Systems Eat Strategy (and Culture) for Every Meal—Here’s Why That Matters

You’ve heard the saying:

📌 Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

But here’s the real problem—systems eat both for every meal.

No matter how strong your strategy is or how well your culture is defined, the systems running underneath it all dictate the real outcomes. And most companies don’t even realize it.

Why Strategy and Culture Get Overpowered by Systems

Imagine this:

• Your leadership team spends months crafting a brilliant strategic plan—but daily decisions don’t actually align with it.

• You define strong core values—but the real workplace behaviors don’t reflect them.

• You push for innovation—but bureaucracy and old habits crush new ideas before they even get a chance.

  
  

Why does this happen?

Because systems—made up of habits, power dynamics, and hidden bottlenecks—dictate how work really gets done. And if those systems don’t support your goals, your strategy and culture will never stick.

🚨 The harsh reality?

Most businesses don’t design their systems. They inherit them. They evolve over time, shaped by unwritten rules, outdated processes, and silent power structures.

Let’s break this down.

The Hidden Systems Running Your Business

Every company has two sets of rules:

1. The official, written rules (your strategic plans, org charts, SOPs, and company values).

2. The unofficial, unwritten rules (how things really happen, shaped by habits, politics, and workplace inertia).

And when the two conflict, guess which one wins?

The unwritten rules.

Because systems—whether visible or not—determine the following:

✔ Who actually makes decisions (not just who’s supposed to).

✔ How work really gets prioritized (not just what’s on the official plan).

✔ What behaviors get rewarded (not just what your culture statement claims).

✔ How fast or slow innovation moves (based on whether your systems support or suffocate it).

Real-World Example: The Hidden System of Decision-Making

I worked with a company where the CEO prided himself on a “flat, open-door culture.” But when I mapped how decisions were actually made, here’s what I found:

❌ Frontline employees had great ideas… but waited weeks for approval.

❌ Middle managers hesitated to take risks… because they feared stepping on the wrong toes.

❌ The CEO unknowingly created a bottleneck… because all big decisions ended up on his plate.

The company had a written strategy encouraging innovation, but the real system was one of hesitation, delays, and invisible power struggles.

Fixing this didn’t require another strategy meeting—it required adjusting the system itself.

How to Diagnose and Fix Broken Systems

If you want strategy and culture to actually work, you need to uncover and realign the systems driving your business. Here’s where to start:

Step 1: Analyze a frustrating system in your company.

• What’s not working?

• Why does this system exist in the first place?

• Who benefits from it staying the same?

Step 2: Observe how decisions are actually made.

• Who has to sign off on things?

• How long does it take to get approvals?

• Where do bottlenecks appear?

Step 3: Identify hidden power dynamics.

• Who really holds influence?

• Are some voices valued more than others?

• Are there unspoken rules shaping how things get done?

Step 4: Map how information flows.

• Where does communication break down?

• Are key insights getting lost between teams?

• Is critical data accessible—or locked away in silos?

Step 5: Adjust the system to match your goals.

• If approvals take too long, simplify the process.

• If innovation is stalling, give teams more autonomy.

• If employees feel unheard, create feedback loops that actually drive change.

👉 If you don’t intentionally shape your systems, they will shape your business by default.

Final Thought: Take Back Control of Your Systems

Every business has strategy. Every business has culture. But the best businesses intentionally build systems that align both.

If something in your company isn’t working—if execution keeps failing despite clear plans—look at the system, not just the people.

Now, I want to hear from you.

🔥 What’s one system in your company that needs a reset? Drop a comment below. 👇

If your strategy isn’t working, don’t blame the plan—check the system running it. Sometimes, the best move is hitting reset.Welcoming 2025 with sparkle and cheer, as we leave 2024 behind and embrace new possibilities.