In business, we often hear culture described as “the water we swim in” – those invisible currents of behaviours, beliefs, and attitudes surrounding and influencing everything we do. Just as fish may not notice the water around them, we sometimes fail to recognise how powerfully culture shapes our daily work lives.
But here’s an empowering perspective for CEOs: instead of simply swimming in whatever waters you find yourself in, imagine having the power to shape your river. While culture remains the water in which your organisation operates, you’re not limited to adapting to existing conditions. Through alignment, you can become the architect of your organisation’s flow.
Think of what this means in practice. Rather than navigating choppy, unpredictable waters, you’re engineering the very path your organisation follows. You determine if your river runs fast or slow, wide or narrow. You decide how your teams navigate around obstacles. Through thoughtful design of structures, processes, and systems, you create the banks that guide how work flows, creativity emerges, and collaboration happens.
When you shape your river through careful alignment, you create an environment where success becomes more predictable. Like a skilled river engineer, the more precisely you carve the channel, the easier it is for your people to move forward. They understand their direction and path clearly. This clarity reduces friction and creates a natural momentum that carries everyone along.
Your strategy acts as the current itself – the powerful force directing the flow. A clear, strong strategy creates a steady pull, moving everyone forward with purpose. Without it, the waters can become stagnant, leaving teams to drift or get stuck in the shallows. Just as a river’s current gives purpose to its flow, your strategy gives direction to your culture.
As the architect of this flow, you make the crucial decisions: the river’s pace, its twists and turns, its depth. Your carefully cultivated culture moves naturally within the boundaries you’ve set, while alignment ensures everyone understands their destination. Strategy provides the essential momentum, keeping your entire organisation moving toward your shared vision.
This isn’t about passively responding to your environment – it’s about taking control of your company’s journey. By thoughtfully shaping your river through deliberate structure, aligned teams, and embedded culture, you create an unstoppable force that carries your organisation smoothly toward success. As a CEO, you’re not just leading the journey – you’re creating the very path to success.
This perspective transforms how we think about organisational leadership. Instead of seeing culture as something that simply exists, you recognise it as something you can actively shape and direct. Your role becomes navigating existing waters and creating the ideal conditions for your organisation to thrive.