It's Not Always Right to Be Right

Chapter 15Culture Doesn't Matter

The world can be a fickle place. One moment, you're the toast of the town; the next, a memory on a postcard.

Business can be like that. It's one of the reasons I strive for brands and companies to stay ahead of the curve. It is a magnificent thing when it works.

Culture is similar. You think it's always present, always on and always working. Then just like that, one day it's not. A poor imitation of what it was and what it could have been.

As Coco Chanel said, ‘Fashion is made to go out of fashion’. Like fashion, culture evolves.

If not stoked, it flounders.

I forgot this once. Never again.

THE MESSAGE

Familiarity breeds contempt. We get used to things being as they are, and this can lead to a sense of entitlement. A culture of entitlement can be a dangerous place, for both an individual and for a business. We perceive unique and valued experiences as business as usual. As a result, we no longer see them as being special. And when we don't see things as being extraordinary, we take them for granted. This is not only hazardous: it is also very wrong. I see culture as falling into this trap.

When you venture into a bad culture, you feel it immediately. The feel of the place penetrates deeply and you either leave or you're sucked into it. When you enter a great culture, the benefits are vast and obvious; they do not need to be explained. The quandary is how to keep that culture — more so, how to evolve it into something even better. Unless ...