58 | The Lion King
Feature
Culture-Driven
Leadership
I
t is a fact that a corporate culture
will be created with or without
the involvement of the leader. But
it is also a fact that creating and
sustaining a healthy corporate culture
requires constant attention and active
involvement. Therefore, a leader
should actively shape and direct the
development of the culture. Behind
every successful leader is a vibrant
culture that engages and energizes
employees.
In practice we tend to look at culture
first and job skills second. We’ve found
that someone who is a good cultural fit
can learn and develop any missing job
skills. The reverse is not true. Someone
with great job skills but a poor cultural fit
is unlikely to really embrace the policy.
A critical component of team building
is culture, because if teams are to
work effectively all employees must
understand and embrace the culture
of the particular group and business.
There’s no doubt that today, a leader’s
success depends on how he or she
molds and develops that culture.
Shaping a culture is a formidable task,
since many of the valuable qualities a
leader might have are never taught in
a classroom. They can be learned, but
only from life experiences. Emotional
maturity, authenticity, and a strong
character are all essential if leadership
in a culture-driven organisation is to be
effective. So is an alignment among
the leader’s passion, the organisation’s
mission, and the corporate culture in
which everything transpires. But these
characteristics are developed through
life experience.
Most leaders today genuinely try to get
things done for good and even unselfish
reasons. They are nonetheless often
perceived as being driven by money,
materialism, and self-interest. That
perception is something leaders have
to deal with, by redoubling their efforts
to shake off the stigma of egocentric
leadership and earn trust.
An effective leader of a culture-driven
organization will be recognizable
by several traits. When others try to
describe him or her, they think of the
vision first. The leader is thought of more
as a person devoted to a cause than
as a manager running an organisation.
By Abayomi Orungbe
He or she articulates and spreads the
values of the organization in a way that
is explicit rather than implicit, and his or
her personal commitment to success
is obvious and frequently verbalized.
The culture-driven leader constantly
demonstrates passion and energy for
the work to be done. In a culture-driven
company, the style of leadership itself is
emulated at all levels of the company.
So, what type of individual is cut out to
lead an organisation that is first defined
by culture and a cause? He or she
possesses six fundamental attributes.
•
A calling
•
The guts to make the calling
personal
•
A powerful enemy: An inner circle
•
The possibility of failure
•
An aura of mystery
•
In a start up, the culture is a blank
page in need of material. The leader
must be aligned with the culture
of the organization. At the same
time, he or she is also responsible for
shaping it.
