Peter Drucker has been quoted numerous times as saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” And he’s right that an effective and proactively managed culture will drive performance, strategy and results throughout the organization, inside and out, and have a material impact on customers as well.
There are numerous examples of companies that put culture first, and enjoy the business results that come from that level of prioritization. Zappos is a high-profile example, and The Table Group‘s approach to consulting (documented in Getting Naked) is, essentially, an internal approach to treating prospects and new customers.
Culture can be a significant asset and competitive advantage, but it can also be a crutch. If you let your culture evolve in a way that doesn’t reflect your values, it can be next to impossible to get back on track. And if elements of your preferred culture work well for a small company but don’t allow you to scale, that can be a problem as well.
Fortunately, you get to choose. Even if the culture you have now needs to change, and even though that’s difficult, you have no choice. Because if you let a suboptimal culture fester, everything else will suffer until you get it right.
