Every year, my team chooses a theme for the year ahead.
A mantra to shape our intent, guide our actions, and influence our behaviour.
Three years ago, we settled on “One Team, One Goal.”
We no longer remember whose idea it was, but the words have stayed with us ever since.
Each year, the same phrase reveals a new meaning.
The team changes, yet we stay committed to inclusion.
The goal changes, yet we stay committed to one overarching priority.
From this, I have learned something many miss about strategy.
The more often you need to review a strategy, the less it is aligned with your culture.
The true aim of strategy is to merge with culture, not run alongside it.
Things that run in parallel must eventually diverge or converge.
When they diverge, strategy becomes irrelevant and culture reigns supreme.
When they converge, strategy becomes one with culture and is unstoppable.
Companies keep refining their strategy until it becomes culture.
When that happens, reviews become infrequent.
This is why I value the HPO model. It builds strategy directly into culture, making them inseparable. More leaders should aim for that, because when strategy becomes culture, you no longer need to drive it. It drives you.
— Osasu Oviawe