Let’s put a leadership spin on the party game “Two truths and a lie.” Ready to play? Here are your three statements:

1. You cannot outperform your environment.

2. Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

3. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Which is the lie? If you’ve guessed 3, you’re right—but it’s a bit nuanced. Here’s why.

Truth 1: You Cannot Outperform Your Environment

No matter how strong you are, if your environment—the systems, resources, and social surroundings in which you operate—is working against you, it will cap your growth. Just like an unwatered plant in poor soil, the best talent cannot flourish in a toxic or restrictive environment.

Truth 2: Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

A brilliant strategy will fall flat without a supportive culture, as Peter Drucker famously pointed out. When your culture, which is your organization’s shared values, beliefs, and behaviors, is healthy, people feel empowered, and your strategy becomes aligned and actionable. Otherwise, you’re running a marathon on a treadmill stuck in reverse.

The Lie (Mostly): Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way  

Willpower alone can’t overcome everything. If you’re standing in front of a brick wall, no amount of resolute determination is going to help you walk through it (unless you’re secretly a superhero or transcendent yogi!). Real progress happens when willpower is paired with the wisdom to choose and shape the conditions around you.

• What is your belief about the three statements?

• How does your current environment impact your performance?

• What cultural aspects of your organization hinder your growth?

5 Amare Action Steps to Reshape Your Culture and Environment 

1. Start with clarity. Work with your leadership team to describe the five most defining characteristics of your environment and culture (again, environment refers to the systems, resources, and social surroundings in which you operate. Culture is your organization’s shared values, beliefs, and behaviors).

2. Honestly assess success. List your three most recent strategic initiatives. Consider how well they took hold (or not!) and where you can see the impact of your environment and culture, per the defining characteristics you just mentioned.

3. Take the pulse of your people. Conduct regular one-on-one meetings or anonymous surveys to understand how your team experiences the culture and environment. Hone in on specific barriers to success, e.g. a culture of always being too busy to collaborate effectively or an environment lacking psychological safety.

4. Determine what to change. Use the learnings to prioritize specific changes to measurably improve overall cultural alignment and create a more supportive environment.

5. Commit and manage expectations. Clearly communicate why you want to improve the culture and environment and what specific steps you will be taking to make that happen. Implement, measure progress, and celebrate small wins!

Your Role as a Thriving Leader

Thriving is not about forcing your way through obstacles with sheer grit—sometimes, it’s about having the wisdom to plant in better soil. As an influential love-powered leader, nurture the conditions for growth and watch as your team blooms.

Don’t underestimate the power of an environment and culture that allows everyone to flourish. 

Creating the right environment, fostering the right culture, and celebrating progress along the way make real growth possible.

Transform Your Leadership Team 

I coach and advise executives and leadership teams on identifying and being the best and most effective versions of themselves through the Amare Way of love-powered leadership (suffering optional!). If this stirs something within you, please listen. Contact me here.

Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote

“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” 

—James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

Click here and read more Amare Wave Wednesday newsletters on related topics:

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