Culture eats strategy for breakfast

When it comes to businesses, there are a lot of conversations happening right now about diversity. As a board member, I always believe you need a good mix to really get the most out of the business. But this is not just about gender, race, nationality, religion. For me, the most important thing is a range of people that think differently about the matters being discussed.

You could celebrate a board that on the surface looks diverse, but it could still be very homogenous when it comes to views and opinions. A missed opportunity. If you end up with a board where no one is challenging the status quo or looking critically at issues from a different perspective, you end up creating your very own echo chamber. And nothing inspiring or innovative ever comes from that.

But as well as wide ranging opinions, it’s also important that board members feel that they have a voice rather than being spoken down to. People need to be heard and members need to listen. You can sense a culture of a company by what is said at board level and how people listen.

Be brave and bold

This is not easy. It takes a special kind of person to include those with differing opinions on a board. You can always get a sense of a leader who is prepared to be brave and bold enough to do this.

The other key thing for me is to look at where you want your business to go and find the right people to help you get you there. Not the people who necessarily have the same views as you, but those with the right skills and experience, whoever they are.

I recall a CEO asking for a young person to join a school’s governing board. This was controversial. It was against the traditional thinking. But the young person had the skillset that met the needs of an area of development. It was a gap that needed to be filled to achieve the strategic aims of the school. It turned out to be a good call.

I also recall a Chair being told by her grandson that her board were completely out of touch. And as a result, her company hadn’t recognised the market opportunity presented by another brand that younger people were buying from. She worked for a luxury brand at the time and was astounded to learn that no one on her board had heard of the company young people were spending their money with. Years later the two companies formed a successful collaboration.

You see, when you surround yourself at board level with people that think like you, you’re not really giving yourself the opportunity to learn about what else is out there. But if you want your company to be seen as market leading, innovative and relevant, then you need the people on your board to reflect that. Ultimately, boards should reflect the culture of their company, because culture eats strategy for breakfast.