Culture Eats Strategy, Then Chokes on It

Culture Eats Strategy, Then Chokes on It challenges the myths that dominate modern business thinking. Every organisation claims to have a strong culture, yet few understand how it truly works. This book exposes the gap between what companies say and what they actually do, showing how good intentions often create poor results.

It explores the real forces that shape culture, from leadership behaviour and incentives to systems, structure, and accountability. It explains how culture can quietly sabotage strategy, how organisations confuse activity with progress, and how leaders often become their own biggest obstacle.

Written in a direct and accessible style, this book is for leaders, managers, and professionals who want to build organisations that actually deliver on their promises. It replaces buzzwords and slogans with clarity, honesty, and action. If you are serious about creating a culture that drives real performance, this book will show you how.

Most people don’t need more information. They need clarity.

That’s what this series is about, Apply Focus. Each book is short enough to read in half an hour, yet deep enough to leave something that sticks: a sharper insight, a better question, or a practical next step you can actually use.

I’ve spent years helping people and organisations untangle complexity, in business, technology, leadership, and life. The pattern is always the same: when we focus on what truly matters, everything else falls into place. When we don’t, even simple things become chaos.

These books are written to make that clarity easier to find. No filler. No jargon. No motivational nonsense. Just straight, honest thinking, distilled down to what works.

Every title stands on its own, but they all share a single intent: to help you think logically, act deliberately, and make progress without the usual noise.

So wherever you start, whether it’s culture, health, AI, or getting fit over fifty, you’ll find the same approach: clear thinking, practical action, and zero fluff.

Apply Focus and see what happens.

David Rollason

Founder, Apply Focus

Edition: 2.0 - October 2025