System vs person; and the winner is...

Colleagues,

MVP: “When a good person is in a bad system, the system will always win.”
 
Two weeks ago, I shared a quote from Mary Hemphill, the Chief Academic Officer for the North Carolina Department of Instruction. In relistening to my podcast interview with her, I heard another quote that fits with the theme of the week:
 
“When a good person is in a bad system, the system will always win.”
 
Some implications:

• If you are in a bad system (organization), do one of these:
  • Leave
  • Apply for the top job!
  • Insulate yourself and your unit as much as possible
• If you are looking for a job, determine whether it is a bad system. Hint: interview the leader. Don’t take a job in a bad system!

 
Maybe this is too simplistic, but the real point is that your personal and professional qualities cannot fully mitigate the impacts of poor leadership. If you want to grow and become better at what you do, you need to be in a system that supports that.
 
Cheers!
 
Frederick