A crocodile does not announce its bite. That is how culture eats strategy, execution, innovation, and even common sense, without you noticing.
Consultants see a lot and sometimes feel bad for pocketing the cheque despite doing a lot for it. I once consulted for a growing fintech. On paper, they had it all: sharp strategy, aggressive investors, and a clear market gap. Yet, inside the company, a silent killer lurked.
- Meetings started late, always.
- Decisions dragged.
- People avoided accountability like the plague.
- Everyone smiled in public but whispered in corridors.
When targets were missed, the executive committee blamed “market conditions.”
To me, it was a toxic culture.
Culture is not the posters on your wall.
It is the unspoken rules that dictate:
a) What gets done?
b) Who gets punished?
c) Who gets promoted?
At this fintech, mediocrity got protected, initiative got punished, and sycophancy got rewarded. The culture had silently chewed through everything, funding, goodwill, and finally, the founder’s reputation.
I walked into the CEO’s office and told him what no one dared say:
“You do not have a market problem. You have a root problem. Culture is eating your business from the inside. This is a battle we must fix immediately.” I added.
“Culture is never what the CEO says. It is always what people whisper when the CEO is away..”
Culture eats…
a) Strategy, because execution happens through people.
b) Innovation, because bad culture suffocates bold ideas.
c) Compliance, because an unethical culture rewrites the rules.
d) Growth, because toxic culture drives away the best talent.
And it does so quietly.
By the time you notice, it is too late.
Here is how I help leaders smell the rot before it stinks:
a) I walk into meetings unannounced and observe.
b) I ask middle managers what frustrates them most.
c) I check who is getting rewarded and why.
- d) I listen for sarcasm and silent rebellion in corridors.
Culture is never what the CEO says.
It is always what people whisper when the CEO is away.
The fix?
a) Call out toxic behaviours immediately.
b) Reward what you want repeated, in public.
c) Fire culture misfits, no matter how skilled.
d) Lead by example. Always.
You cannot preach excellence and tolerate mediocrity.
You cannot demand speed and reward delay.
You cannot value integrity and promote crooks.
Culture eats everything.
Your only defence is to feed it deliberately.
If you want to know whether your culture is feeding you, or feeding on you, invite me in.
I will show you things your team fears to tell you.
That is how leaders build legacies.
By confronting the culture no one wants to talk about.
I remain Mr. Strategy
