Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast
The statement above is attributed to business guru Peter Drucker. I don’t think Drucker wanted to diminish the importance of strategy, but instead wanted to dramatically illuminate how little focus most managers pay to corporate culture. There are some firms where culture drives strategy – or at least is a primary strategy. Think Zappos, Disney, and RVA’s own Snagajob.
In fact, culture is a strategy at the Virginia Council of CEOs. We call our culture “Safe Haven” and it means that our members and sponsors participate in the Council to learn from, and share with, one another. Further, we respond to others when they ask for the benefit of their experience. To make it easier for folks in the Council to do this, we just launched a new HAMO (Help A Member Out) tool.
Both culture and strategy are on the agenda for our CEO Retreat next month. I am always inspired to think differently by the smart people we bring in for a few days each April.
And, on May 8, Caroline Hipple, former CEO of Storehouse, will speak at our quarterly meeting from her new book A Pathway to Profit: Culture Impacts Performance. Hipple will share how she led a struggling company to profitability through cultural transformation.
So, here’s to culture, and to strategy. Give me a shout if you would like to discuss either.
– Scot McRoberts, Executive Director
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