Let’s get one thing out of the way: if you work in a large organization, the kind with layers of hierarchy, 10-step approval flows for stapler purchases, and an internal system that feels like it was coded by a caffeinated raccoon in 2002, stop trying to be the hero.
Really. Just stop.
The impulse is noble. You spot inefficiencies, overlapping roles, broken workflows, and meetings that exist solely to schedule more meetings. You think, “This could be better.” Maybe you even sketch a flowchart, present a few ideas, start nudging things in the right direction.
But here’s the thing: in most big organizations, especially the messy ones, change doesn’t happen from the bottom up. Not real change. Not the kind that actually untangles the spaghetti of bureaucracy.
That’s because the mess starts at the top.
Yep. The very top.
Those cryptic org-wide memos? The ones that sound like they were written by a sentient thesaurus on Xanax? Those are symptoms. The endless compliance checklists, the confusing tech stack, the duplicated roles, all of it is architecture designed (or left unchecked) by leadership. And leadership has no incentive to fix what they don’t experience themselves.
So, what happens when someone from “downstairs” tries to clean things up? Well…
- Your emails go unanswered.
- Your calendar invites mysteriously get declined.
- You suddenly find yourself on fewer and fewer group chats.
- People start calling you “passionate” in that tone that means “annoying.”
- And eventually, you either get pushed out or you burn out.
The machinery isn’t broken by accident. It’s broken by design.
And you’re not the design team.
Let’s not sugarcoat it, trying to change a dysfunctional system from the inside, without power, is like trying to drain an Olympic swimming pool with a spoon. While blindfolded. During a rainstorm.
So what should you do instead?
Make peace with the chaos. Do your job. Do it well. Then go home. Watch Netflix. Eat some jollof. Live your life.
Trying to be the hero in a system that doesn’t want saving is a one-way ticket to burnout. And newsflash: we already have enough heroes. Marvel and DC are stocked, thanks.
Here’s the unpopular truth: if the problems are top-down, the solutions must be top-down too. You’re not lazy or cynical for accepting that, you’re just realistic.
Now, if you do climb to the top one day, by all means, bring a mop and start cleaning. Until then, survive. Thrive if you can. But stop trying to steer the Titanic from the broom closet. You deserve better than frustration with a side of unpaid overtime.
