Peter Drucker, the management consultant, educator, and author, came up with the phrase “culture eats strategy for breakfast”, but what does it mean? In a nutshell, no matter how wonderful your business strategy is, your plan will fail without an organisational culture that encourages people to implement it.
The importance of a strong and positive culture within an organisation should never be underestimated. Not only is it critical for attracting and retaining talent, which is of course the beating heart of any professional services organisation, but it can also be a real differentiator in an increasingly competitive market.
It is a well known maxim that “leaders get the culture they deserve” and I have always been struck when visiting other companies and organisations the impact that the CEO or leader has on the culture of a business. Culture needs to be led from the top and only then will it pervade through the rest of the business. Positive cultural behaviours also need to be consistent as a positive culture can quickly be holed below the water line if leaders show counter-cultural behaviour.
In my experience people working in a professional services firm expect to perform and work hard. However, they will only help you implement your growth strategy and go that extra mile if they are performing within a positive working environment. If you sacrifice culture on the altar of financial performance there may be short term growth, but sustainable and long term growth is far less likely.