Culture Eats Strategy

Culture Eats Strategy

Sharp insight. Practical action. Every time.

What gets in the way of your plans working?

Why do some strategies stall while others take off?

Have you ever wondered why your well-crafted plans keep failing to stick?

Here’s one of the hardest truths in business, articulated succinctly by Peter Drucker:

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

You can have the clearest direction, the strongest goals, and the sharpest plan – but if your culture doesn’t support it, progress grinds to a halt and momentum is deflected in multiple different directions.

In my experience, businesses with great strategies often struggle because their culture rewards caution over initiative, perfection over progress, or silence over speaking up. I’ve seen companies spend months designing a new strategy, only to watch it fail because people didn’t trust leadership enough to follow it, or because innovation was shut down by “the way we’ve always done it.”

Peter Drucker observed this on multiple occasions leading to his now famous quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s true. Strategy sets direction. Culture determines speed and endurance.

I remember working with a company that kept rolling out sales initiatives only to see them fizzle. On paper, the strategies were brilliant. The problem? Their culture didn’t reward collaboration. Each rep protected their own patch, unwilling to share leads or ideas. When they realised that until they addressed the culture, no strategy would ever stick, they changed the way they measured and rewarded. It took a little time but the difference in outcome was stark.

What about you?

What aspects of your culture are holding back your strategy right now?

What behaviours does your culture reward – and are those the ones that will carry your plans forward?

Here’s your challenge:

This week, choose one cultural behaviour you want to see more of to support your current strategy. Name it, communicate it, and start rewarding it.

Here’s to building a culture that carries your goals forward.