First Who. Then Culture. Then What.

Over the years, working alongside executive teams, I’ve noticed a familiar pattern.

When results stall or pressure builds, leaders instinctively turn to the plan – the new strategy, the restructure, the next big move that promises to change everything.

But the real work begins elsewhere: with who is leading, and how they work together.

It starts with people and culture.

I was reminded of this again recently while listening to two CEOs. Both leading extraordinary organisations – in their own way. Their stories, though different, point to the same truth that every leader needs to grasp.

1. First who, then what

In a recent Biznews interview, Brett Levy, co-founder and co-CEO of Blue Label Telecoms, spoke candidly about the turnaround at Cell C.

After years of struggle, the business has finally turned a corner. Reflecting on what made the difference, Levy was clear: it came down to getting the right team in place.

“You can have great businesses with poor management that don’t execute,” he said, “and you can have ordinary businesses with great management teams that suddenly become outstanding. The people at the top make or break the business.”

Levy described how bringing in Jorges Mendes and his experienced team changed everything. Not only the results but the culture of the organisation.

This is what Jim Collins called First Who, Then What: before you decide where you’re going, decide who’s on (and off) the bus.

The right people don’t just deliver the plan. They shape the tone, the discipline, and the belief that drives everything else.

When leadership is strong, culture follows.

2. Culture as the ultimate differentiator

A few weeks later, I heard Graham Lee, CEO of Capitec Bank, express the same idea, from a different angle.

Presenting Capitec’s excellent interim results, he reminded investors of their priorities going forward. Chief amongst these was their culture.

“We will reinforce our culture – our client-first, highly energised, ownership-taking culture. All bank strategies look the same. We win because we execute. Because we get things done, and we do so by working together.”

It’s such a simple truth – and yet so often overlooked. Strategy is possible, even easy to copy. Culture isn’t.

A lived culture, one that everyone understands and owns, becomes the engine of execution.

At Capitec, that culture is summed up in three letters — CEO:

C for Client first
E for Energy
O for Ownership

Simple, memorable, actionable.
And when it’s lived consistently, it becomes the secret to sustained performance.