Published in Forbes Coaches Council · 12 December 2022. “Strategy is the road map on where to go, while culture helps you to get there. Both must work and integrate.” Culture is the organisation’s connective tissue — the shared core purpose, values, and vision that bind people across differences in religion, ethnicity, ideas, experience, and background. A strong culture drives engagement, accountability, and execution; a weak or misaligned one quietly suffocates even the sharpest strategy. Leaders are the chief culture-builders — setting tone, modelling behaviours, hiring for fit-and-add, and protecting the values when growth and pressure tempt shortcuts.