Leader drives Culture or else Culture drive the Leader

Culture is the most powerful, yet underestimated element of any organization. Thankfully, today, culture is getting more attention in organizations due to the realization that people want more from work, more from companies, from which they buy beyond a paycheck or product.

Contrary to popular belief, culture is not this ambiguous, non- defined form without shape or tangible meaning. In fact, all elements of an organization impact culture and receive impact directly from the culture. Culture can be intentional or unintentional, however, its development is inevitable. The leader(s) own the responsibility of an organization’s culture regardless of their roles in shaping in it. It can feed long-term positive performance or threaten it.

An effective leader understands the need to focus on intentional positive culture development. Rigor is required in order to shape culture that is beneficial for the organization’s long term performance. Identifying the present culture is the first step of identifying the direction of an organization’s culture. This allows you as a leader, the ability to then accurately measure the gap between where your organization is and the cultural vision, where you are trying to go. Significant work and investment (time, political, etc.) is often required to change the culture of an organization. Maintaining positive cultural elements is equally important, but still requires a level of measurement and rigor in order to understand what is directly contributing to the positive culture.
The power of culture and how it guides the relationships of an organization internally and externally is monumental. The truest principles of an organization are manifested through its culture, priorities and practices. Therefore, the culture of on organization should be regularly assessed, measured and cultivated.