817: Culture by Design: How Leaders Drive Strategy, Execution, and Performance with Krista White

817: Culture by Design: How Leaders Drive Strategy, Execution, and Performance with Krista White

In this episode, Krista White, coauthor of Culture Design and cofounder of Culture Design Lab explains how leaders can treat culture as a strategic lever rather than an HR initiative.

1. Culture is inseparable from strategy

Krista stresses that culture cannot be treated as background. It determines whether strategic plans survive contact with execution.

"We were noticing that there was a gap in people knowing how to connect culture with strategy. Our hope is that this book serves as a practical guide."

Leaders who design culture deliberately create alignment and resilience. Those who ignore it risk drift and underperformance.

2. Leadership presence remains essential

Digital tools cannot replace visible leadership.

"Everyone should be able to get five minutes with you. The CEO should not be a high on a hill person who is not reachable."

Walking the floor and observing frontline conditions show employees what leadership values.

3. Rituals make values real

Rituals translate values into behavior. "The rituals that stick are the ones tied directly to your business model and purpose not borrowed from another industry."

4. Resistance is part of the process

Cultural change often meets skepticism. Krista advises leaders to treat adoption like marketing.

"Think of it like marketing. You need many touches before someone clicks buy. Culture change requires consistency and repetition."

Consistency reduces resistance.

5. Context shapes culture

Best practices cannot be copied blindly.

"I used to think there was one right way for culture to look. I learned it is industry and context dependent."

The principle is to design culture that fits your strategy and market position.

6. Leadership lessons that endure

Krista learned two lessons from her father James White that remain relevant for executives

  • Discipline and preparation: "Practice makes perfect."

  • Balance and resilience: Never sacrificing family relationships even under pressure.

7. A broader leadership mission

Krista frames her work around freedom and engagement.

"My why is to do my part in creating a freer and more joyful world for everyone. For me that is through storytelling."

Organizations perform best when employees can bring their full selves to work.

📚 Get Culture Design here: https://shorturl.at/NVrs1

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Avsnitt(815)

235: How Age Impacts Consultants and Applicants

235: How Age Impacts Consultants and Applicants

Having spent a large part of my consulting career in my twenties, since I joined the Firm just shy of my 22 birthday, I personally know what it was like to successfully manage a young image. I was generally the youngest analyst, associate or engagement manager on a team, and a very young principal leading teams. I recall several times managing teams where the youngest person was older than myself. Those kinds of situations invariably raise challenges in controlling one's image and client perceptions. In this podcast, I outline 7 things which can be done to control ageism, and begin by defining how younger and older consultants differ in the signals they send.

3 Jan 201527min

234: The Role of Your Significant Other

234: The Role of Your Significant Other

One oversight we have corrected as we have learned more about our clients, is to understand the role their significant others play in their lives and decisions. We tend to assume that the advice we provide, and actions you take, are largely influenced solely by your wishes. That could not be further from the truth. In some ways, your significant other is a major investor and she/he can cause a lot of problems if you take actions not in keeping with his/her wishes. This interesting podcast, examines the decisions of our youngest client and how we helped her understand the implications of her personal choices as she prepares to join McKinsey.

28 Dec 201430min

233: Racial Prejudices in Management Consulting

233: Racial Prejudices in Management Consulting

The issue of gender disparities and the increasing African-American ratios in management consulting firms have rightly become important issues. Yet, the latter is a frighteningly narrow interpretation of racial prejudices.

22 Dec 201447min

232: McKinsey Paris: Debrief Call After Sasha's Offer

232: McKinsey Paris: Debrief Call After Sasha's Offer

Our client, Sasha recently received an offer from McKinsey Paris for the Operations Practice. This is the third podcast of a series of three interviews with him.

16 Dec 201446min

231: McKinsey Paris: Second Coaching of Sasha

231: McKinsey Paris: Second Coaching of Sasha

Our client, Sasha recently received an offer from McKinsey Paris for the Operations Practice. This is the second podcast of a series of three interviews with him.

10 Dec 201444min

230: McKinsey Paris: First Coaching of Sasha

230: McKinsey Paris: First Coaching of Sasha

Our client, Sasha recently received an offer from McKinsey Paris for the Operations Practice. This is the first podcast of a series of three interviews with him.

4 Dec 201446min

229: Why Internal Strategy Units Rarely Create Consultants

229: Why Internal Strategy Units Rarely Create Consultants

This podcast is based on the Quarterly article about the pros and cons of joining internal consulting units in banks, primarily as a substitute for careers in McKinsey or BCG.

28 Nov 201425min

228: How Great Consulting Firms Die

228: How Great Consulting Firms Die

This podcast is linked to the article about recent recruiting problems at BCG. We elevate the problem here and discuss the basic elements which lead to the decline of great firms or why smaller firms never become great.

22 Nov 201426min

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