I have observed leaders, from those in business to leaders in homes, in schools, in all moments of life. I have observed wartime CEOs and peacetime CEOs. I have seen them in all layers, in all blends, top leadership, middle management, frontline leadership. I have seen the different styles from servant to charismatic leadership. But there’s one job that all leaders just never do pretty well or spend less time doing.
I have concluded that strategic leadership boils down to one job: defining and articulating the culture of the day. Leaders far more than anything should spend more time defining the culture that’s required for the objective of the moment or the season. That means, leaders must play it out from who they hire, who they allow to grow, it must communicate the right culture. Leaders fear doing this job because it’s a hard job. Defining culture is the hardest task for any leader that’s why many shun it.
What is culture? Well, it’s the way things work when no one is watching. It’s the way decisions are made; it’s the way feedback is taken. It’s how changes are approached, it’s the speed and pulse of the organization. It’s the unwritten rules, it’s the voices that get heard in the organization. It’s who gets promoted and who gets delayed. It’s the values, the symbols, the things that get celebrated.
And the thing that leaders can’t hide is the culture they stand for. It’s the first thing employees read off a reader. It’s the most visible thing about a leader. Everything can be hidden, but the culture a leader stands for, will never be hidden. If leaders got good at one thing, it’s defining and articulating culture. Culture is a competitive advantage, leaders who do well at definition and articulation have done half their work.