Author of
The Gauntlet
In the last ten years, we’ve experienced more change in business than ever before.
The way we work will necessarily keep evolving – we’ll need to work differently.And new, different work will need to be done.
Operating productively with this level of required flexibility will compel every business to rely more heavily on its culture. Hence the increasing dialogue about the value of culture in executing strategy and adapting with agility.
Leaders who are more comfortable with the certainty of being directed from above will become increasingly disoriented by the pace of change, and results will suffer.
There are crisis situations when a directive from above is necessary, appropriate and effective. But if directive leadership is the culture under which a company’s leaders and their teams typically operate, then once the emergency is resolved, the sense ofdisruption and urgency will return, causing decision paralysis and employee withdrawal. Resilience disappears and the system becomes brittle.
As the market continues to change ever faster, it’s the community and connection of culture, nurtured by collaborative, accountable leadership, that enables versatility and progress. We’re discovering that all of us know more than any one of us. Leadership and culture that encourage curiosity, dialogue, and taking responsibility, create an effective and resilient response to the churn of change.
How resilient is your company’s culture?
