What You Do Is Who You Are
Take inspiration from the experiences of historical leaders to transform your organization's culture.
Author(s): Ben Horowitz
Publisher: William Collins
Date of publication: 2019
Manageris opinion
How can a group's culture be transformed—be it a nation, a clan, or even a gang? It sounds like a tall order. Yet throughout history, many leaders have tackled it successfully. It is from their experiences that Ben Horowitz, venture capitalist and best-selling author, has drawn. His book looks back at the examples, among others, of Toussaint Louverture, leader of the only slave revolt to give birth to an independent state (Haiti), Genghis Khan, who built the world's most far-flung empire, or the samurai who accompanied Japan's transition from the medieval era to the Edo period.
He distils a few simple, well-supported and precisely described principles: “Preserve what works”; “Set rules that make an impression”; “Keep up appearances”. The interest of the argument is reinforced by numerous parallels with current business leaders, such as Reed Hastings at Netflix or Dara Khosrowshahi at Uber, whom Ben Horowitz has crossed paths with during his career as an investor.
An original and entertaining read, but also an inspiring one.
See also
Realigning culture and strategy
The culture of an organization constantly reshapes itself to remain aligned with strategy. But obstacles sometimes stand in this convergence’s way. How can we draw inspiration from history’s great reformers to succeed in transforming our culture?