Weekly Spark #3: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” Peter Drucker

“Show me the evidence.”

Surely this is a sentence that you’ve heard or even said many times in your life. It makes all the sense in the world, it is rational, it is clear. Ultimately it just tries to convey the message that if you’re claiming something, then I should be able to see it too somehow – something measurable in one way or another. This is common sense, especially in the western world, to rely largely on data or on common set of rules in order to bring someone to believe in your story. It is moreover linked to the topic of worldview that I slightly touched upon in the last post: when we interpret the world around us in a similar way (similar rules, similar experiences, etc.), it is easier for me to convince you to believe in my story. And we cannot deny that in our world it’s fairly simple to convince someone to believe in something they can see – much harder in something they cannot see or measure. It is deep in our culture. At the end of the day we’re all rational human beings, right?! ??

The leaders' dilemma

Simon Sinek claims that in every company we have two key components: resources and will. The first is clearly tangible (revenue, profit, cash flow, etc.); the second is clearly intangible (the feelings that people have when they come to work, usually influenced by inside sources like the quality of leadership). So here is the dilemma for the leaders: how can I work on something I can’t see? How do I know if I’m progressing when I can’t measure it?

We can’t track everything

Most of the time, processes are put in place to track people’s will – for instance a survey or even a group discussion. In other cases, it is thought that more rewards, money or packages can influence this. Ultimately, I don’t believe that will is something that can be tracked or influenced by tangible elements (particularly in the long-run) because feelings and emotions don’t belong to the conscious part of our brain, but to the vast majority of it which is unconscious. If we cannot see it or explain it with words, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

In my view it’s ultimately the culture that is able to influence the will – a clear vision sustained by shared values that run deep inside the company. More than a company, it becomes a community. If this is strong, the right people will join – people who resonate with the community and believe in the shared values. Not everyone will stay or feel part of that community, but that’s perfectly normal because we can’t all be part of the same group and resonate with the same cause. It’s quite simple to write down but clearly so difficult to execute. ??

“Leaders aren’t responsible for the results. Leaders are responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.” Simon Sinek

Given the above factors discussed, it is very common to find leaders who prioritize tangible elements vs intangible ones: “our priorities are our growth, our customers, and our people”. This can work in the short-run, but it’s never sustainable in the long-run, because the cost of overseeing will can be extremely high (I let you imagine all the possible consequences). The people in the company are the fuel and the leaders are firstly responsible for these. And sometimes, it’s just a matter of re-ordering priorities.?