Over the last two decades, I’ve been involved in dozens of consulting and training projects, mostly in business intelligence and, more recently, business transformation.
Each engagement brought new insights, but one consulting project in particular left a lasting impression on me. It taught me a powerful lesson about leadership, decision-making, and how an organisation’s internal culture is often revealed through the values it prioritises.
A Troubled Company and a “Mission Impossible”
The client in this case was a mid-sized company facing serious challenges. Frequent changes in leadership had resulted in instability, fragmentation, and what I would call “pockets of warlords.” They are middle and senior managers who had built power bases during previous leadership regimes.
The organisation was struggling to meet the key KPI targets set by its stakeholders. The newly appointed CEO understood the severity of the situation. He called the transformation he envisioned a “mission impossible,” but he was committed to change. Our task was to help the company craft a three-year strategic plan that could put it back on track.
The Strategic Workshop: A Window Into Organisational Priorities
After a series of internal health checks, document reviews, and interviews with key personnel, we organised a three-day strategic workshop. It brought together the top three layers of management, and on days two and three, representatives from the company’s key stakeholders joined us.
One important exercise in the workshop focused on defining the company’s core values. Participants were asked to brainstorm values they believed were essential for the company’s future success. We compiled a long list, and then asked each person to vote for the two values they felt were most critical, using two sticky notes to cast their votes.
The results were both revealing and surprising.
What They Chose, and What They Didn’t
The top three values chosen were:
· Accountability
· Collegiality
· Consistency
These are respectable and important values for any organisation. But what caught my attention were the values that didn’t receive similar support:
· Action received only one vote.
· Focus got just a couple.
· Communication wasn’t selected by anyone.
At first glance, this might seem like a minor oversight. But from a strategic and cultural perspective, the implications can be significant.
Why Those Three Values?
Reflecting more deeply, I began to understand why these particular values had risen to the top.
Accountability: A Reaction to Chaos
The choice of accountability likely reflected a collective desire for greater responsibility, particularly after years of instability and leadership changes. When no one is held accountable, it’s easy for standards to slip, projects to stall, and departments to blame one another, which is quite obvious from our observations. In this context, the emphasis on accountability was a call to reestablish discipline and restore order.
However, while accountability is essential, it must be paired with action and execution. Without the drive to deliver results, accountability can become performative, more about blame than progress.
Collegiality: A Need for Harmony
The high vote for collegiality was telling. After years of internal conflict and political manoeuvrings among the “warlords,” employees may have become weary of interpersonal friction. Collegiality represents a desire for harmony, mutual respect, and a workplace where collaboration outweighs conflict.
In theory, this is a positive development. But collegiality, when overemphasised, can also lead to a culture of avoidance. People may shy away from making difficult decisions or holding others accountable in the name of maintaining friendly relations.
Consistency: A Desire for Stability
Consistency reflected another understandable sentiment: the yearning for stability and predictability. After a period of frequent changes in leadership and direction, employees naturally crave clear, reliable routines and expectations. It signals a desire to “steady the ship” before making bold moves forward.
Yet consistency must not be mistaken for complacency. An organisation can be consistently mediocre if it resists taking risks or fails to adapt to change.
Taken together, these three values paint a picture of a company trying to recover from a chaotic past, a company craving stability, cohesion, and a return to basics.
But What About Action, Focus, and Communication?
What struck me most was not just what was chosen, but what was missing.
Action: Where Is the Urgency?
Only one person voted for action. That was startling. In any transformation effort, the ability to take bold, decisive steps is non-negotiable. Without action, even the most brilliant strategies remain trapped on paper.
The absence of action likely signals a culture that is cautious or even paralysed, where people are hesitant to make mistakes, take risks, or move without consensus. It may also reflect a learned helplessness, where employees are so used to plans being derailed that they no longer believe execution is possible.
Focus: Too Many Priorities?
Focus also received little attention. That’s dangerous. Organisations that try to do everything at once usually achieve very little. Without focus, efforts become diluted and teams get overwhelmed.
The lack of focus may be a byproduct of survival mode. When you’re constantly putting out fires, it’s hard to prioritise. Everything seems urgent, so nothing gets done well.
Communication: The Silent Saboteur
Most shocking was the absence of communication from the list. Effective communication is the glue that binds people, plans, and priorities. Without it, even the best teams drift apart, strategies remain misunderstood, and trust begins to erode.
When communication isn’t prioritised, teams operate in silos, leaders make assumptions, and execution falters. In my experience, many companies don’t fail because of poor strategy. They fail because that strategy is never clearly communicated or properly understood.
The Consultant’s Role: Observe and Reflect
As consultants, our role isn’t to dictate values or solutions, but to create reflective space, helping organisations see themselves more clearly.
There’s no universally “correct” set of values. Every organisation must decide what matters most based on its context and goals. However, the choices made in this exercise revealed deep-rooted cultural traits that were likely contributing to the company’s stagnation.
They showed a team that values internal harmony and routine, but might be lacking the fire to act decisively, the discipline to focus, and the openness to communicate clearly.
Leadership Lessons: What We Can Learn
From this experience, several leadership lessons emerge:
Balance Culture with Execution
A positive, stable culture is essential, but it must be paired with urgency and drive. A culture that avoids risk or prioritises harmony at the expense of performance can become a barrier to growth.
Prioritise Focus Over Busyness
Trying to tackle too many goals leads to scattered energy and burnout. Great leaders narrow the focus to what truly matters.
Communicate Relentlessly
Communication is not a one-time event. Leaders must repeat, reinforce, and ensure understanding. Without it, alignment and motivation quickly fade.
Review Values Regularly
Values should guide decision-making. But as the environment changes, so must the values we elevate. Regular check-ins ensure alignment between values and strategy.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the workshop, I was reminded of one important lesson: an organisation’s values shape its destiny.
A company can be accountable, collegial, and consistent, but without action, focus, and communication, it will struggle to move forward.
Leadership is not only about preserving stability; it is about driving meaningful progress and ensuring everyone is rowing in the same direction.
What we choose to prioritise, individually and collectively, determines what we ultimately achieve.
Choosing the right values is a good start.
Acting on them with clarity, focus, and urgency is what creates real success.
Note: Dr Azizi is a professor at the Malaysian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and Business (MGSEB), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (https://mgseb.umk.edu.my). He can be contacted at [email protected]
