If there’s one thing I’ve learned in decades of leading change and strategy, it’s this: culture eats strategy every time.

No matter how well-designed a plan may be, if it doesn’t align with the deeper identity of a people, it will collapse under its own weight.

Right now, there’s a clear, coordinated effort to shift the American experience. You can see it in the daily communications—certain narratives being repeated, themes reinforced, and conversations steered in specific directions. That’s not an accident. It’s the point of a strategic communications effort designed to reshape how we think about who we are, what we value, and where we’re headed.

The thing is, for any change effort of this magnitude to succeed, it must be built on accurate assumptions about the people it seeks to influence. And that’s where this strategy goes off the rails—because it does not accurately reflect the tenets of American culture.

The Messaging Strategy at Play

Every major shift in power or ideology begins with messaging. It starts with repetition—getting certain ideas into circulation and reinforcing them so consistently that they start to feel like established truth.

Every day, the talking points go out. News personalities echo them. Social feeds amplify them. The goal isn’t just to persuade. It’s to reshape how we see reality itself.

But messaging alone isn’t enough. For this strategy to work, it requires something truly absurd—that we, as Americans, will abide by the rules while those pushing this strategy ignore them. Do as they say, not as they do? That’s not how this country or the American people work.

And yet, that contradiction is part of the plan. For this strategy to succeed, those refining the American experience are relying on a set of flawed assumptions about who we are and what we will accept.

They are betting that:

• We will accept hierarchy if it’s wrapped in patriotism.
• We see opportunity as a lottery, not a right.
• We will accept having less if we believe others have even less.
• We are too divided to push back collectively.
• We will believe equality is a threat rather than a shared benefit.
• If they control the conversation, they control what we believe.

At first glance, these might seem like logical conclusions. After all, we live in a time of intense division, economic instability, and information overload. But this is where the strategy will stub its toe.

Because while we may be exhausted, frustrated, and uncertain about the future, we are still Americans. Our cultural DNA simply does not align with the vision being pushed.

The Reality of American Culture

At our core, we have always resisted hierarchy for hierarchy’s sake. The foundation of this country was built on the rejection of unchecked power—on the belief that leadership must be earned, justified, and accountable. No matter how much history evolves, that instinct remains embedded in us.

We are also a nation of inventors—of opportunity, of possibility, of imagination. The greatest leaps in technology have advanced innovation and expanded access. From the printing press to the internet, American ingenuity has repeatedly put knowledge into the hands of the many rather than the few.

And when we’ve expanded access—not just to knowledge, but to rights, opportunity, and equality—we’ve always emerged stronger.

The idea that we would passively accept a world where opportunity is hoarded by a select few? It’s a fundamental misread of who we are.

And then there’s the biggest miscalculation of all. The belief that we won’t show up for each other.

When everything shut down during the pandemic, who kept things running? Institutions took time to respond. But in the meantime, neighbors, communities, and ordinary people mobilized. Teachers overhauled entire learning systems in real time. Volunteers built local food pantries. People stepped up to protect and support the most vulnerable.

This instinct—to build together when systems fail us—is the single biggest reason why authoritarian governance will not find fertile soil on American ground. Why? Because top-down control depends on people’s dependence.

When institutions fail, and people step up to solve problems themselves, they prove they don’t need to wait for permission, direction, or rescue from those in power. That’s a direct challenge to any structure trying to consolidate control.

A system built on control is rooted in:

• Obedience. People following the rules, even when the system fails them.
• Division. Keeping people focused on their differences instead of working together.
• Dependence. Making people believe only the system can provide solutions.

When Americans step up, whether during a crisis, in their communities, or through innovation; it disrupts that power dynamic completely.

We don’t wait to be told what to do. We organize. We adapt. We take care of each other. 

So, What Now?

If culture is stronger than strategy—and it is—that means we are not powerless. The future of America doesn’t have to be decided by default. It can be shaped by what we, as individuals and communities, choose to believe, create, and fight for.

The American experience has been disrupted in ways we’ve yet to fully understand. From entropy and chaos, order and innovation can emerge—but only when shaped with intention. Every period of upheaval offers two choices: 1) to react to someone else’s vision or 2) to define our own. This is that moment.

• What if opportunity wasn’t a rare break, but a right we could rely on?
• What if we moved beyond scarcity and survival to a system where everyone had the freedom to build, create, and contribute—without the constant threat of economic instability?
• What if the promise of America wasn’t just about climbing ladders, but also about ensuring that everyone has solid ground to stand on?

We’ve done hard things before. We’ll do them again.

So let’s use our voices. Share our vision. Shape what comes next. Let’s step forward—not just in reaction to what’s happening, but in pursuit of something better.

The future isn’t something we inherit. It’s something we create. Let’s build one where everyone prospers.

#GoodTrouble