I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That quote, attributed to management legend Peter Drucker, might feel like a cliché—but it’s one of the truest statements in the business world.
Regardless of how brilliant your strategy may be, if the culture within your organisation does not support it, your plans will fall flat. I’ve seen this firsthand.
Years ago, while working as an internal coach and leadership trainer in a large organisation, a new executive was brought in from a well-known global brand. He had led a hugely successful project in his former company and was hired to replicate that success. On paper, it made perfect sense.
But there was one critical oversight: the culture.
The new leader faced a passive-aggressive organisational climate. Senior leaders were resistant to change, and midlevel managers—those most responsible for day-to-day execution—pushed against his ideas. The result? After a year of resistance and roadblocks, the leader left in frustration. His strategy wasn’t flawed—his new organisational culture simply wasn’t ready.
In another company, I watched a CEO launch a visionary initiative with great passion and promise. Unfortunately, once the excitement of the announcement faded, the midlevel leaders—those crucial “translators” between vision and implementation—failed to carry the momentum. A year later, the initiative was scrapped.
Culture is powerful. And culture wins. Every time.
So how do you build a culture that actually supports your strategy, drives results, and reinforces a positive brand? How do you operationalise your desired culture—so it’s not just something you talk about in onboarding, but something that lives in every hallway, Zoom call, and performance review?
Here are eight key steps to transforming culture in your organisation:
1. Be intentional
Culture doesn’t happen by chance—it happens by design. Start by defining the values and behaviours you want to see in your organisation. What does success look like in your culture? Is it a collaboration? Courage? Innovation? Integrity?
Spell it out clearly. Not in vague slogans like “Be excellent”, but in observable behaviours. For example:
“We speak up even when it’s hard.”
“We admit mistakes and learn from them.”
“We collaborate across teams, not in silos.”
2. Leaders must model the way
Culture begins at the top. If your leaders don’t walk the talk, nothing else will stick. While leading culture transformation at a Canadian bank, I served as the Senior Manager of Learning and Development. When we launched our new culture training, the CEO didn’t just sign off—he sat through every session. He asked questions. He shared personal stories. Weekly, he emailed the organisation with examples of how he was applying the new behaviours. What happened next? His executive team followed his lead. Then their managers followed. That’s how change scales—when leaders lead from the front.
3. Identify and celebrate brand ambassadors
Not everyone will be on board immediately—but some already embody the culture you want. Identify them. Celebrate them. Elevate their stories. Culture spreads through storytelling and recognition. According to Gallup, employees who receive regular recognition are five times more likely to feel connected to their organisation and its mission.
4. Gamify culture
Make culture fun and visible. Use leaderboards, shoutouts, and symbolic rewards to highlight when people live out your values. When culture becomes part of your daily rhythm—not just something mentioned in HR workshops—it sticks.
5. Talk about culture weekly
Repetition builds retention. Don’t wait for the annual retreat or quarterly town hall. Make culture a weekly conversation. Use team meetings to spotlight values in action. Share short stories. Reflect on wins (and lessons) tied to behaviours.
6. Measure it. Tie it to rewards
Whatever gets measured gets managed. If culture matters, track it like you would sales or customer service.
How?
Add cultural behaviours to performance reviews.
Tie them to promotions, bonuses, and recognition.
Make them part of quarterly KPIs.
7. Listen to the team
Culture doesn’t live in the C-suite—it lives in the day-to-day experience of your employees. Ask them:
What’s working?
What behaviours get rewarded?
What’s holding people back?
Create safe channels for honest feedback, and act on it. Culture must be co-created—not just cascaded.
8. Operationalise it everywhere
Finally, bake your culture into everything: hiring questions, onboarding content, promotion criteria, exit interviews, daily language, and even reference conversations. When culture is embedded in every system and process, it moves from abstract to actionable.
You already have a culture. The question is – is it the culture you want? Or the one you’ve allowed? Transforming culture isn’t quick or easy. But it’s the most strategic move a leader can make. Because while strategies may change every quarter, culture is what lasts. And it’s what people remember. As author Simon Sinek says, “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.”
Culture isn’t a feel-good initiative. It’s your most powerful business strategy. Let’s pursue it.
Ayo Owodunni is a Kitchener City Councillor for Ward 5, a seasoned management consultant, keynote speaker, with over 13 years in leadership and consulting, and a Master’s degree holder from the University of Waterloo
