Hi Nikki,
You’ve Gotta Have Heart
“Culture is king.” This phrase is very popular now and for good reason. Leadership experts like Peter Drucker and Robin Sharma have gained a lot of traction lately by noting in an age of such rapid technological growth, both strategic and technological advantages are quickly lost as competitors react swiftly to adopt new practices. Ultimately, it is culture that creates the “it” factor in building great teams, and culture is all about heart. It is the beliefs and values that lead to behavior. As a leader, you ignore heart or culture to your peril.
Interestingly, “culture is king” is not a new idea. It was Herodotus (c. 484-425 BC), a Greek historian and geographer who is credited with first publishing this idea. Which conjures up quotes from Socrates and King Solomon about nothing new under the sun, but I digress…
The age of reason pushed the brain and “logic” to the forefront and the heart was relegated to “bystander” status. Technology and strategy ruled the day for centuries. Still, the underdogs often won the day.
The underdogs had heart. The had a culture that propelled them to success. Yes, there was plenty of talent. Talent and skills can be taught, but if the culture is not well, the talent will underperform. That’s part of what I love about this Ed Sullivan video of the “Miracle Mets” singing You’ve Gotta Have Heart, (a song ironically made famous in the musical Damn Yankees).
What is your corporate or team culture?
Are you being attentive to it or just “letting it happen”?
This month I will be in Spain leading a Team Building and Leadership Development conference with a multi-cultural team. We will spend a lot of time discussing the various cultures in the room and how to bring them together to capture the synergy of diversity. I will share more in my next letter about leading multi-cultural teams.
Until then, remember, you’ve gotta have heart because culture is indeed king. Every team is in varying degrees a multi-cultural team. You ignore culture to your own peril.
Committed to your growth,
Michael Anderson
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