Leadership story: Lesson of the rowing team why company culture is important

There was once a giant battle for the market share between a Japanese and an American company. Both were trying to buy the same family company which would shift the tide of market share into one or the other’s favor. The family company had the final word about which company they would end up doing business with. The man in charge of the family company wanted to see which management team would be the best fit for them. So he decided he would make his choice based on the results of a few competitions in rowing. He chose rowing because it was a team sport that required strength, tactics, mental discipline, organizational, and analytical skills. He was sure that he would get the right sense of the company culture this way. The companies accepted the condition and started preparing right away. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese team won by a mile. The American team was very discouraged and depressed, so they decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat.

Shortly after the defeat, the American company formed a management team made up of senior management to investigate and recommend appropriate action so the team would win the next race. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American…