The quote that never was
We love attributing pithy quotes to management gurus. It makes us feel smart, connected to their wisdom and gives us something we can repeat in the hope of affirmation from others. But Peter Drucker never said culture eats strategy for breakfast.
What's fascinating is why we desperately want to believe he did.
Because in every office, every sports team, every startup, every Fortune 500 company, we've seen it happen. The perfect strategy, meticulously planned, beautifully presented... and it falls flat. Not because the strategy was wrong, but because the people weren't ready. Weren't willing. Weren't aligned.
That's where a good culture is required.
Culture without strategy is like a ship without a destination. It might have the best crew in the world, amazing teamwork, incredible spirit and you can start in exactly the way that you would like. But ultimately there comes a point when you’re just drifting.
The magic happens when strategy and culture work in harmony together. When culture isn't trying to eat strategy, but rather, when they're at the same table creating something remarkable.
Because that's the hard part. That's the work that matters. That's what separates the organisations that last from the ones that just make noise. Strategic offsites are pointless without a determination to give agency to employees to build the culture to make it matter.
And endless culture initiatives will fail, unless there are strong foundations on which to build.
We don’t need to invent quotes to make the point that culture is worth investing in as much as strategy. We need the courage and determination to build both.
