Changing the System Is a Stretch Goal. Navigating It Is the Priority.

There’s no shortage of people telling you to change the system. There’s also no shortage of people telling you to keep your head down, do your job, and be grateful you’ve got one.

This article is for the ones who fit somewhere in between.

You’re someone who knows something’s broken — about how we measure value, how decisions get made, how people are promoted or not. But you still need to log into your 9AM Teams call. You still have rent and obligations. You still have dreams, too.

Because for most of us, changing the corporate system isn’t the goal we’ll reach by Friday. It’s a stretch goal. A long game. One you can’t take on all at once, and one that you might never be able to tackle. A maybe. And in the meantime, we still need to know how to navigate the thing we’re in.

But here’s the reality:
You can do both. Navigate and change. Survive and shift.

You don’t have to be the CEO or blow it all up to make a difference.
You can influence the system from inside it — and you can start right now, exactly where you are.

Let’s talk about how.

At the Interview Table: Normalize the Realities

If you’re interviewing, you’re not powerless. You’re holding a flashlight.

Ask the questions many candidates don’t:

• What’s the turnover like on this team? When did the last person leave, and why?

• How is feedback given and received here? Formal? Informal? Scheduled, or ad-hoc?

• What does career growth actually look like here? What has your growth looked like to get into the seat you’re in?

And if you’re the one doing the hiring, don’t oversell it.
Talk about the friction points and the learning curves, not just the “great culture.” Show people it’s safe to be human before they join (provided it actually is.)

Normalize transparency early. It sets the tone for what gets talked about once the offer’s signed.

As an Individual Contributor: Own Your Role, Share the Map

You don’t need direct reports to lead. Influence starts with showing up and being clear.

Document what you learn (especially if there wasn’t any documentation for you to learn from). Share what works with your peers. Offer context to the next person onboarding — even if no one asked you to. It’s one of the easiest ways to start building a better system.

If you’ve figured out how to ask for a raise, share the script.
If you learned how to say no without getting penalized, pass it on.

Think of your work like a trail: leave breadcrumbs behind.

As a People Manager: Break the Silence, Model the Boundaries

This is where the power starts to help make a difference — and so does the responsibility.

People are watching what you tolerate just as much as what you celebrate. If your team is overworked, ignored, or constantly blindsided by shifting priorities, they’re learning that’s just the way it is — unless you teach them otherwise.

Your job isn’t just to shield them from the nonsense. It’s to help them navigate it too.

• Give them language to escalate issues without fear.

• Set real boundaries on your own time so they feel permission to do the same.

• Acknowledge when the system fails, and talk honestly about what you can control.

The system doesn’t just get better when the top changes — it gets better when managers stop pretending it’s perfect.

As a Director or VP: Don’t Just Kick the Ladder Down

You “made it” up the ladder. Congrats. Now, be honest: is it better up here?

If you’ve got a seat at the table, use it. Not just to stay in the room — but to change what happens in it.

That means:

• Naming dynamics others are afraid to acknowledge. Especially ones surrounding value and compensation.

• Advocating for people who don’t already have access.

• Challenging policies that disproportionately impact those without power.

And here’s the hard truth: some leaders don’t want to change the system — because they think surviving it earned them a badge. I’ve worked for someone who genuinely believed, “I had to suffer this way, so my employees should too.” As if progress is a betrayal. As if struggle is a rite of passage.

But if you’re in a position to shape someone else’s experience — why wouldn’t you make it better?

You can’t fix everything. But you can refuse to pass down the same dysfunction you inherited.

So... Can the System Be Changed?

Yes. Slowly. Collectively. Relentlessly.

But that’s not where the work starts. The work starts with understanding it.
With surviving it. With making it work for you — and leaving it better for the next person.

Changing the system is a stretch goal.

Navigating it is the priority.

And if you're willing to do both — to name what’s broken, live in what's real, and build what comes next — you’re not just making it through.

You’re changing it already.

Action Required

Take a moment to reflect on where you are in the system right now — and how you might make it better from exactly where you sit.

Ask yourself:

• What did I have to figure out the hard way that I could make easier for someone else?

• Where do I have influence — even if it doesn’t come with a title?

• Am I quietly upholding parts of the system I wish were different?

Choose one thing. Document it, share it, or change it — and leave the path clearer for the person behind you.